Last Updated on 18/09/2024 by Adina
The German beef and dumpling soup with bone marrow dumplings, vegetables, noodles, and egg custard is comforting and delicious.
This German beef and dumpling soup, or Rindfleischsuppe with egg custard, must have been the first traditional German food I had when I came to Germany; it is my mother-in-law's signature dish. Here is another one of her soups, German Lentil Soup.
It is something we mostly have during the colder times of the year; those are the times when you don't mind a pot of bone broth simmering for hours and hours in the kitchen and when you feel like taking more time to prepare such extra things like bone marrow dumplings and egg custard squares.
If you want a vegetarian soup, try the Vegetarian Dumpling Soup (with Vegetables).
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Recipe ingredients
Beef broth ingredients: One piece of beef, boiling meat, vegetables (one thin leek, two medium carrots, one piece of celeriac, or 2-3 celery stalks), and spices (bay leaves, allspice berries, juniper berries, and cloves).
- Beef broth cubes will help increase the broth's flavor. Beef broth is cooked for a relatively short period, which is not enough to develop the rich, deep flavor of beef bone broth. If you are using beef bone broth or shop-bought broth (which already contains many flavor enhancers), you can skip the broth cubes.
Egg custard ingredients: Eggs, milk, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg.
Marrow dumplings ingredients: Bone marrow from about 4-5 small bones, dry breadcrumbs, salt, ground black pepper, nutmeg, parsley, and eggs.
Soup ingredients: Vegetables (leek and carrots), tiny-shaped noodles, herbs, vinegar, spices, and soy sauce (alternatively, use Maggi from a bottle).
My mother-in-law uses Maggi sauce to give the soup its typical dark color and a touch of spiciness. However, since I don’t want to buy a whole bottle just for the soup, I substitute it with soy sauce. While unorthodox, I find it not only gives the soup the right color but also adds extra saltiness and flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make beef and dumpling soup?
The recipe for the beef dumpling soup is not difficult, but it involves a few very different steps, so it requires some time and organization.
Make the beef broth
- Step #1: Before making the broth with the marrow bones, remember to remove the bone marrow before cooking the bones; it must be raw and not cooked. Scratch out the marrow and use that to make the dumplings for the soup. Keep it refrigerated in a small airtight container until ready to use.
- Step #1: Place the meat, all the (empty) bones, and vegetables in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately, remove the scum with a slotted spoon, and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
- Step #3: Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside. Strain the broth into a clean pot and discard the bones and the cooked vegetables. Once cool enough to handle, chop the meat into small pieces and set it aside for later.
If you make a larger batch of beef broth, use the rest to make Beef and Bean Soup or Beef Apple Stew.
Make the egg custard
You can make the egg custard for the beef dumpling soup in advance and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Only add it to the beef dumpling soup at the end of the cooking process.
- Step #1: Mix the eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg well. Pour the mixture into a freezer bag and knot the bag very tightly.
- Step #2: Fill a wider pot with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, place the bag with the eggs in the pot, and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, turning the bag a few times in between (use tongs) until the eggs are completely set.
- Step #3: Remove and let cool for a while. Cut the bag and remove the egg custard.
- Step #4: Slice the eggs thickly, and chop them into small squares or diamonds. Add them to the soup during the last minutes of cooking time.
You can make egg custard for other soups, too. Add it to Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup or to Spanish Vegetable Soup.
Make the marrow dumplings
- Step #5: Weigh the marrow. If you don't have quite 100 g/ 3.5 oz replace the missing quantity with butter. You could only use butter if you don't have the marrow.
- Step #6: Place the marrow in a small, preferably nonstick saucepan and heat gently, stirring often, until the marrow is melted. Sieve the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve into a medium bowl.
- Steps #7 and 8: Add the dry breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, chopped parsley, and eggs, and mix very well.
- Step #9: Form lots of small balls and cook them in the slightly simmering broth for about 10-15 minutes or until they start to float on top of the German beef soup.
Make the German beef dumpling soup
- Step #1: Taste the broth. If it’s not flavorful enough, heat it well and add the beef broth cubes, stirring well to help them dissolve. Heat the broth before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Step #2: Add the chopped leeks and carrots and cook them in the beef broth until slightly softer, about 5 minutes.
- Step #3: Add the beef dumplings and simmer them for 10-15 minutes or until they float in the pot. While the dumplings are simmering, add the noodles as well. Check the noodle's cooking time and add them to the soup on time. Add the chopped cooked beef when you add the noodles.
- Step #4: Add the egg squares during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time.
- Step #5: Adjust the taste of the beef dumpling soup with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar. Start with a little and keep tasting until you get the desired taste. Alternatively, use Maggi sauce from a bottle (to taste). Sprinkle with parsley and/or chives and serve.
