Top Chef Finalist Sara Bradley’s Famous Matzo Ball Soup Recipe

When it comes to Jewish cooking, it doesn’t more classic than matzo ball soup. Though it’s a delicatessen staple that rivals mac and cheese in the comfort food department, this Passover favorite can be tricky to master.

Luckily, Top Chef finalist Sara Bradley’s here to help, and the Kentucky native’s famous matzo ball soup recipe is guaranteed to put your Seder in the history books.

During episode 14 of Top Chef: Kentucky, Bradley’s matzo ball soup earned her a first-place finish and rave reviews from judge Tom Colicchio. "I've had plenty of versions of matzo ball soup over the years but I gotta say that was fantastic," he said.

Bradley, who is the chef/owner of the freight house in Paducah, was kind enough to share her winning recipe (you can find it on Bravo’s website here) along with some of her tricks for making the “best matzo balls you’ve ever had.”

"A little bit of soda water goes a long way," she told The Feast. "It adds effervescence to them, and they bubble."

That’s right. You add the soda water into the actual matzo balls, she said. "Mix all your dry together, and then you mix your eggs with your fat, and then mix that together,” she explained. “And then use a little bit of soda water just to lighten them up."

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Bradley's other trick is a light hand. "I just barely roll them," she noted.

After lightly rolling your matzo balls, she advises moving quickly. "After you mix them, 20 minutes maximum they can sit, and then you roll them and poach them. And boil them— instead of poaching them slow, give them a good boil."

Good luck and chag sameach, y’all!