Warm up this Fall with Youvarlakia, a traditional Greek soup featuring a flavorful egg-lemon broth, tender meatballs, and fresh vegetables. The perfect comfort food for cooler days!

Recipe Notes:

Typically, this soup is made with minced beef, but I tried using turkey meat a few years ago, and we all enjoyed it.

This time, I added spinach to the soup for a slightly different flavor, and everyone loved it! (You can add any vegetables you like as well.)

If you think you need more liquid for the soup, then feel free to add more stock and or water.

We love a tangy avgolemono, so that’s why we like 4 lemons! Feel free to adjust to your liking.

I hope you enjoy making this!

Youvarlakia with Turkey Meat~ Γιουβαρλάκια από Κιμά Γαλοπούλας

Serving: 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey/ beef
• 1/3 cup of uncooked rice ( I use short grain rice)
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch of cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of fresh anise, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• Salt & Pepper (to your tasting)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth + 2 cups of water (You can use vegetable broth if you like)

Avgolemono Sauce Ingredients:

• 4 lemons, reserve the juice
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine the first 11 ingredients together. Mix until combined. 

2. Place flour on a plate, form meatballs in your hand and gently roll into the flour.

3. Place the meatballs in a large pot and pour the chicken broth & water over them.

4. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. In the meantime prepare the avgolemono sauce. 

5. In a large bowl add the eggs and the cornstarch. Whisk together until frothy, and then add in the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Whisk until frothy and set aside. 

6. The meatballs should be ready by now, so prepare to combine the avgolemono with the meatballs.

7. Take two half cups of hot broth and quickly whisk the broth into the avgolemono sauce. Be sure to do this quickly as the eggs can curdle if you don’t. Add the avgolemono mixture to the meatballs and mix to combine. Serve warm with fresh chopped dill. 

PS: You can find this recipe along with many others from my first cookbook “Back To My Roots” available on Amazon.

Kali Orexi!

*Recipe & post updated March 27th 2025