Matzo ball soup is essential to Jewish life, but eggs are considered essential to matzo balls. What to do? Here is the recipe I have used since college. It is an adaptation of the one appearing on the back of the Manischewitz tin.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (use water instead if having gallbladder or GI illness -- I found that this makes a difference)
- 2 eggs' worth of Ener-G Egg Replacer (on Passover, I use 1.5 Tbsp oil, 1.5 Tbsp water, 1/2 tsp potato starch, and 1/2 tsp baking soda, per the OU Guide To Passover, or just skip the egg substitute altogether and use more oil and water instead)
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 2 Tbsp vegetable broth or water
- 1 tsp salt
- Garlic powder, to taste (my personal addition)
- Rosemary, to taste (my personal addition)
Instructions:
- Assemble vegan egg replacer (i.e., mix the powder and the water), if using.
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Form into matzo balls by hand.
- Drop the matzo balls into boiling water.
- Simmer 30-40 minutes.
- Remove from water and transfer to soup (my favorite is just a vegetable broth with lots of herbs and vegetables) for immediate consumption, or put in freezer. The step of freezing them or at least cooling them long enough to form an outer skin helps them stay together for later serving or even keeping in a slow cooker for Shabbos or Yom Tov.
When it's not Passover, I like to add tofu to the soup. It absorbs the flavors of the broth, herbs, and vegetables and adds protein and additional texture. Matzo ball soup with oil-free matzo balls and tofu in a slow cooker helped me out of some pretty bad bouts of sickness.