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    Home » Main dishes » Youvetsi (Greek beef or lamb and orzo stew)

    Youvetsi (Greek beef or lamb and orzo stew)

    March 27, 2016 by Caroline's Cooking

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    Youvetsi is a delicious Greek stew made with beef or lamb and orzo cooked in a tasty tomato-based sauce. It's flavorful, comforting and easy to make too. Great comfort food.

    Youvetsi is a delicious Greek stew made with beef or lamb and orzo cooked in a tasty tomato-based sauce. It's flavorful, comforting and easy to make too.

    Jump to Recipe
    Youvetsi is a delicious Greek stew made with beef or lamb and orzo cooked in a tasty tomato-based sauce. It's flavorful, comforting and easy to make too.

    This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

    I don't know about anyone else, but food is often an excuse to do a bit of traveling from my kitchen, for me. Sometimes that's new places I have yet to visit and other times, it's remembering the flavors from places I have been. 

    While I often take forever to recreate recipes from our travels to share here, don't think I've not been plotting them for a while. I always research a bit first and tweak at recipes too. And as I do, I find it a wonderful way to remember not just those meals but things we did on the trip.

    plate of youvetsi with cheese on top close up

    In all honesty I can't really remember whether we had youvetsi or not on our trip to Cyprus and Greece last year, as we had a few meals where we had a number of smaller dishes and I can't remember every single one. It's very common to have food in a mezze-style with a range of small plates.

    Sometimes this is just cold dips like tzatziki, baba ghanoush and hummus to start, but a number of places continue this in to the warm, often meaty, dishes as well with a few to choose from with some grilled vegetables or other sides.

    We also had some meals we didn't order from a menu so I didn't get to see everything listed which is often what helps me remember what we had.

    temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens

    Just a few more excuses...

    On top of that, we were traveling with a toddler and a six-week old which while it largely worked out OK naturally had its challenges at times. I am sure sleep deprivation does things to your memory as well. Not to mention the fact that the amazing sites of Athens we were trying to see in a couple days can be distracting!

    Anyway, whether we had youvetsi or not that time, I no doubt had it on previous trips to Greece. Plus, it was something I was happy to find an excuse to make. 

    While it takes a little time to cook, youvetsi is really easy - it's pretty hands-off cooking and doesn't use too many ingredients. In fact, you probably have most if not all in your pantry already. And so worth the wait.

    cast iron dish full of youvetsi with tomao layer on top, before serving

    How to make youvetsi

    This may take a little time to cook but as I say it's hands off cooking. All you need to do is:

    • brown the meat;
    • soften the onion and garlic;
    • deglaze the pan with wine (basically get all the good stuff stuck to the bottom);
    • add tomatoes, stock and a couple seasonings;
    • leave it to cook the meat to tenderness;
    • add orzo towards end to cook in the sauce.

    You can do all but the last step in advance then just reheat and add the orzo, letting it cook in the delicious sauce. Serve with a decent amount of freshly grated cheese (traditionally it would be kefalotyri but parmesan or pecorino work as an alternative).

    bowl of youvetsi from overhead with serving spoon to side

    The family's verdict?

    This was a meal we all immediately loved, my toddler son even asked for more which is always a good sign. It's got that warm, comforting feel but is not overly heavy. It's already a regular for us in colder weather.

    The orzo takes on the delicious flavor of the sauce, a lovely mix of meatiness and tomato as well as just enough cinnamon to lift it up with a slightly warm fragrance.

    Whether this description does it justice I don't know, but believe me this is a truly delicious dish and has that flexibility of being made with either beef or lamb depending on your preference or what you have available.

    Youvetsi is definitely one that we'll be adding to our regular rotation - give it a try and you may well have a new favorite, as we did.

    finished dish in terracotta serving bowl with cheese on top

    Looking for more Greek recipes? Try these!

    • Avgolemono soup - a wonderfully comforting chicken soup with a little brightness from lemon
    • Moussaka - a family favorite, similar to lasagna but with eggplant/aubergine instead of pasta
    • Tiropita (Greek cheese pastries made with filo)
    • Chicken gyros with tzatziki (aka souvlaki, marinated then grilled chicken wraps)
    • Plus get more Greek recipes as well as comfort food and more in the winter recipes archives.
    Youvetsi (Greek beef/lamb and orzo stew) in dish with spoon to side
    Print Recipe
    5 from 5 votes

    Youvetsi (Greek beef or lamb and orzo stew)

    A wonderfully comforting combination of orzo and slow cooked meat in a tomato-based sauce.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time1 hr 35 mins
    Total Time1 hr 40 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Greek
    Servings: 4 -5
    Calories: 646kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
    SaveSaved!

