Yiouvarlakia with avgolemono (Γιουβαρλάκια αβγολέμονο)

Yiouvarlakia are Greek meatballs made with ground meat and rice. They are boiled until cooked through and then an egg lemon (avgolemono) sauce is added to the pot. The meatballs are served with a creamy, frothy and tangy broth. This is pure Greek comfort food.

A few months ago, while I was scrolling through Pinterest, I came across recipes for porcupine meatballs.  Intrigued, and slightly horrified, I investigated and was pleased to discover that these are not made of porcupine meat.  In fact, porcupine meatballs are just regular meatballs with rice added to the mix; because the rice kind of pokes out of the cooked meatballs, they appear prickly, like porcupines.  Cute.  I grew up in a Greek family with something kind of similar, although the Greek version doesn’t have such a silly name; in Greek households they are called yiouvarlakia.

Why I love this recipe

Yiouvarlakia, especially when served with a rich and tangy avgolemono (egg lemon sauce) as they are here, are perfect comfort food.  The broth which is created while the yiouvarlakia cook, once enhanced by the avgolemono, becomes the base of an incredible soup, perfect for bread dunking.  Because the meatballs are boiled, they remain tender, juicy and incredibly flavourful.  This makes them very pleasing (usually) to young children; both the texture and taste are gentle.  My parents made this meal a lot when we were young, and then again when their granddaughters were little.  Eating it now, Helen and I have fond memories of both periods in our lives, and that’s part of the reason this recipe is one of our most cherished.

Key ingredients

You really don’t need too many ingredients (and certainly nothing fancy) to make yiouvarlakia.

Ground meat I use a combination of ground veal and ground pork to make the most flavourful yiouvarlakia.

Onion I use a yellow onion that I grate using a box grater. I make sure to scoop up the grated onion as well as any liquid that gets released from the onion.

Rice I use long grain rice in this recipe. I add it to the mix uncooked, although I do rinse it well before doing so. When I have time I even soak it in a bowl of cold water.

Parsley Fresh flat leaf parsley adds flavour and colour to this meal.

Olive oil As always I use Greek olive oil because I love the fragrance and the flavour.

Egg I use large chicken eggs. The eggs are important because they help bind the actual yiouvarlakia, and also help make the avgolemono sauce.

Lemon Fresh lemon juice is preferred always, versus the bottled lemon juice you can find in many supermarkets. Sure, that is convenient, but trust me, the flavour of fresh lemons cannot be beat.

Flour I like to roll my yiouvarlakia in all purpose or regular flour. This helps to thicken the sauce, and I think also helps to bind everything together.

How to make it

Step 1
In a large bowl combine the ground pork and veal, the grated onion, parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, one beaten egg, 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 cup lemon juice, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup rice, which you should rinse first.  Allow the meat mixture to sit for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours in the refrigerator.

Step 2
Prepare your yiouvarlakia.  Take about one tablespoon of the mixture and form a compact ball.  Roll it in the flour to coat it lightly and set aside.  Continue until all the meat mixture is used.

Step 3
In a large pot combine 6 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon of rice and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and gently add the yiouvarlakia.  Cook, covered, for about 30 to 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and, if your soup does not seem to have much liquid in it, add about 1/2 to 1 cup of boiling water.  Remove 1 cup of stock and set aside. Immediately start making your avgolemono.

Step 4
Separate eggs.  Using a hand held mixer, or a fork, beat egg whites until frothy (you will NOT create soft peaks…that’s okay).  Once the egg whites are frothy and foamy, add the egg yolks.  Continue beating.  Then, add the lemon juice. Beat together until combined and then slowly stream in the cup of stock that you had set aside, and which should have cooled so that it is warm but not hot. Continue to beat the egg / lemon mixture until all of the stock has been incorporated.

Step 5
Take this egg / lemon mixture and pour it slowly into the soup, stirring well, but being careful not to break apart your yiouvarlakia.  It may be easier to shake your pot gently. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Be sure to check out this round-up of the best Greek soup recipes for fall, or anytime really!

Recipe substitutions

I like to make yiouvarlakia using a combination of ground pork and ground veal. You can use a different combination of ground meat however; just be sure to keep the quantity the same.

Cooking tips

My parents use Carolina rice when they make yiouvarlakia. Unfortunately, in some parts of the world, and in Montreal, this rice is hard to find.  If you are having trouble tracking it down, simply use another long grain rice. That is what I do, and it seems to work out fine.

You will see that the meat mixture, once all of the ingredients are combined, is somewhat wet – that is the best way I know to describe it.  This is the way it should be.  When shaping your yiouvarlakia, be sure to first press the meat mixture together so that it holds its shape well when you roll it in your hands.  Then, you will roll each yiouvarlaki in some flour.  This will help keep them together, and has the added bonus of thickening up your broth a bit.

My parents like to add about a tablespoon of raw rice into the water in which the yiouvarlakia cook.  They maintain that this too helps to thicken up the soup base.  Is this really necessary?  I’m not sure, but it’s kind of a neat step and in theory it should actually do what they say it does…so just do it. 🙂

A key ingredient in this recipe is of course, the lemons.  Use the freshest lemons you can find and try to avoid using bottled lemon juice unless you are certain that it is not diluted with water.  Even still, there is nothing like the smell of fresh lemons.  The quantity of lemon juice that my parents use will give you a tart, but not overly tart soup.  If you want your avgolemono to taste more lemony, adjust the quantity of lemon juice.  You can also add a squeeze of lemon to each individual serving plate if tastes differ around the table.

How to serve

Although a hearty (and healthy) meal, yiouvarlakia are delicate.  Don’t stir them too much in the pot, and plate them with a small serving spoon which will allow you to pick up one or two at a time.  You can then add the broth and avgolemono over top; this is the easiest way to keep you lovely rice studded meatballs intact.

I like to serve this meal with some fresh bread – maybe bread that I baked myself! I love to dip the bread into the sauce.

Recipe variations

I sometimes make my yiouvarlakia in a tomato avgolemono sauce. It is really great, and similar to this recipe except that I add some tomato sauce to the broth. A small addition, but it is really delicious.

Why I love making this soup

As I described when I posted avgolemono soup, the addition of the egg lemon sauce is a bit ritualistic in my family (and from the feedback I have received, many other families too!).  Whenever we watched our parents add avgolemono to their pot of soup, (or lahanodolmades, or yiouvarlakia) we would listen with great anticipation. That’s right…we would listen.  You see, as they pour, they let out a long, drawn out kiss, right into the air.  When my siblings and I were young, our parents would explain that this was a crucial step, one that would ensure that the meal would turn out delicious.  When Helen and I first made avgolemono soup with them for Mia Kouppa, and were recording the recipe and steps for posting on the blog, we talked about this air smooch.  Our parents laughed and told us that this was really just silliness, an old wives tale not meant to be taken seriously. But then, almost as though they couldn’t help themselves, they proceeded to kiss the air when finishing up our soup, and it was delicious.  Do you need to kiss the air when you add the avgolemono to your pot of yiouvarlakia?  Probably not, but who knows!

Related recipes

Looking for some more recipes that have an avgolemono sauce, try these:

Avgolemono soup with chicken

Artichokes and peas in an egg-lemon sauce

Cabbage rolls filled with rice and zucchini in a rich avgolemono sauce

Storing and reheating

Leftover yiouvarlakia can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the microwave, or heat gently on the stovetop.

Thanks for sharing!