Kolokithákia Gemistá me Avgolémono | Stuffed Zucchini in Egg-Lemon Sauce
There are some dishes that feel like Sunday. Kolokithákia gemistá me avgolémono is one of them.
Soft zucchini, gently simmered and filled with fragrant herbs, rice, and beef, finished with silky egg-lemon sauce poured over the top. It’s wholesome, comforting, and deeply satisfying without ever feeling heavy.
We often think of avgolémono in soup, warming bowls of chicken and rice brightened with lemon. But avgolémono belongs in so much more than soup. In dishes like this, it brings that same comfort, the same silkiness, the same familiar tang, just wrapped around tender vegetables instead. It’s sunshine and warmth in one pot.
What Is Avgolémono?
Avgolémono literally means egg-lemon.
It’s a classic Greek sauce made by whisking eggs and fresh lemon juice together, then slowly tempering the mixture with hot cooking liquid so the eggs don’t scramble. The result is creamy, smooth, and velvety, without adding cream.
It thickens naturally, coating whatever it touches in a bright, luscious finish.It's the Greek way of adding thickness and richness to a dish! Rich, yet fresh. Comforting, yet light.
And when made with stuffed zucchini, it transforms the entire dish.
KOLOKITHAKIA GEMISTA ME AVGOLEMONO | Stuffed Zucchini in Egg-Lemon Sauce
Mary PolitisIngredients
- 16-20 grey zucchini hollowed
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 400 g beef mince
- 1 onion grated
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 carrot grated or very finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- ½ cup chopped mint
- 1 cup medium-grain rice
- 1 tsp vegetable stock paste or 1 stock cube
- 1 cup water plus additional for later
- Salt and pepper
For the avgolémono:
- 2 eggs
- Juice of 2–3 lemons
Instructions
- After hollowing out the zucchini, keep the flesh and freeze it for another recipe. It’s perfect chopped into soups or added to stocks, nothing goes to waste in a Greek kitchen.
- Place a pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add the beef mince and sauté until fully cooked.
- Dissolve the stock paste or cube in the 1 cup of water and add it to the beef along with the carrot and rice. The rice only needs to be par-cooked at this stage. Once the liquid is absorbed and the rice has slightly softened, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- Once cooled, mix through the fresh herbs, grated onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Stuff the hollowed zucchini with the filling and place them snugly into a large pot.
- Add enough water to cover the zucchini halfway. You can add a little extra stock paste or powder here if you wish, along with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for up to 25 minutes. (You can cook longer if preferred, but we love the zucchini to still have a little bite.)
- Turn the heat off and prepare the avgolemono.
- Begin by whisking the egg whites until foamy. Add the yolks and whisk them in while slowly streaming in the lemon juice. Gradually ladle in about half a cup at a time of the hot cooking liquid from the zucchini into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. This tempers the eggs and prevents scrambling.
- Once warmed and smooth, pour the avgolemono gently over the zucchini in the pot. Let it sit for 10 minutes to settle and thicken.
- Garnish with extra fresh herbs and serve.
Notes
Because zucchini sizes vary, you may have leftover filling. You could add the leftover filling to the pot the zucchinis are cooking in, this will make the liquid a little thicker, so extra water later may be needed. Or simply return it to the heat with a little extra liquid and cook it through completely. Finish with plenty of fresh lemon juice and enjoy it as a quick lunch.