Youvarlakia Avgolemono (Greek Meatball Soup)
Youvarlakia Avgolemono is a traditional Greek soup consisting of meatballs and rice in a lemony egg sauce. This classic recipe is the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground beef lean
- 1 medium onion diced or shredded
- 1/2 cup rice uncooked and rinsed
- 1/3 cup tomato puree (optional but recommended as it adds more flavour to the meatballs)
- 1/3 cup parsley chopped
- 1/3 cup mint
- salt and pepper
For the Soup:
- 8 cups water enough to cover the meatballs
- 1 chicken bouillon cube (alternatively, you can replace the water with chicken broth)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Avgolemono Sauce (Egg-Lemon Sauce):
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon juiced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by forming the meatballs. Add all of the meatball ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix to combine.
- Form into meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- Meanwhile, add the water to a large pot along with the bouillon cubes (or use chicken broth instead). Bring to a boil. Gently add the meatballs to the pot and let them boil.
- Boil the meatballs for about 10 minutes. At this point froth may be forming along the top of the pot. If it is, remove it. Then add the olive oil and allow the meatballs to boil for about 15 more minutes or until they are cooked through.
- In 2 bowls, crack the eggs, separating the whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until they are fluffy and hold their shape. Beat the egg yolks for a couple of minutes and then mix the egg whites and yolks together.
- Add the juice of 1 lemon and continue to beat. Continue to beat as you add some hot broth from the soup to the egg mixture to prevent cooking the eggs.
- Add the egg-lemon mixture to the soup pot and stir. Turn off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with additional lemon juice if desired.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 17gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 258mgPotassium: 395mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 556IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 3mg
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
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