Traditional Dutch Vegetable Soup With Veal Meatballs Recipe

By
Karin Engelbrecht
Karin Engelbrecht
Magazine editor, restaurant reviewer, and food writer who focuses on Dutch cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 04/25/22
Voorjaarssoepmetballetjes_2015.jpg

Karin Engelbrecht

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Meatballs (or balletjes in Dutch) feature in many traditional Dutch vegetable soup recipes. The meatballs can be made of any type of ground meat, but veal is very typical. The base of the soup is usually a light broth made with seasonal vegetables.

This groentesoep met balletjes can be tweaked to suit every season. For this spring version, we've used rose veal and stock as well as young turnips, asparagus, and leeks. A summer take could include chicken meatballs and stock with peas, fava beans, and fennel, while a winter version might feature beef meatballs, kale, carrots, and celeriac. Use whatever vegetables you fancy. What matters most is that you use a variety of colors, flavors, and textures.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 8 ounces (225 grams) ground rose veal

  • 1 tablespoon cream

  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Soup:

  • 5 1/4 cups (1 1/4 liters) veal stock

  • 1 medium carrot, finely diced

  • 1 leek, thinly sliced

  • 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

  • 1 young turnip, finely diced

  • 4 ounces (120 grams) asparagus, about 20 green baby spears

  • 2 ounces (50 grams) cauliflower

  • 2 ounces (50 grams) broccoli, in small florets

  • 2 ounces (50 grams) vermicelli

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Mix the ground veal with the cream, tomato paste, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.

  2. Roll into marble-sized balls between the palms of your hands. Set aside to rest in a cool place.

  3. Meanwhile, wash and prepare the vegetables.

  4. Bring the stock to the boil. Add the meatballs to the boiling stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

  5. Remove the meatballs from the stock with a skimmer and set aside.

  6. Add the vegetables to the stock and cook for 10 minutes or until just tender.

  7. Add the meatballs back to the soup.

  8. Crumble the vermicelli into the soup and allow to cook for another minute.

  9. Season with salt and pepper and serve with buttered whole wheat bread or cheese straws (kaasstengels).​

Tips

  • To test the meatballs for seasoning, cook one meatball in a frying pan with a little oil. 
  • For best results, use fresh, homemade stock or quality stock. We often use stock sold in glass jars at our organic supermarket that tastes like homemade.
  • If you are short on time, you may prefer to use one of those ready prepared bags of vegetables from your supermarket: You'll need 1 pound (about 2 cups or 500 grams) of mixed vegetables.

Did You Know?

Rose veal is a pink-hued meat, darker than anemic white traditional veal. It is an arguably more ethical meat, produced with calves up to about eight months old, raised on beef feed, with more room to move. Rose veal utilizes unwanted dairy calves, an unfortunate byproduct of the dairy industry, which is otherwise shot at birth.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
254 Calories
9g Fat
22g Carbs
24g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 254
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 1047mg 46%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 27mg 134%
Calcium 104mg 8%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 1108mg 24%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)