The Best Matzo Ball Soup

We've tested every trick in the book to figure out exactly how to make the perfect matzo balls—whatever that means to you.

Matzo ball soup

If you need something warming (like a warm hug) then this is the soup for you. 

Classic Matzo Ball Soup Recipe: Fluffy OR Chewy - The Woks of Life

This traditional matzo ball soup recipe will help you make the perfect matzo balls, whether you like them light and fluffy or al dente.

Masa Ball Soup (Corn Dumplings in Chicken Soup)

A lot of people will tell you that punning is one of the lowest forms of humor. No matter—this soup, born of a silly pun, is tasty whether you like that kind of wordplay or not. Based on a classic matzo-ball soup recipe, this one uses masa harina for tamales in place of matzo meal for light and moist poached dumplings that have more than a little in common with tamales themselves. We serve them in chicken broth spiked with Mexican flavors, like jalapeño, lime juice, and cilantro.

Spaghetti and Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

For a lighter meatball that won't weigh you down, chicken is the perfect choice. Flavored with Parmesan and herbs, these tender meatballs stay moist with a little help from gelatin.

Schmaltz (Rendered Chicken Fat)

A staple of Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, schmaltz—rendered chicken fat—adds rich flavor to the dishes it's used in.

Homemade Chickarina Soup

Make this awesome canned soup at home—even down to the bouncy meatballs.

Chicken Liver and Pork Meatballs

A microwave-meets-oven weeknight option.

Pork Schnitzel Meatballs

For this meatball version of pork schnitzel, a simple blend of thyme, lemon zest, and parsley is combined with ground pork; the mixture is then formed into balls, rolled in flour, egg, and panko and then deep-fried until crisp. The crunchy panko shell gives way to a juicy schnitzel interior—just like its cutlet counterpart. And also like its cutlet counterpart, these meatballs need no further embellishment other than a squeeze of lemon, but a bit of sauerkraut or a dip in grainy mustard work won...

Einat Admony's Chicken Soup With Gondi (Iranian Chicken and Chickpea Dumplings)

[Photograph: Maggie Hoffman] Note: Serve these as an alternative to matzo balls for your Passover Seder. At Balaboosta, Einat plans to cook the gondi in one broth, but serve them in a fresh batch, so the finished broth isn't cloudy....