Make ahead
You can prepare the broth one day ahead. Keep it refrigerated (I use large jars for this purpose). Remove the fat that sets on top of the liquid before reheating the broth.
If you want to make the broth several days in advance, it is preferable to freeze the bone marrow in a small container until ready to use (and up to 3 months).
You can also make the egg custard one day ahead. Leave it in the bag, place the bag in a container, and refrigerate the custard.
You can make the German beef soup ahead and refrigerate it. It's best to add the noodles when reheating, especially for guests, as they absorb liquid and soften if left overnight, making the soup thicker. This is fine for leftovers, but I prefer serving it perfectly the first time and enjoying a thicker version the next day.
Good to know!
Cloudy broth tastes just as good as clear broth, so don’t stress too much if it happens. To avoid it, start making the beef broth with cold water. Don’t let the broth boil; it should only very gently simmer and skim off the scum.
Recipe FAQs
It is a tissue found in the center of the bones. Beef marrow is commonly consumed in Germany and many other parts of the world. It has a rich flavor, and it is mostly used to make bone marrow dumplings for soup or to make spreads for toast, such as marrow butter.
You can replace it with more butter. The procedure is the same: the dumplings will taste slightly different but still be totally delicious.
The German Eierstich - egg custard – consists of beaten eggs spiced with salt and pepper. The mixture is placed in a freezer bag and cooked in a pot of water until set. Once cooked, the eggs are cut into squares and added to the German beef soup.
How to store?
Refrigerate the beef dumpling soup for 3-4 days in the pot (covered) or in an airtight container.
It’s a great soup for guests as it is rich and filling and can be made well in advance.
German Beef and Dumpling Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- Medium pot
- Small pot
Ingredients
Beef broth (Note 1):
- 12-13 cups water cold 3 liter
- 1 piece of beef boiling meat about 300-400 g/ 10.5-14 oz
- 1 thin leek
- 2 medium carrots
- 2-3 celery stalks
- 10 black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 allspice berries
- 5 juniper berries
- 4 cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt or Kosher, a bit less if using table salt
Egg custard:
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup milk 125 ml
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- a pinch of nutmeg
Marrow dumplings (Note 2):
- 3.4 oz bone marrow from about 4-5 small bones 100 g
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs 80 g
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- some nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 2 eggs
Soup:
- 1-2 cubes of beef broth good quality, low-sodium, Note 3
- 1 medium leek
- 2 carrots
- 1 small handful tiny-shaped noodles
- 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic or more to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or more to taste, Note 4
- fine sea salt and black pepper
- fresh parsley or/and chives to garnish
Instructions
Beef broth:
- Remove the marrow from the bones, scratching inside the bone with a long, thin knife (not your best knife) or object. Place the marrow in an airtight container and refrigerate it until needed (you can also freeze it).3.4 oz bone marrow from about 4-5 small bones
- Place the beef and all the bones in a large pot. Add the roughly chopped vegetables and all the spices. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.1 piece of beef boiling meat + 1 thin leek + 2 medium carrots + 2-3 celery stalks + 10 black peppercorns + 3 bay leaves + 5 allspice berries + 5 juniper berries + 4 cloves + 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt + 12-13 cups water cold/
- Simmer: Turn down the heat and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
- Finish broth: Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside. Strain the broth into a clean pot and discard the bones and the cooked vegetables. Adjust the taste of the broth with more salt if necessary. Once cool enough to handle, chop the meat into small pieces and set it aside for later.
Egg custard:
- Mix the eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg very well. Pour the mixture into a freezer bag and knot the bag very tightly.4 eggs + ½ cup milk / 125 ml + ½ teaspoon fine sea salt + a pinch of nutmeg
- Simmer egg custard: Fill a wider pot with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, place the bag with the eggs in the pot and simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, turning the bag a few times in between (use tongs), until the eggs are completely set.
- Chop: Take the bag out of the water and let the egg custard cool for a while. Remove the bag, slice the eggs thickly, then chop them into small squares or diamonds.
- Add them to the soup during the last minutes of the cooking time.
Marrow dumplings:
- Weigh the marrow. If you don't have quite 100 g/ 3.5 oz, replace the missing quantity with some butter. You could only use butter if you don't have the marrow.
- Melt marrow: Place the marrow in a small, preferably nonstick saucepan and heat gently, stirring often, until the marrow is melted.
- Sieve the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve into a medium bowl.
