Fill a large pot with water and heat over medium-high heat (you want the water to boil so you can cook the dumplings and the meatballs!).
To make dough dumplings, begin by combining water, butter, and salt in a small pot over medium heat until the butter has melted. Note: you want to bring the mixture to a point where it is just boiling so that when you add the flour, it will thicken to the right consistency!
Once the butter mixture melts, add the flour in all at once and stir vigorously. You should hear the mixture sizzling slightly as the flour absorbs the liquid.
Keep stirring over medium to medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the saucepan and comes away cleanly. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Next, add the 3 eggs to the cooled dough mixture, one at a time! Mix vigorously after adding each egg. The mixture should become homogeneous before you add the next.
Once all 3 eggs are in, continue stirring for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and you get a “V” shape when you lift up the spatula from the batter.
To form the dumplings, you can either add to a piping bag and pipe over the boiling water, cutting the dough as it pipes out of the bag into small, ~1inch pieces. We like to form the dumplings using two teaspoons, as it makes for larger, oval shaped dumplings like our great grandmother used to make!
To form the dumplings using spoons, make sure to have a bowl of water nearby. Wet the spoons and scoop a teaspoon of dough. Use the second spoon to help create a dome shape - you can transfer the dough between spoons a few times to round out the shape!
When done, place on a plate until you have enough to boil a whole batch of dumplings. You can add either oil or flour to the plate to prevent them from sticking too much. Make sure to wet the spoons again before making another one!
Once the dumplings are formed, place in boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
After about 5 minutes, all the dumplings should float! Remove and place on a plate until ready to add to the soup. You can make these ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for a super easy and quick dinner!