Name: Supa Topcheta (Bulgarian Meatball Soup)
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 500g pork mince, or half pork, half beef; 40g long grain white rice; 1 onion, finely chopped, half for meatballs; 2 carrots, diced; 1 potato, peeled and diced; 2 eggs, 1 for the meatballs, 1 for the liaison; 3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped; 1.5l water; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp plain flour; 150g plain yoghurt; 25g butter; 1 tsp sweet paprika

Supa Topcheta (Bulgarian Meatball Soup)

Light meatballs with rice in a clear vegetable broth, finished with a creamy egg and yoghurt liaison and paprika butter.

Time1 hr

LevelMedium

Costabout £0.90 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

Estimated nutrition per serving

370kcal
19.2gcarbs
4.7gof which sugars
22.9gfat
9.5gsaturates
21.8gprotein
2.7gfibre
3.5gsalt

A rough estimate worked out from the ingredients, for the serving size above. It is a guide only and not medical advice. If you count carbs or manage diabetes, check with your own tools and your care team.

6 servings

Method

1
Mix the mince, half the onion, half the rice, 1 egg, half the parsley and half the salt. Knead with wet hands until sticky, then shape into 24 small balls.
2
Bring the water to the boil in a large pan. Add the carrots, potato, rest of the onion and rice and the rest of the salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.
10 min
3
Drop the meatballs gently into the pan one at a time. Simmer on low for 20 minutes until cooked through and the rice is soft.
20 min
4
Whisk the last egg, flour and yoghurt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in a ladle of hot (not boiling) soup, then another, then pour it all back into the pan, stirring. Do not let it boil or it will curdle.
5
Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the paprika for a few seconds and pour over the soup. Do not let it burn.
6
Sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and serve at once.