- Combine: Add the dry breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, chopped parsley, and eggs and mix very well.Tip: Depending on the size of the eggs and the breadcrumbs, you might need to adjust the texture by adding more breadcrumbs. Check the images in the blog post to see what the mixture should look like. ½ cup dry breadcrumbs/ 80 g + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper + some nutmeg + 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley + 2 eggs
- Form lots of small balls and cook them in the slightly simmering broth for about 10-15 or until they float in the soup. You will need to add the noodles and the cooked beef during these 10-15 minutes.
German beef soup:
- While you make and form the dumplings, reheat the broth. Add beef broth cubes if necessary for a deeper flavor.1-2 cubes of beef broth
- Finely chop the fresh leek and carrots. Add them to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes until they are half-cooked.1 medium leek + 2 carrots
- Add the dumplings and simmer them for about 10 to 15 minutes or until they start to float in the soup.
- Add noodles and chopped meat: Check the noodles' cooking time and add them to the soup while the dumplings are simmering. The noodles I use are tiny and only need 4 or 5 minutes to cook, so I add them about 4 minutes before the dumplings are done. 1 small handful tiny-shaped noodles
- Add the egg custard squares during the last 2 minutes of the cooking time, so that they can get hot again.
- Finish the soup: Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and red wine vinegar or balsamic to taste. I like a slightly sour and salty taste, so I add more than 2 tablespoons of vinegar and soy sauce. Start with a little and keep tasting until you get the desired taste. Sprinkle with parsley and/or chives and serve.1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar + 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce + fine sea salt and black pepper + fresh parsley
Notes
- Broth: You can use homemade beef broth or beef bone broth made in advance.
- The marrow can be replaced with the same amount of unsalted butter.
- Beef broth cubes: Beef broth doesn't have the intense flavor of beef bone broth, which is cooked for a whole day. I recommend adding a few good quality, low-sodium beef broth cubes to increase the flavor. Use them to taste and adjust the taste with salt accordingly.
- Alternatively, use Maggi sauce from a bottle to taste.
Luisa says
I really think this is a great recipe! The only thing that I have been missing are the very typical german soup spices such as bay leaves and allspice. Which adds to the depth of the dish. My mother and grandmother are using it for nearly all of the soups.
Btw. it's not really well approved to use Maggi for all occasions here. It covers the natural flavour so its a bit like adding ketchup over a well cooked meal. Even though I have to admit that many germans here use it.
(Have been born and raised saxony)
Adina says
Hi Luisa. Thank you for your comment. You are right about the bay leaves and the allspice, I always use them when making soups, I left them out because this is my mother-in-law's recipe and I wanted to stick to the original, bad enough that I left out the Maggi 🙂 🙂 I so don't like Maggi and ketchup either, I think exactly the same about ketchup.
Sissi says
It looks delicious, especially the dumplings.... I've never had this type of dumplings before.
Marvellina @ What To Cook Today says
You know..I grew up with Maggi soy sauce in Indonesia. In fact, the brand Maggi is very well known in Southeast Asia, not just Indonesia. But now that I've been using Kikkoman for the past 6.5 years of cooking, it's truly the only brand I would use (not promoting ha..ha..). I just love the flavor of Kikkoman soy sauce. Anyway, back to this comforting bowl of German beef soup. I love bone marrow and such a unique way to cook the egg custard, and I hear you...definitely goes well with other type of soup too.
Allie says
Dear Adina, What an amazing recipe. I learned so much today. My sister Susan is a huge proponent of bone broth soup for health benefits. In fact she made me some when I was very sick a few years ago. I've never heard of Maggi nor have I heard of cooking eggs in a freezer bag and cutting into squares. So unusual but it sounds wonderful and healthy too. I would love this soup on a cold winter day!
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
What a delicious and loaded up soup! Love the beefy chunks and pasta and the wholesome bone broth!
Chris Scheuer says
This sounds wonderful, nothing like any soup I've seen or heard of. Lucky you to have your MIL bring you pots of this!
Kim | Low Carb Maven says
Wow. This soup sounds so comforting and nourishing. I love that you use the marrow in the meatballs and that you enrich the bone broth (which can taste quite thin) with a piece of meat before making the soup. I think egg custard is the best term for how you describe cooking the eggs and I imagine it gives a nice textural contrast to the soup. I would love to try a version of this (minus the bread crumbs and noodles for me) as my family LOVES soup. Thanks for sharing your family recipe with us.
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
This soup looks warm and comforting. Perfect for these Fall days when the temperatures are dropping drastically. Especially here in Canada 🙂 .
Adina says
A typical German soup, Dawn, I have never heard of bone marrow dumplings before I came to Germany either. They are so delicious, you should totally try them!
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
This soup looks SO good, Adina! I'm a fan of bone marrow, so these bone marrow dumplings are so appealing to me and so unique. Haven't had anything like this before. This is perfect fall comfort food on a cold day. Would love to curl up with a big bowl of this right now 🙂