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.

Nothing warms you up on a cold day like a warm, comforting bowl of soup. This Youvarlakia Avgolemono soup is among my favourite soups. It’s so wonderful to cozy up to a bowl of this hearty, flavourful soup on a chilly day.

This soup reminds me of my childhood. Growing up, my mom used to make this soup for us and the recipe I am sharing with you today is her exact recipe.

As with most Greek recipes, the ingredients are simple and humble. You will need ground beef, rice, onion, and some fresh herbs and seasonings.

A bowl of Youvarlakia Avgolemono served with sliced lemon wedges and crackers.

When the soup is cooked and ready, the last step involves whipping up a simple avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce. This frothy sauce adds extra flavour to the broth and thickens it at the same time. If you are familiar with Greek cooking, you know just how good this sauce is as it appears in a number of dishes like Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Soup) and Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Lahanodolmades).

All in all, the resulting soup is so good and wonderfully hearty! So what are we waiting for? Let’s get cooking!

Closeup of a bowl of Youvarlakia Avgolemono set on a wooden charger and served with crackers.

Ingredients in Youvarlakia Avgolemono

  • Ground beef: 1 lb of lean ground beef

  • Onion: diced or shredded. Adds flavour to the soup

  • Rice: uncooked and rinsed. A long or medium grain is my usual but any white rice can be substituted in the recipe.

  • Tomato puree: optional but recommended as it adds more flavour to the meatballs. It also adds some moisture to them.

  • Fresh herbs: Parsley and mint. Other herbs such as dill can be substituted.

  • Seasoning: salt and pepper

  • Chicken bouillon cube or chicken broth

  • Olive oil

  • Eggs: Used in the avgolemono sauce.

  • Lemon juice: Used in the avgolemono sauce.

How to make Youvarlakia

1. Make the meatballs: 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.

Photo collage showing the forming of meatballs for youvarlakia.

2. Boil the meatballs: 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.

A pot of youvralakia cooking.

3. Make the avgolemono sauce: 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.

4. Combine the sauce and soup: 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.

A photo collage showing how to prepare avgolemono sauce.

Substitutions for Youvarlakia

This dish is traditionally made as described in the recipe card however we have made it with plenty of substitutions and additions. Some of these options include:

  • Ground turkey: Instead of ground beef, ground turkey can be substituted for a healthy alternative. I personally love this soup with ground turkey!

  • More veggies: This simple soup does not include many vegetables as written but that doesn’t mean you can’t add them. Chopped carrots, celery, or even peas are all great additions to the soup which also adds more nutrients.

  • Dried herbs: Greek cooking generally uses a lot of herbs, both fresh and dried. I generally use fresh whenever possible but in a pinch, dried can be substituted. As a general rule, use about 1/3 of the amount of dried herbs when replacing fresh ones.

Storing leftovers and reheating

Once cooled, leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, add the soup back into a pot and heat through on medium to medium-low heat to ensure the meatballs are warmed right through. You may need to add more water as the soup can thicken in the fridge.

Can you freeze youvarlakia?

Youvarlakia can be frozen for a few months, though I recommend freezing it without the avgolemono sauce as it does not hold up to freezing (it will break and lose its texture). To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer safe container.

I hope you enjoy this family recipe as much as I do!

Are you a fan of Greek soups? Be sure to check out my Greek Lentil Soup, RevithosoupaGreek Chickpea Soup, and Greek Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Soup) for more ways to warm up this winter!

-Cathy

Closeup of meatballs in a bowl of youvarlakia soup with avgolemono sauce.

You may also like these hearty Greek dishes:

Soutzoukakia Me Patates
Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Lahanodolmades)
Fasolakia (Greek Green Beans)
Gemista (Greek Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes)
Pastitsio

A bowl of Youvarlakia Avgolemono served with sliced lemon wedges and crackers.

Youvarlakia Avgolemono (Greek Meatball Soup)

Catherine
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.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine Greek
Servings 6
Calories 336 kcal

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.

Keyword avgolemono, meatballs, soup
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