Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Frikadeļu Zupa
A light, clear broth with tender meatballs and vegetables, a homey Latvian everyday soup.
Latvian · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 30 min
~376 cal · 28g protein · 32g carbs · 14g fat · 4g fiber · 4g sugars · 6g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Frikadeļu zupa, meatball soup, is a staple of Latvian home cooking and canteens, the kind of light, nourishing soup made for an everyday lunch. It is comfort without heaviness, a clear broth carrying small, tender meatballs and soft vegetables.
Little meatballs of minced pork or beef, seasoned and often bound with a little bread or egg, are simmered gently in a vegetable broth with potato, carrot, and onion. Finished with fresh dill, the herb that runs through so much Baltic cooking, it is served with dark bread and a spoon of sour cream for those who want it.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy- and nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
12 oz ground pork or beef
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
3 potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 handful fresh dill
Instructions
1
Mix the meat with the egg, breadcrumbs, and seasoning, and roll into small meatballs.
2
Simmer the potato, carrot, and onion in seasoned water until nearly tender.
3
Drop in the meatballs and poach gently until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Keep the broth at a gentle simmer when the meatballs go in, so they stay tender and the soup stays clear rather than cloudy.
4
Finish with plenty of fresh dill and serve with dark bread.
Latvian home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Riga. Riga is devoted to grey peas with smoked bacon and onion, a dish so tied to Latvian identity it is eaten at midwinter. Rye bread, sour cream, dill, cold beet soup, and smoked fish from the Baltic define the everyday table.
🗺️
Latvia. Grey peas with bacon are effectively compulsory at Christmas, and Latvijas lielie pelekie zirni, the big grey peas themselves, have held EU protected status since 2015. Folklore says the bowl must be finished, because any peas left behind become tears in the coming year, and the Christmas table is supposed to carry at least twelve dishes.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Latvia
Grey Peas with BaconNutty grey peas simmered soft and tossed with crisp bacon and fried onion, Latvia's unofficial national dish.
Sklandrausis (Rye Carrot Tart)Little hand-raised rye pastry cases filled with potato and sweet spiced carrot purees, baked until set, an ancient Livonian specialty.
Rupjmaizes KārtojumsA layered trifle of toasted rye breadcrumbs, tart cranberry, and whipped cream, a uniquely Latvian dessert.
Browse all Latvia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Rolling pin.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Latvia meal
Rupjmaizes KārtojumsDessert
Grey Peas with BaconDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Frikadeļu Zupa?
A light, clear broth with tender meatballs and vegetables, a homey Latvian everyday soup.
Where does Frikadeļu Zupa come from?
Frikadeļu Zupa is a Latvian dish from Riga, Latvia.
Can Frikadeļu Zupa be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Frikadeļu Zupa recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Frikadeļu Zupa safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Frikadeļu Zupa take to make?
About 50 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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