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Greek meatballs in lemon sauce simmering in pot with herbs and creamy avgolemono coating

Greek Meatballs in Lemon Sauce (Youvarlakia Avgolemono)

Incredibly soft and juicy Greek meatballs simmered in velvety lemon-egg sauce for the ultimate Mediterranean comfort meal.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 portions
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Calories: 380

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef 85/15 blend recommended
  • 1 small onion finely grated
  • 1/4 cup arborio rice uncooked and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
  • 1 egg for meatball mixture
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 4 cups chicken broth low-sodium preferred
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 eggs for avgolemono sauce, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from about 2 lemons

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Wide-bottomed pot or stainless steel pan
  • Whisk
  • Medium bowl for tempering

Method
 

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, grated onion, rinsed arborio rice, parsley, dill, one egg, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape the mixture into golf ball-sized portions (about 16 to 18 meatballs) and place them on a plate. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. In a wide-bottomed pot, bring chicken broth and olive oil to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Carefully add the chilled meatballs to the simmering broth, making sure they have enough room to cook evenly. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low, allowing the meatballs to cook for 30 minutes until tender throughout and the rice inside is fully cooked.
  3. While the meatballs simmer, prepare the avgolemono sauce by whisking together two eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until well blended. Slowly ladle about one cup (roughly 3 to 4 ladles) of hot broth from the pot into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. This tempering process prevents the eggs from scrambling.
  4. Remove the pot from direct heat and slowly pour the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the pot while stirring gently. Return to very low heat and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the meatballs. Never let it boil after adding the sauce to prevent curdling.
  5. Serve warm with additional fresh dill or lemon wedges if desired. Pair with rice, orzo pasta, or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.

Notes

Always rinse arborio rice before using to prevent gummy texture. Temper the egg-lemon sauce slowly to avoid curdling. Keep heat very low when adding avgolemono sauce. Meatballs can be frozen before adding sauce for up to 3 months. Sauce may separate when refrigerated but will come back together with gentle reheating.