Romanian Meatball Soup (ciorba de perisoare)

Updated October 2026

Ciorba de perisoare is the soup I grew up eating in Romania: a sour, tomato-rich broth, soft meatballs and plenty of vegetables. Traditionally the sourness comes from borș, a fermented wheat-bran liquid, but lemon juice does the job nicely in a home kitchen.

This is my simple, everyday version, comforting in winter and light in summer. No need to scour the earth for authentic ingredients, you most likely have everything in the pantry and fridge already. In summer I add lovage from the pot in my garden, grown from seeds my dad gave me over a decade ago.

What you’ll love about my romanian meatball soup

Ciorba is a pillar of Romanian cuisine, shaped by centuries of Turkish influence.

I am all about easy recipes without losing their soul, so here it is: probably the simplest Ciorba de perisoare (Romanian Meatball soup), very much a westernized version of it.

1. Packed with flavor: Juicy meatballs simmered in a vibrant tomato and vegetable broth.
2. Hearty and filling: A balanced meal with protein, vegetables, and carbs.
3. Versatile: Easily adjust the vegetables to what is in your freezer or in season and your favorite herbs to your liking.
4. Perfect for any occasion: we enjoy this comforting soup for weeknight dinners but sometimes for a casual weekend lunch, especially when our grown up children come home.
5. Perfect for Meal Prep: This soup reheats beautifully, making it a super choice for busy weeks.

Watch how to make MEatball soup

Ingredient notes

• Vegetables
  • onion
  • carrots
  • bell pepper
  • potatoes (optional), peeled and cubed
  • chopped tomatoes (I saute them briefly, it makes a huge difference to layering the flavors)
  • peas
• Juice from 1 lemon (optional), if you are making your own bors, that is what the authentic recipe uses. I made mine with a starter that mum gave me (simply mixed the bran with the starter, poured hot water over it, added a little thyme and it was ready to use the next day). But if I don’t have any, lemon works, or even a little vinegar.
• For the meatballs:
  • lean beef mince
  • oil
  • salt and black pepper
  • fresh herbs (dill and/or parsley, finely chopped)
  • short grain rice preferably (or any white rice)
• Herbs – Lovage (an aromatic herb very similar to celery leaves) or parsley to garnish.

How to make meatball soup (step-by-step)

Pro Tips

• Use an ice-cream scoop to easily portion the meatball mixture.
• Wet your hands before forming the meatballs to prevent sticking.
• Cook the peppers and chopped tomatoes separately to concentrate their flavor.
• Some recipes call for egg, please please don’t use egg, you will get dry meatballs.
• If you are using mince beef with a higher fat content (for example 10-20%), you will get an oilier soup, albeit very tasty! You can remove the fat that lifts up as a top layer by chilling the soup in the fridge.
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

What to serve with meatball soup

• Sometimes you don’t even need to serve bread with the soup, since the meatballs bring the texture and the slight chewiness from the rice.
• But if you like dunking a crust in, why not have a try at my same-day sourdough bread or my brown sourdough?
• I love a small dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche with all my soups, it mellows them a little.
• Hungry for more Romanian comfort food? Try my tocăniță, a hearty stew that’s just as good with bread or polenta, or my ciulama chicken in white sauce.

variations and substitutions

• Like all of my recipes, this is a flexible one, a variety of vegetables and different meat types will work in this broth.
• When I was growing up, mum made this soup with lean pork mince. Now she often uses turkey (which they rear on the farm). I mainly use lean beef and sometimes turkey, add a drop of oil to the mince mix to keep it moist.
• The veggies I typically use apart from carrots, onions and peppers, are peas or green beans all year round (I tend to use frozen) and courgettes or runner beans in the summer.

You don’t have to be Romanian to make my meatball soup. Loaded with chunky vegetables and fluffy meatballs, it could become a staple in your dinner repertoire and your family will beg you to make it every week!

recipe FAQ

Romanian Meatball soup – ciorba de perisoare

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A sour soup filled with chunky vegetables and fluffy meatballs

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Romanian

Servings 5

Calories 327 kcal

Equipment

• 1 large pot
• 1 Chopping board
• 1 knife
• 1 saucepan or frying pan for sauteing tomatoes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 large onion
• 2-3 large carrots
• 1.25 liter water (or vegetable stock)
• 1 pepper (bell pepper)
• 2 medium potatoes (optional) peeled and cubed
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower or vegetable oil
• 2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas
• 2 tsp salt (to taste)
• juice from 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 tbsp lovage (chopped) to garnish or use parsley

For the meatballs

• 500 g Lean beef mince
• 1 tbsp olive oil or sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs (dill and or parsley, finely chopped )
• half cup short grain rice (or any white rice)

Instructions

 

Cook the vegetables

• Fill up a third of a large pot with cold water.

  Peel the onion and carrots and dice them. The carrots can also be sliced in chunky discs if you prefer.

  Add diced onions and carrots to the water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer covered for 10 minutes.
  1 large onion, 2-3 large carrots

Prepare your meatballs

• Mix all ingredients for meatballs. With an ice-cream scoop make small balls (roughly 2 teaspoons of mixture per meatball) and place them on a plate. You should get around 15 meatballs.
  500 g Lean beef mince, 1 tbsp olive oil
• Drop meatballs gently into the simmering water, add potatoes (peeled and cubed) and keep covered.

  After 15 minutes take a meatball out and check if the rice cooked and soft. If not, allow to simmer an extra 5 minutes. Potatoes should also be soft by then if adding.
  2 medium potatoes

Saute the tomatoes

• In a saucepan or frying pan, heat the oil gently. Add the diced pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
  1 pepper, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, half cup short grain rice
• After potatoes and meatballs are fully cooked, the sauteed peppers and tomatoes can be added to the pot.
• Add the frozen peas and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.
  2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas, 2 tsp salt

Finish and serve

• Take the pot off the heat, add finely chopped lovage or parsley and lemon juice.
  juice from 1 lemon
• Serve 1-2 ladles per person with a dollop of sour cream and crusty sourdough.

Video

Notes

For a deeper flavor, sweat the diced onion and carrots in a little oil for 5 minutes before adding the water. Or just simmer them in the water, both work.

You can add a splash more water if you find the soup is too thick after adding the chopped tomatoes. 

If you cannot find lovage, use chopped parsley or even chopped celery leaves.

Nutrition

Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 2084mgPotassium: 1043mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5157IUVitamin C: 36mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 4mg

Keyword chunky soup, ciorba de perisoare, meatball soup, Romanian meatball soup, sour soup

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