Meatless Eats: Cheese Ball Soup Recipe

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ent season is in full swing, and many of us are going meatless on Fridays. Now for some, the thought of meatless days might conjure visions of getting stuck  with cereal or force to endure a plate of dull veggies while they count down the hours until they can joyfully chow down on In N out cheeseburgers and Mongolian beef from their favorite Chinese takeout down the block. But going meatless on Fridays doesn’t have to be a chore. There are so many tasty alternatives, whether it’s seafood or  vegetarian and vegan options, that truly satisfy our palates and cravings.  One of our favorite meals during Lent or looking for a great meatless dish is our Cheese Ball soup, a family recipe we love doing every year.  Learn how you can make this warm, delicious meal right in your kitchen. 

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For Cheese balls

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• 1 lb of Maseca
• 12oz of Queso Fresco (alt. Feta, Mozzerella, or Vegan cheese)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt

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• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1-2 cups of Water

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For Soup

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• 6-9 cups of Water
• 1 cup of Onions
• 1-2 Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of Cilantro
• 1/2 cup of Bell Peppers

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• 1 cup of Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp of Garlic Salt
• 1 can of tomato sauce or paste (optional)
• Paprika to sprinkle on top
• 1-2 Jalapenos minced for garnish

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To make the cheese balls: In a large mixing bowl, add maseca, salt, baking powder and crumbled queso fresco (or any soft-cheese i.e mozzerella). Gradually start adding water a little at a time to start forming a dough. You don’t want the dough to be overly moist or tacky. Just enough water for the dough to be soft (almost like pizza dough).

Once the dough is made, it’s time to heat up a large pan on medium high heat. Add a little Olive Oil or vegetable oil to the pan. Now we have the option of making the cheese balls any size we want. We decided to make them around 3-5 inches all around.

After the cheese balls have been formed it’s time to cook them on the pan for 5-7 minutes on each side or until golden brown. We might need to cook them in several batches. When all the cheese balls have been cooked, lay them on a plate with paper towel to soak up some of the oil.

Now it’s time to make the soup:

Add water and flour in a large pot on medium heat and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir frequently. Once the pot has come to a boil, and the flour has been completely dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients. To add more color, simply add tomato sauce or paste to the soup. Turn down the heat to medium low so it can simmer for 40 minutes.

When there’s only 15 minutes left, pour the cheese balls in the soup this way they’ll absorb some of the flavors from the soup.

Once time is up, just pour the cheese ball soup over a bit of white rice, and voila we’re done!