Giouvarlakia Soup (Greek Rice-Studded Meatball Soup)
Tender beef and rice meatballs simmered gently in a light vegetable broth, then bathed in a silky, tangy egg-lemon sauce. A deeply comforting Greek classic, best eaten hot with crusty bread.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Mix the meatballs
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rinsed rice, grated onion, egg, parsley, dill, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix well with your hands until evenly combined, then let it rest for 10 minutes so the rice starts absorbing moisture and the mixture holds together better.
- 600 g ground beef
- 80 g rice
- 1 small grated onion
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the mixture feels tacky and holds its shape when pressed, not loose or wet
Shape the meatballs
With damp hands, roll the mixture into about 24 compact balls, roughly 4 cm wide. Keep them a touch smaller than you think, since the rice will swell and plump them up as they cook.
✅ Done when: you have smooth, evenly sized balls with no cracks
Start the broth
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Simmer the meatballs
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Make the egg-lemon sauce
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Finish and serve
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Mix the meatballs
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rinsed rice, grated onion, egg, parsley, dill, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix well with your hands until evenly combined, then let it rest for 10 minutes so the rice starts absorbing moisture and the mixture holds together better.
- 600 g ground beef
- 80 g rice
- 1 small grated onion
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the mixture feels tacky and holds its shape when pressed, not loose or wet
Shape the meatballs
With damp hands, roll the mixture into about 24 compact balls, roughly 4 cm wide. Keep them a touch smaller than you think, since the rice will swell and plump them up as they cook.
✅ Done when: you have smooth, evenly sized balls with no cracks
Start the broth
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Simmer the meatballs
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Make the egg-lemon sauce
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Finish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Giouvarlakia takes its name from the Turkish word for 'round,' a reminder of the long culinary exchange across the Ottoman world, where small rice-and-meat balls simmered in broth appear in many related forms. Greek cooks made it their own by finishing the pot with avgolemono, the beloved egg-lemon sauce that turns a simple broth silky and bright.
It belongs to the deep tradition of Greek soups eaten in cooler months, the kind of dish a mother or yiayia (grandmother) keeps simmering on the stove, needing nothing more than crusty bread alongside.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The combination of tender rice-studded meatballs and tangy, velvety egg-lemon broth is pure Greek comfort food, loved for how gentle and nourishing it feels.
💡 Fun Fact
The same egg-lemon technique used here also finishes dolmades, lamb fricassee and many other classic Greek dishes, making avgolemono one of the backbone sauces of the whole cuisine.
All over Greece, in home kitchens
37.98°N, 23.73°E
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