Avgolemono, Egg-Free Greek Lemon Soup
Avgolemono is the sound of a Greek kitchen, egg and lemon whisked into hot broth until the whole pot turns silky and pale. The emulsion is the soul of the dish and also the part that breaks the rules here, so this version rebuilds it from blended white beans, which lend the same velvet weight along with protein and fiber the eggs never carried. A pinch of turmeric supplies the buttery yellow, and a genuinely generous amount of lemon does the rest. The one technique to respect is pulling the pot off the heat before the puree goes in, exactly as you would to keep real eggs from scrambling. It is a light, bright, restorative bowl, the soup Greeks reach for when someone is unwell.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans, cooked, drained
- 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
- 1 whole Yellow onions, halved
- 1 whole Carrots (cooking), halved
- 1 whole Celery, halved
- 2 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 1 whole Bay leaves
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 1/8 tsp Turmeric
- 1/3 cup Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Bring 5 cups (1.2 L) water to a simmer with the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and bouillon. Simmer 15 minutes to build a light broth, then lift out and discard the vegetables and bay leaf. A quick aromatic broth stands in for the chicken stock a Greek kitchen would start from.
- Add the rice and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 30 minutes for short-grain brown rice. The grains should be soft, since they carry the soup, and the starch they shed helps thicken it.
- While the rice cooks, blend 1 cup of the cannellini beans with the lemon juice, the turmeric, and a ladle of the hot broth until completely smooth. This is the avgolemono liaison rebuilt: where beaten eggs and lemon are usually whisked into an emulsion, blended white beans bring the same silk and a pale gold color, and the pinch of turmeric finishes the yellow.
- Take the pot off the heat before the liaison goes in. Whisk the bean puree into the soup in a slow stream, then stir in the remaining whole beans. Adding it off the boil is the whole trick; a hard simmer would split a real egg liaison and here it just turns the soup grainy instead of smooth.
- Stir in the dill and black pepper, taste, and add more lemon if it needs it. The soup should taste sharply of lemon, which is what carries it with no salt. Serve at once, while it is hot and velvety, as it thickens as it sits.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 210 calories, 10 g protein, 6 g fiber, 130 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
