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giouvarlakia avgolemono soup recipe with lemon and egg meatball soup with escarole spinach or kale

Greek Meatball Soup (Youvarlaki)

Kelly Jensen
This youvarlakia recipe is a delicious Greek meatball soup simmered in a creamy lemon egg sauce. This classic dish is made with ground beef and rice meatballs with loads of fresh chopped greens for a hearty and comforting dish.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dinner, Soup
Cuisine Greek
Servings 8 servings
Calories 419 kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven
  • Food Processor

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lb ground beef 85/15
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 cups water or chicken broth
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/3 cup fresh dill
  • 3 eggs whites and yolks divided
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or enough to lightly coat the meatballs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 cups Chicken broth we use low sodium
  • 1 bunch Escarole chopped, about 4 cups fresh chopped
  • 1.5 lemons juiced

Instructions
 

  • Parboil the rice: In a pot, boil 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of salted water or chicken stock. After 5 minutes, drain and allow rice to cool in the refrigerator.
  • Make the meatballs: In a food processor add the onion, parsley, dill, and two egg whites (save the remaining 3 yolks for later in the recipe). Add pinch of salt and pepper to mix. Process for 1 minute until herbs and onion are finely chopped.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the herb mixture, cooled parboiled rice, and the ground beef. Mix well to combine, and refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes.
  • Form the meatballs and lightly flour them (or roll them in flour). To a large soup pot or Dutch Oven, and add the olive oil and heat on low heat. Add the floured meatballs to the olive oil and cook lightly.
  • Pour the chicken stock over the meatballs, bring to a boil, then reduce soup to a summer. Allow soup to cook for 30 minutes.
  • Add the chopped escarole, and cook for another 20 minutes.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks and the lemon juice, and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly add a few ladles of the hot soup broth to the egg and lemon mixture, until it becomes creamy. Add the egg lemon avgolemono sauce to the soup pot.
  • Taste, and add salt and pepper if desired.  Serve hot with extra dill or parsley to garnish.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 419kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 21gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 951mgPotassium: 604mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2266IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 97mgIron: 4mg
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