Kelly JensenThis 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.
This is a new favorite for us to enjoy at lunch, perfect for these cooler fall and winter months. Serve with a large chopped salad and a thick slice of crusty bread for a delicious meal.
Another fantastic soup recipe from our family friend George! He shared his family’s classic avgolemono soup recipe a while back, and we’ve made that about once a month since. This youvarlakia (I’ve also seen it spelled giouvarlakia) recipe is just as delicious, and brings some fantastic greens into the mix.
This soup is made by forming meatballs with fresh herbs and rice, and slow simmering them in chicken stock. Add in some chopped escarole and temper in a creamy lemon egg sauce at the end for a perfect bowl of comfort food.
This Youvarlakia Soup Recipe Is
- Bright
- Fresh
- Comforting
- Herby
- Creamy
- Lemony
- Perfect to Serve Company
Comfort Food Dinner Recipes for Fall or Winter
This youvarlakia soup is the tastiest, coziest dinner meal. It’s perfect for a hearty meal for the family, and also great to make for company if you are having guests for dinner. It makes a great holiday appetizer or starter as well. The stove does most of the work, so you can enjoy hands-off time while you prep sides or a salad!
What’s In Youvarlakia with Avgolemono Sauce?
I cook with fresh produce from my garden and from Misfits Market– they sell fantastic fruit, vegetables, & pantry staples at a discounted price. We get Misfit boxes every other week and love picking out favorite produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first box here!
- Ground Beef – this recipe calls for 85/15 ground beef.
- Rice – I used a medium grain white rice for this recipe.
- Onion
- Eggs – this recipe uses both the egg whites and yolks for different parts of the recipe. Use the whites when forming the meatballs, and whisk the yolks to the avgolemono sauce at the end.
- Fresh Parsley – which adds amazing flavor to the meatballs – make sure to use fresh parsley and not dried.
- Fresh Dill – also use fresh and not dried
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth – we like to limit salt content where we can, so we always cook with a good low sodium chicken broth.
- Escarole – which George notes in his recipe is optional, but he likes to add it to make it similar to a Greek wedding soup. Who can argue with that, we added it! If you can’t find escarole, you could try substituting spinach or fresh chopped kale instead. It’s not traditional, but would work in a pinch.
- Lemon Juice – from fresh squeezed lemons.
- Salt & Pepper to taste
How Do I Make Youvarlakia/Giouvarlakia Soup?
- 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.
Meal Prep Greek Meatball Soup
This youvarlakia meatball soup is the perfect recipe for homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time to cook. This soup is great to make when you have time on the weekend, then enjoy the leftovers for lunch or dinner throughout the week.
I have many tried & true meal prep recipes you can browse through. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later.
More Cozy Fall Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
Simple French Onion Soup with White Wine
White Pasta Fagioli With Spinach Recipe
Tomato Soup with Noodles Recipe
Mushroom Soup with Coconut Milk Recipe
Black Bean Soup with Avocado Recipe
Share This Delicious Greek Meatball Soup with Avgolemono
As always, if you make this dairy free youvarlakia recipe recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipes!
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Youvarlakia (Greek Meatball Soup)
Equipment
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 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
Notes
Save Money on Fresh Groceries & Pantry Staples!
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell produce & pantry staples (even wine!) at a super discounted price. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! Give Misfits Market a look if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it!Nutrition
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This looks delicious