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Greek Meatball Soup with Egg-Lemon Broth

Name: Greek Meatball Soup with Egg-Lemon Broth
Prep time: 48 min
Total time: 48 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: beef — 454 g; hot cooked white rice — 89 g; yellow onion — 110 g; egg — 100 g; dill — 15 g; flat-leaf parsley — 7 g; salt — 5 g; freshly ground black pepper — 3 g; low-salt chicken broth — 1893 g; olive oil — 27 g; all-purpose flour — 15 g; eggs — 200 g; lemon juice — 79 g

Greek Meatball Soup with Egg-Lemon Broth reads umami 6.5, richness 5.7 and citrus 5.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Greek main, about 48 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 7.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.5 · Richness 5.7 · Citrus 5.5 · Sourness 5.0 · Salinity 4.0 · Allium 3.7 · Herbaceous 3.2 · Sweetness 2.2 · Earthy 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.2 · Fruity 1.1 · Bitterness 1.0 · Floral 1.0 · Nutty 0.8

What's in it (13)

beef — 454 g
hot cooked white rice — 89 g
yellow onion — 110 g
egg — 100 g
dill — 15 g
flat-leaf parsley — 7 g
salt — 5 g
freshly ground black pepper — 3 g
low-salt chicken broth — 1893 g
olive oil — 27 g
all-purpose flour — 15 g
eggs — 200 g
lemon juice — 79 g

Time & effort: about 48 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 51.3 kcal, 5.9 g protein, 2 g fat, 2.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, grated onion, 1 egg, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands just until combined — overworking the meat here is what makes meatballs tough, so stop as soon as everything is evenly distributed.
Roll the mixture into 20 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches each, and set them on a plate.
In a large pot, bring the broth and olive oil to a gentle simmer over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
Carefully lower the meatballs into the simmering broth, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the rice inside is tender and the meatballs are cooked through (160°F), 35 to 40 minutes, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 2 eggs with the flour until smooth, then whisk in the lemon juice until combined.
Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth from the pot into the egg-lemon mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly, to gently warm the eggs without scrambling them.
Return the pot to low heat and slowly stir the tempered egg-lemon mixture back into the soup. Stir gently and continuously until the broth turns pale yellow and silky and thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes — do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.
Taste and season with more salt as needed.
Ladle into bowls and finish with a scattering of fresh dill.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Posole with Red Chile — New Mexican
Ghormeh Sabzi (Herb and Bean Stew) — Persian
Slow-Roasted Greek Leg of Lamb with Lemon Potatoes — Greek
Tasajo Asado con Salsa de Chile Pasilla Mixe — Mexican · Oaxaca
Suqaar (Somali Beef Cubes with Vegetables) — Somali

Keep reading: what umami, richness, citrus mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.