One of the best of Romanian cuisine, sour meatball soup (ciorba cu perisoare) describes a sour soup with vegetables and meatballs. It's one of my favorites soups because it's absolutely delicious, very nourishing and easy to make. I prepare this soup very often for my family.
Sour meatball soup was the first soup I prepared by myself and I tested many recipes by now.
Traditionally, meatballs are made with ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork. I prefer chicken meatballs and recently I discovered that turkey meatballs are the best :).
Serve this delicious sour meatball soup with sour cream, chili pepper and a junk of fresh homemade bread. It's soooo yummy! :)

Ingredients for Romanian sour meatball soup (ciorba de perisoare)

- 1kg potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 1 slice of celery root
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley
- juice from 1 lemon (or to taste)
For meatballs:
- 700gr ground turkey (or chicken/beef)
- 1 egg
- 1 onions
- 80gr rice
- 1-2 slices of bread soaked in water/milk and squeezed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bunch of fresh dill

How to make Romanian sour meatball soup

Fill a large pot with 2L of water. Add salt. Place the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, peel and wash the vegetables. Dice the potatoes, finely chop the onions and chop the bell pepper into small pieces. Grate the celery and the carrots.
Place the vegetables into the boiling water and continue to cook at medium heat.
Prepare the meatballs
Use a medium bowl to combine ground turkey, egg, finely chopped onions, rice, 1-2 slices of bread soaked in water/milk and squeezed, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and chopped fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper and mix well with your hand until combined.
With slightly wet hands, form the meatballs and add them to the boiling soup.
Continue to cook until the vegetables and the meatballs are cooked. If necessary, add more water.
With 5-7 minutes before turning off the heat, add the tomato paste.
Remove from heat, add lemon juice, to taste, and chopped parsley.
Cover with a lid and let the meatball soup rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Serve with sour cream, chili pepper and fresh homemade bread.
Enjoy!