Today, I am going to share with you a favorite soup of my childhood: Greek Meatball Soup in Avgolemono (Youvarlakia).
When it is cold and dreary outside, who would not welcome coming home to enjoy a bowl of steaming soup? Not just any kind of soup, but this heartwarming winter soup with meatballs simmering in a delicious lemon broth. This Greek meatball soup is such a favorite dish of my childhood.
I grew up in Northern Greece where the winters are usually much colder and rainier than the rest of Greece and a soup like this was always welcomed by kids and adults alike.
Making the meatballs for this soup is really easy as they require only a few ingredients to come together: lean ground beef, rice, grated onion, a few aromatics, and olive oil. As the rice cooks, the meatballs puff up and almost double in volume. Once they are cooked, then the traditional egg and lemon base, called avgolemono is carefully stirred into the cooking liquid and within minutes, the whole dish is transformed into a frothy, delicious and very satisfying soup.
Ingredients for the meatballs:
Ground beef, grated onion, rice, fresh parsley and dill, salt and pepper, olive oil
Ingredients for the egg-lemon broth (avgolemono)
Eggs & Lemon Juice
Give this soup a try; it will be absolutely worth your time and effort! Your family is going to thank you!
- For the Rice Meatballs
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- ½ cup medium (or short) grain rice
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- ½ fresh parsley, minced
- 3 TBSP. fresh dill, minced
- 1½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 2 TBSP. olive oil
- 2 TBSP. water
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour (for rolling)
- For the egg-lemon broth (Avgolemono)
- 1 whole egg and two egg yolks
- 3-4 TBSP. lemon juice (one medium lemon) - or more
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- In a large bowl, mix the meat, rice, onion, parsley, dill, salt & pepper, olive oil and water. Use your hands so everything is well incorporated. If possible, leave the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (this will prevent the meatballs from breaking up when boiled.). Form the mixture into about 30-35 meatballs and set them aside.
- In a small bowl, place the flour and roll each meatball in it, coating each one well.
- In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
- Drop the meatballs gently into the water, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until the rice is soft. (The water should be enough to almost cover the meatballs, so add some more hot water if needed.)
- To prepare the egg-lemon base for the meatball soup, put the egg and the egg yolks into a medium bowl and whisk very well until frothy. (For best results, use a hand held mixer or an immersion blender). Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch and whisk again. Start “tempering” the eggs by adding a ladle of hot soup to the bowl while whisking constantly. Add one more ladle and whisk again until combined. Stir in the egg-lemon broth into the soup, mix well and bring to a very gentle simmer, over medium-low heat, for just a minute or so, making sure the soup doesn't come to a boil.
- Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the soup right away with some crusty bread on the side.
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I made this for dinner tonight and it was easy and delicious. I was low on the fresh herbs so was only able to use 1 ½ Tbs. of each which wasn’t a problem at all. I guessed at the size of the meatballs — 1 ½ Tbs — which didn’t make as many but they were perfect as the main meal. Also used about ½ cup of flour to roll them in before cooking. The broth was so smooth and delicious, and Ian LOVED it! Definitely a keeper!
I am so glad you tried this recipe Joanne! Yes, the meatballs can be small or slightly bigger, cooking time is the same. Thank you for your note on the flour you used – I just realized that I had not specified the amount and just added that to the recipe. So happy to know you both loved this soup!
I tried this and enjoyed it , but felt it was a little bland 🙁 Next time I might try half low sodium broth and half water. Meatballs also fell apart because I didn’t chop the herbs finely enough. Will definitely try again in future.
Hi Emma, Glad to know you tried the recipe! When you make it again, just taste it and adjust the seasoning before serving – I almost always add a little more lemon at the end (acidity, brightens every soup and gives it a nice depth of flavor)!
I made this with minced lamb meat, and it was so delicious!
Thank you for trying the recipe, so glad you liked it!
I LOVE your recipe – I left out the cornstarch and simmered the youvarlakia in beef stock – delicious – thank you! ?
Thank you for your feedback Melanie, I am so glad you liked it!