Youvarlakia: Greek Meatball Soup

The meatballs are typically made from a mixture of ground beef and pork, but Chef Giorgos is using tender and juicy ground turkey instead. With every spoonful, you’ll experience the perfect balance of flavors and textures. To enhance the flavors, drizzle each serving with a generous amount of Greek extra virgin olive oil.

The first spoonful reveals soft and flavorful turkey meatballs, enveloped in a creamy and tangy egg lemon sauce. The combination of textures and the harmonious blend of flavors make this youvarlakia soup a true delight for the senses. Enjoy this delicious youvarlakia recipe with ground turkey meat.

Youvarlakia: Greek Meatball Soup

For the meatballs (youvarlakia):

• 0.5 kg ground turkey
• 150 g glace rice glutinous
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 medium egg
• ¼ bunch parsley finely chopped
• ¼ bunch dill finely chopped
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Greek Florina red pepper finely chopped
• 5 tbsp Greek extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• all-purpose flour for dredging

For the soup:

• 1 liter water
• 1 potato cut into cubes
• 1 large carrot shredded
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 20 ml extra virgin olive oil + extra when serving
• 1 celery stick finely chopped
• 1 lemon zest
• salt
• pepper

For the egg-lemon sauce:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 tsp corn starch

For the meatballs:

• In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the meatballs apart from the flour. Mix with your hands until well combined.
• Pick up some of the ground meat mixture and shape into meatballs the size of a walnut.
• Fill a large container with all-purpose flour. Add the meatballs and dredge in the flour, until completely coated.

For the soup:

• Fill a wide pot with the 1 liter/ 4¼ cups of water and place over medium heat. Add the potatoes, carrots, bouillon cube, celery, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
• Add the meatballs to the pot, cover with lid and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.

For the egg-lemon sauce:

• In a large bowl, add the 2 egg yolks, lemon juice and cornstarch. Whisk until mixture is light and frothy.
• Remove lid from pot and turn off heat. Using a ladle, pick up a ladleful of the hot soup and add it to the egg mixture, while whisking continuously. Repeat the same process, until the egg mixture is warm and thickens a little. This is done slowly in order to temper the eggs gradually so they don’t curdle.
• Turn heat on low and pour the egg-lemon mixture into the pot. Swirl the pot gently, until the sauce thickens a little.
• Transfer to deep dishes, drizzle with some Greek extra virgin olive oil and serve.