Greek Meatballs in Egg Lemon Broth (Avgolemono)

Greek Meatballs in Egg Lemon Broth is a tasty appetizer, soup or entrée.  It features tender meatballs in a rich beef broth, all flavored with silky egg lemon sauce.

I love Greek food!  And these Greek Meatballs, served up in a flavorful broth, feel warm and indulgent with a touch of the original.  Kind of like comfort food that doesn’t get old.

Though it’s probably not a weeknight dinner, this recipe is actually quite easy to make.  Just mix up the meatball ingredients, simmer in beef broth, whisk together and thicken the egg lemon sauce, then serve it all together.

I was confident I’d like this, but I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope for some of my kids, especially my picky daughter.  She’s the one who even dorm food hasn’t turned around!     

In the end, however, I shouldn’t have worried.  She liked it so much, she finished the leftovers the next day. And next time, I’ll have to really push my luck and add a Greek dessert like this Mini Baklava!

What are Greek Meatballs in Egg Lemon Broth?

This dish is a traditional Greek recipe from the Culinary Flavors blog and came from the blogger’s grandmother by way of her mother.  Aren’t old family recipes a delight!

I adapted the recipe slightly and my biggest change was to omit the olive oil.  I simply forgot the first time and since it was still delicious (but with a few less calories), I wrote it into the final version. 

If you’ve never had egg lemon sauce, it is a delight.  Thick, rich and flavorful, it delivers a flavor wallop but is lighter and brighter than many other sauces.  Definitely a keeper!

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Ground beef.  This is the main meatball ingredient.  You could substitute ground lamb.
• Cooked rice.  This helps bind the meatballs.
• Egg.  There is an egg in the meatballs which enriches and helps bind and another in the sauce which helps to flavor and thicken it.
• Bread.  This adds moisture to the meatballs and helps them retain the flavorful juices  I used whole wheat.
• Onion, garlic, parsley.  These flavor the meatballs.  I used fresh
• Salt, pepper.  These serve as flavor enhancers. 
• Beef stock.  This cooks the meatballs and keeps them tender and forms the base for the broth.
• Milk.  Helps mellow the acidity of the sauce.  I have made this using skim milk or 2% but whole milk should work too.
• Fresh lemon juice. Provides the bright lemon flavor for the sauce.  Fresh is strongly recommended.
• Corn starch.  This is used to thicken the sauce along with the egg.

Special Tools

• No special tools required!

Step by Step Directions

Wet the bread, then wring it out and crumble it up.

Mix the meatball ingredients, then form into meatballs.

In a large saucepan, bring the beef stock to a low simmer.  Add the meatballs and cook for 20 minutes.

To prepare the egg lemon sauce, bring 1 cup of the meatball broth and the milk and cornstarch to a boil then stir until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk together lemon juice and egg, then whisk them into the milk mixtures.  Return to the heat and continue cooking until thickened.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. 

To serve place 4-5 meatballs in a bowl, then top with broth and egg lemon sauce.  Enjoy warm.  

How to Serve

I love the versatility of this dish.  I have used it as an appetizer, first course soup or entrée.  To serve as an appetizer, I drizzle with less broth and rely more on the flavorful egg lemon sauce). 

One Christmas Eve, I served this as our first course soup to a group of more than twenty.  It’s an especially nice starter if your entrée is something light like seafood.

And this also works well as an entrée.  In that case, I’d suggest adding bread and salad.  A nice Greek bread if you can get it, otherwise any good bread, then a salad, with (ideally) more than a single vegetable.  A Greek salad would of course be lovely but sticking with a Mediterranean theme, my Tuscan Kale Salad would be delicious too!

Leftovers

Leftover Greek Meatballs should be keep sealed and refrigerated for 3-4 days.  You can reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, taking care not to overheat and curdle the egg lemon sauce.  This means stir if reheating on the stovetop or microwave in bursts and stir in between.

But it’s delicious as leftovers too!

Tips & FAQs

If you chop the onions slightly smaller than usual, it will help them stay combined with the meat in the meatballs.  Otherwise, you’ll have maybe a few more bits of onion bubbling in the broth, but it’s all good anyway!

My biggest tip, however, is to use real lemon, not jarred, in the sauce.  The one time I used bottled, even I had to admit it suffered.

I won’t tell you what my daughter said.  

Luscious Lemon Recipes

• Frosted Lemon Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti from Jen Around the World
• Greek Meatball Soup from Art of Natural Living
• Lemon Chicken with Orzo from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Tuna Steaks with Lemon Caper Sauce from That Recipe

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Greek Meatballs in Egg Lemon Broth

Tender meatballs in a rich beef broth, Greek Meatballs in Egg Lemon Broth is delicious paired with Greek Salad and crusty bread.

Author: Contributor

5 from 1 vote

Print

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine Greek

Servings 6

Calories 267 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread I used whole wheat
• 1 onion chopped (about ¾ cup)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small bunch of parsley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups beef stock

For the Egg Lemon Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 egg slightly whisked
• 1 cup broth from the meatballs
• 2 lemons juice only
• 3 Tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 3 Tablespoons of the meatball broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

For the Meatballs

• Soak the slice of bread in water, then squeeze the water out and crumble it.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine this and the remaining meatball ingredients except the stock. Mix well (I used my hands), then form into meatballs.
• In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Lower the heat to medium/low and gently lower in the meatballs.
• Simmer about 30 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.

To Make the Egg Lemon Sauce

• Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Remove one cup of broth from the meatball pan. Add this and the cornstarch slurry to the milk. Continue cooking, whisking regularly, until the batter starts to thicken.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the beaten eggs and the lemon juice whisking until combined. Place the pan back on the heat and whisk for another minute until thickened. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed
• Place 4-5 meatballs in a soup bowl then top with a few ladles of cooking broth. Spoon egg lemon sauce over the meatballs and broth.
• Serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from the original, published on Aug 3, 2017.

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