Here is another Belgian classic: ‘tomatensoep met ballekes’ or traditional tomato meatball soup… This was my favorite soup when I was a child! Try it out, it is delicious.
This tomato meatball soup is a classic Belgian soup.
Meatballs in Tomato Soup
It is a very popular dish in Flanders.
Nope, this is not meatballs in tomato sauce… but tomato soup!
Lots of restaurants serve it, especially as a lunch offer. You can also find it under the Flemish name of ‘tomatensoep met ballekes’. in Belgium. Or ‘soupe de tomates aux boulettes’ in French.
Lots of people tend to add some flour to this soup right in the end because that thickens it nicely.
It is an ingredient that goes into many other blended soups like chicken and dumpling soup, French onion soup and mushroom cream soup.
And I loved it as a child.
Popular
However I am not a fan of that floury thick texture anymore I have to say.
If you buy the industrial version of this tomato soup in tins or cartons in the supermarket, they have quite the same thickness.
Reason enough for me to make this one from scratch!
Creamy Belgian Tomato Meatball Soup (Tomatensoep met Ballekes)
I have been making this recipe for many years now.
With canned diced tomatoes and carrots. Sometimes I add celery as well.
I am not quite sure where exactly I picked it up. I once had a cookbook of recipes from a Belgian Michelin star chef by the name of Guy Van Cauteren with classic old fashioned Belgian dishes.
He died recently due to corona, at the age of 70.
I might have gotten it from there I think. Unfortunately someone once borrowed it but I never saw it again.
So this is just a wild guess.
Meatballs
You can let the raw meatballs poach in the soup or bake them in some butter first and then add them to the soup afterwards.
Serve this creamy tomato and meatball soup with a thick slice of bread. And a good layer of salted butter spread on it for me, please.
Do you love this recipe?
Then you should also check out the main course version of this meatball soup: my ‘ballekes in tomatensaus’ or meatballs in tomato sauce, also a Belgian classic!
But back to my Belgian classic of tomatensoep met ballekes or traditional tomato meatball soup… Try it out, it is delicious.
Enjoy!
Best Belgian Tomato Meatball Soup Recipe
Another Belgian classic: 'tomatensoep met ballekes' or traditional tomato meatball soup!
- 1 lb canned chopped tomatoes (450 g)
- 4 cups chicken stock (960 ml), warm
- 2 large fresh tomatoes
- 1 medium fresh carrot
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3 medium garlic cloves chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 24 tiny meatballs (raw)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- pepper
- salt
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Add the butter to a large and high pan. Place it over medium heat until melted. Then add the chopped garlic and onion together with the fresh rosemary.
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Gently fry the garlic and onion for 4 minutes. Then pour in the canned chopped tomatoes and warm chicken stock.
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Stir and then add the tomato paste. Season with a little pepper and salt.
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Stir the soup again and then cover the pan. Cook the tomato soup for 8 minutes or until the onion is super soft. In the meantime chop the fresh ripe tomatoes up. Once the onion is soft, add the tomatoes.
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Peel and slice the carrot. Also add this to the tomato soup.
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Stir and cook for 8 more minutes until the carrot is soft. Remove the rosemary. Then blend or mix the warm tomato soup until it is very smooth. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Add the small meatballs to the soup. Cover the pan again and let them poach in the hot soup for 6 minutes until cooked through. Then add the chopped parsley.
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Stir and take the pan off the heat. Scoop the tomato meatball soup into bowls and serve hot.
Wonderful! Just how I remember having it in Belgium! Thanks
Yum. Great recipe.First time for me to make this.
I found this through Twitter, it looks delicious! I would love a recipe for the meatballs as well. Thank you!