Tomatensoep met Balletjes (Belgian Tomato Soup with Meatballs)
Local name: Tomatensoep met balletjes
In short: Smooth tomato soup with a little cream, thin vermicelli noodles and tiny herb-seasoned meatballs, a Belgian family favorite for cold days. It takes about 1 h 5 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 260 kcal
Tomato soup with little meatballs is a Belgian comfort classic, found on family tables and in many restaurants. The soup is a simple cooked-down tomato base finished with a little cream, thin vermicelli noodles and a sprinkle of chives. The tiny balls of seasoned minced meat simmer straight in the pot and flavor it. Children like it, and so do adults on cold winter evenings.
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat for 8 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the stock, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper, crushing the tomatoes with a spoon.
- Simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
- Meanwhile, mix all the meatball ingredients and roll the mixture into about 30 tiny balls the size of a hazelnut.
- Remove the bay leaf and blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Bring it back to a simmer.
- Drop the meatballs into the simmering soup, then add the vermicelli. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (71°C/160°F) and the noodles are soft.
- Stir in the cream and taste for salt and sugar. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chives.
Tips
- Keep the meatballs tiny so they cook quickly in the soup and feel part of it rather than a separate course. Wet hands make rolling easier.
- In winter, canned tomatoes give a deeper flavor than pale fresh ones. In summer, use 1 kg (2.2 lb) ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped, and simmer 10 minutes longer.
Questions and answers
Can I freeze tomato soup with meatballs?
Freeze the soup and cooked meatballs without the vermicelli for up to 3 months. Reheat and add freshly cooked noodles, which turn mushy if frozen.
Can I make it without cream?
Yes. Leave the cream out or use a splash of milk. The soup will taste a little sharper and lighter, but it still works.
What can I use instead of vermicelli?
Any small soup pasta, such as stelline, or a handful of rice cooked in the soup, works well.
How long does it take to make Tomatensoep met Balletjes (Belgian Tomato Soup with Meatballs)?
About 1 h 5 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Tomatensoep met Balletjes (Belgian Tomato Soup with Meatballs)?
About 260 kcal per serving, with 12 g of protein, 16 g of carbohydrates and 17 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 260 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
