Description
Tender, herbed Greek meatballs simmered in a creamy lemon-egg sauce this comforting dish, known as Keftedes Avgolemono, is full of bright Mediterranean flavor and perfect with rice, potatoes, or pita.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
1 lb ground beef or lamb (or a mix)
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (for browning)
For the lemon sauce:
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, grated onion, garlic, egg, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
2. Form into small meatballs (about 1 inch in diameter).
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and brown meatballs on all sides (they don’t need to be fully cooked through).
4. Add chicken broth to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the browned meatballs and cook for 10 minutes, until cooked through.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and lemon juice together.
6. Slowly ladle a bit of the hot broth into the egg-lemon mixture while whisking constantly (to temper the eggs).
7. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir the tempered mixture back into the pot with the meatballs.
8. Simmer gently (do not boil) until the sauce slightly thickens.
9. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley, and serve warm.
Notes
Serve with rice, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
For a lighter version, use ground turkey or chicken.
Make sure not to boil the sauce after adding eggs — it will curdle.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Simmered
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4-5 meatballs with sauce
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 540mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 6g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
Keywords: Greek meatballs, Keftedes Avgolemono, lemon meatballs, Mediterranean recipe, lemon sauce meatballs