Spring Vegetable Matzo Ball Soup
Healthy Passover Recipe
By Fitness and Freebies
Matzo balls in a hearty and healthful vegetable packed soup with carrots, broccoli florets, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomatoes, peas and seasoned with dill.
Ingredients:
Matzo Balls:
3 tablespoons unsalted pareve kosher for Passover margarine
3 scallions, white part and 2 inches green, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon 99 percent fat free, no-salt-added canned chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup unsalted matzo meal
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
Vegetable Soup:
Canola oil cooking spray
3 medium carrots, diced
2 cups small broccoli florets
2 small zucchini, diced
2 small yellow crookneck squash, diced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
1 small red onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
6 cups 99 percent fat free, no-salt-added canned chicken broth
1 28-ounce can no salt added canned diced tomatoes
4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Recipe Directions
For the matzo balls: Melt margarine in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add scallions and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Cool. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Mix in scallion mixture, matzo meal, and dill. Cover and chill until firm, at least 2 hours. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using moistened palms, roll rounded teaspoonfuls of matzo mixture into small balls. Place on prepared baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop matzo balls into boiling water. Cover and boil until matzo balls are tender, about 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer matzo balls to a large plate. (May be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered, and chilled.) To make soup, lightly coat a large heavy soup pot with cooking spray. Add carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, red onion, and garlic. Saute until vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoes with their juice, sugar snap peas, and dill. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. (May be made ahead, covered, and chilled for up to 1 day. Reheat to simmer before continuing). Add matzo balls to the soup and continue to cook until matzo balls are heated through. Soup will be thick. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
Recipe makes 8 servings Spring Vegetable Matzo Ball Soup.
Passover Tradition
A shank bone is symbolic of the sacrificial lamb offering. The bone can come from whatever the family is eating, such as the leg bone of a roasted turkey. Freshly grated horseradish reflects the bitter affliction of slavery. Maror reminds us of the bitter and cruel way the Pharaoh treated the Jewish people when they were slaves in Egypt.
