Tomatensoep met Balletjes – Dutch Tomato Meatball Soup

Last Updated on November 13, 2019 by Chef Mireille

Although much of my family lives in the Netherlands, we rarely eat traditional Dutch food. We usually eat Indonesian food which is very popular there, or at home Surinamese or Antillean food. However, this week I am presenting different foods from the Netherlands and came across this soup. Although the premise looked delicious, the original version was very bland flavored with just salt and pepper and a bit of parsley. No wonder the Dutch prefer Indonesian food! That’s why so many sweets were presented this week. That is one thing Dutch food does excel at.

My version is a bit of a departure from the original with a lot more herbs and spices, but I think still stays true to the Dutch inspiration. The only major change I did was used ground turkey instead of a mix of ground beef and pork for the meatballs.

To end this Dutch exploration, here are a few scenes from the Dutch countryside.

Tomatensoep met Balletjes

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Meatball Ingredients:

• 8 oz. ground turkey
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• a dash of nutmeg

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

Let’s first make the meatballs. Combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Form into apricot sized meatballs. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

In a large pot, heat oil. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute until vegetables are softened.

Add bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, 4 cups water and bouillon cubes. Stir to combine. Add thyme, oregano and paprika. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.

Add meatballs and simmer 15 minutes, until cooked through.

Add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Perfect comfort food.

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Tomatensoep met Balletjes – Dutch Tomato Meatball Soup

Prep Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• Meatball Ingredients:
• 8 oz. ground turkey
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• a dash of nutmeg
• Soup Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Let's first make the meatballs. Combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Form into apricot sized meatballs. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• In a large pot, heat oil. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Saute until vegetables are softened.
• Add bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, 4 cups water and bouillon cubes. Stir to combine. Add thyme, oregano and paprika. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
• Add meatballs and simmer 15 minutes, until cooked through.
• Add pepper and salt, if necessary.

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