Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorbă de perișoare) – a delicious variation of the regular meatball soup – but better. Easily prepared on a busy workday, this meatball soup can be enjoyed at dinner time or as leftover for lunch. Kid friendly, no fuss soup recipe for the whole family.
An easy and seriously flavorful meatball soup – consider it a glow-up from your usual meatball recipe. Picture soft, herby meatballs floating in a tangy broth that hits the soul like a proper hug after a long day at work. Bold, hearty, and ridiculously comforting – it’s basically Eastern Europe’s answer to a rainy day.
Great on a cold day: check out my collection of hearty soups and stews to warm your soul.
Behind the Bites
Ciorbă de perișoare is one of Romania’s most recognizable soups, shaped by centuries of Balkan and Ottoman culinary influence. It likely descends from meatball-based soups that spread through the Ottoman Empire into Wallachia and Moldavia from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Romanian cooks adapted the idea by adding borș (sour fermented wheat) or lemon juice, giving the broth its distinctive tang. The meatballs, usually made from pork or mixed meats with rice and herbs, reflect local tastes and economical cooking traditions. Today it remains a beloved staple (with lot’s of family variations and adaptations of course), symbolizing comfort and tradition.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground meat – pork or mix of beef and pork
- Egg – for meatballs
- Rice – for meatballs
- Breadcrumbs – for meatballs
- Potatoes – for soup
- Carrots for soup
- Red bell pepper for soup
- Onion – for both meatballs and soup
- Parsnip – for soup
- Tomatoes – fresh or canned
- Vegetable oil – for sautéing vegetables
- Water
- Bors – or fresh lemon juice
- Herbs: parsley, celery leaves, oregano, tarragon
- Sea salt to taste
How to cook Romanian meatball soup?
1st: Prepare the meatballs and set aside. Then saute the vegetables for the soup on low heat.
2nd: Add in water, tomatoes, bors (or lemon juice) and let simmer until fully cooked. Season with herbs and salt to taste, serve hot.
Romanian Meatball Soup (Ciorbă de perișoare)
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 large potato, chopped in cubes
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped in small pieces
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 small parsnip, chopped in cubes
- 1 cup tomatoes, in cubes (from a can)
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 600 ml water, or more as needed
- 2 tbsp. bors (wheat bran), or fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. fresh celery leaves, or more
- 1 tbsp. oregano, fresh or dried
- 1 tsp. tarragon, fresh or dried
- sea salt to taste
Meatballs
- 400 g ground pork
- 1 small egg
- 2-3 tbsp. white rice
- 1 small onion, minced finely
- 4 tbsp. breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. parsley, finely minced
Instructions
- First, in a large soup pan sauté in oil all vegetables: shredded carrot, chopped parsnip, potatoes & red peppers until soft and slightly browned. Stir as needed.
- Then, add in the water and bring to a boil, let simmer on low heat and prepare the meatballs.
- Combine ground pork with all other ingredients for the meatballs (rice, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley). Mix well and shape into small balls.
- Next, add in the meatballs into the soup pan with all other vegetables. Let simmer until all is fully cooked.
- Then, add in the bors (if using), canned tomatoes, celery leaves, oregano and tarragon. Let simmer on the stove for another 10 minutes or so.
- Finally, remove from the stove and serve hot. If not using bors, offer fresh lemon juice (apple cider vinegar) upon serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looks very delicious 😋