Amish Rivel Soup Recipe

Rivels are like little doughy dumplings and they are a staple of old Amish cooks recipe repertoire.  I had the pleasure of meeting Gloria Yoder who owns the popular Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen in Mount Hope, Ohio.  She explained that rivel soup gained popularity among the Amish during the Great Depression (Amish families were hit just as hard as others during that tough time) because it was made of ingredients that even the most bare pantries usually had stocked.  The Great Depression mentality of using everything carries over to Mrs. Yoder’s awesome menu, for instance the leftover chicken at days’ end is in the next day’s chicken enchiladas.  .
This is a picture of their rivel soup, and it was a good, hearty, steamy soup, perfect for a cold day.

Here is the original Amish Cook’s recipe for rivel soup.

• 8 cups of chicken broth
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cans corn
• 2 cups chicken, cooked, and diced (this is optional)
• Bring the broth to a boil.

In a bowl, mix flour, salt and eggs until you have a crummy mixture (not smooth, it wíll make crumbs). Rub mixture between your fingers over the broth dropping small amounts in. These are called rivels. They should not be big, that is a dumpling. Maybe pea size.

Add corn and cook about 10 – 15 minutes.