Youvarlakia Avgolemono (Lemony Greek Meatball Soup)

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken (or ground turkey or beef), very cold

3/4 cup chopped fresh dill or parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup grated yellow onion (from about 1 small onion)

1/4 cup grated carrot (from about 1 carrot)

1/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice, such as basmati or Carolina, well rinsed and drained

1 garlic clove, finely grated, pushed through a garlic press, or minced

1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

6 cups chicken stock

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving (optional)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 1/4 cup dill, onion, carrot, rice, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Gently mix with your hands until well combined.

Gently form the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, placing them on a plate or baking pan. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. This helps the meatballs keep their shape while cooking.

In a large pot, bring stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and use a slotted spoon to carefully add meatballs to the pot. The broth should cover the tops of the meatballs by about 1/2 inch. If not, add a little water. Simmer gently, adjusting the heat so the broth doesn’t boil, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. (Break open a meatball to test it.) Remove pot from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice until just mixed. Slowly add a ladle of warm broth to egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in another two ladles of broth to temper the egg mixture.

Slowly drizzle the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the meatballs, stirring gently so you don’t break apart the meatballs. Return the pot to medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer. (Wait for a bubble or two to appear, but don’t let the pot boil.) The broth should be silky. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It may need quite a bit of salt if you are starting with unsalted broth.) Garnish with nutmeg, if you like, and dill, and serve.

Notes

Can sub chicken/turkey for meatless meatballs: https://www.umami.recipes/recipe/mpYquObWAXGQTM4oG0cw

Nutrition

• Calories: 392
• Total Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Sodium: 1207 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 27 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 33 g