    Ingredients

    • 2 lb beef or lamb stew meat 900g, beef chuck or lamb shoulder probably best
    • salt and pepper
    • 2 tbsp olive oil or a little more as needed
    • 1 onion
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • ½ cup red wine 120ml
    • 14 oz chopped tomatoes 400g, 1 can (or can use passata)
    • 2 tsp tomato paste puree
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • ½ tsp nutmeg
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 2 cups light stock 480ml eg chicken/vegetable
    • 1 ½ cups orzo 265g
    • ½ cup grated kefalotyri approx, or parmesan/pecorino

    Instructions

    • If the meat is not already diced, or the pieces are large, cut it in to roughly bite-sized pieces and season with some salt and pepper. Peel and dice the onion and finely chop the garlic.
    • Warm half the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides to sear it, working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan and removing to a plate as they are done.
    • In the same pan, add the rest of the oil and soften the onions, adding the garlic after a minute. Cook until going translucent but not brown, around 3-5 minutes.
    • Deglaze the pan with the wine - allow the alcohol to boil off and scrape the bottom to incorporate all the flavor into the sauce.
    • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and stock and add back the meat. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer then cook on low for around 1 hour or until tender, covered (it's also great cooked longer eg 2 hours, to make the meat extra-tender).
    • Preheat oven to 350F/175C then add the orzo to the pot. Mix it through then bake for approx 25 minutes, uncovered, until orzo is tender and cooked. You can also continue cooking with the orzo on the stovetop - in this case, cook relatively low so that it simmers with the lid partially covering. Stir now and then to avoid the orzo sticking to the bottom and browning/burning.
    • Serve with grated cheese on top.

    Video

    Notes

    I use my Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Oval French Oven to make this dish which works perfectly.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 646kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 789mg | Potassium: 1073mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 12.6mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 6mg

    See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

    Remember to pin for later!

    Youvetsi is a delicious Greek stew made with beef or lamb and orzo cooked in a tasty tomato-based sauce. It's flavorful, comforting and easy to make too with easy to find ingredients. Great comfort food. #stew #greekfood
    Youvetsi is a delicious Greek stew made with beef or lamb and orzo cooked in a tasty tomato-based sauce. It's flavorful, comforting and easy to make too. Great comfort food. #greekfood #comfortfood
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carla

      March 16, 2021 at 8:59 am

      Can i cook the beef ahead in a pressure cooker to make it super tender then just brown it some more in the pan? How will it affect all the liquid that the meat is supposed to simmer with for an hour?

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        March 16, 2021 at 6:59 pm

        I haven't tried so don't take this as certain, but my guess would be yes, it would work, but you may lose a bit of the depth of flavor. I'd suggest cooking the beef in some stock in the pressure cooker, then add this when you would add the stock later and reduce the amount of additional stock - it's hard to say how much evaporates but I'd say about 1/4 cup less liquid in total is maybe a good place to start.

        Reply
    2. Jeffrey

      March 06, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      5 stars
      I was so thrilled to realize I had everything I needed in the pantry and
      and freezer. I used beef and it was so delicious. Thanks Caroline.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        March 07, 2021 at 7:01 am

        So glad to hear you enjoyed! And yes, the ingredients are generally ones you may have around (part of why it's on our menu often!)

        Reply
    3. Elizabeth McEnaney

      January 29, 2020 at 7:08 pm

      5 stars
      This is Amazing!! Make it and enjoy!!!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        January 30, 2020 at 8:39 am

        Glad to hear you enjoyed!

        Reply
    4. Christina

      February 16, 2019 at 7:59 pm

      As a Greek, I grew up eating this dish. I love this recipe. My husband asked me if my mom came over to cook because it’s so close to hers!

      A few recommended tweaks: instead of orzo, use kritharaki. You can find it in any grocery store with w decent international aisle. It’s Greek orzo. It’s a little bigger and thicker and more authentic. Also, when you add the orzo/kritharaki, add a little water so the end result has more gravy in it. You know, for dipping your bread!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        February 17, 2019 at 12:42 pm

        That sounds like praise indeed, glad it was well received! Appreciate the tips - sadly I don't think I've ever seen kritharaki here but if I ever do, I will try.

        Reply
    5. joanne agganis

      November 04, 2018 at 12:33 pm

      Do you put the Dutch oven in the oven or do you put everything in a baking pan?

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        November 04, 2018 at 7:14 pm

        I put the Dutch oven in the oven - no need to dirty another dish and it works perfectly.

        Reply
        • joanne agganis

          November 05, 2018 at 7:03 pm

          Thanks, that’s how I made it last night and it came out absolutely delicious!!! My husband, daughter and I are Greek and I think your recipe is the best!!! I’ll be making this quite often.

          Reply
    6. Natalya

      October 16, 2018 at 7:27 am

      5 stars
      Just found this recipe after tasting Youvetsi for the first time after a recent holiday to Crete. I have lived in Cyprus for 20 years but have never come across the dish here!
      I made it with beef and it was amazing. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        October 17, 2018 at 9:08 pm

        So glad you enjoyed it! Well then maybe it's not such a surprise I wasn't sure if we had it or not in Cyprus - I have also been in Greece various times so especially with a newborn at the time it was a little bit of a daze where the familiarity came from But so glad it lived up to what you had in Crete!

        Reply
    7. Hafida Monica

      April 01, 2018 at 3:03 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you. This was my grandmother's signature dish. I've made it from memory over the years, but finally looked up the recipe to make it properly. I got a bit teary as the the apartment filled up with the smell <3

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        April 05, 2018 at 8:17 pm

        How wonderful to have those memories, I hope this lived up to them!

        Reply
    8. Sabrina B

      January 20, 2017 at 4:30 pm

      saw this on the front page of your site and was taken by the name of the recipe and love the flavors here, my experience with this cuisine is limited to gyro meat (which I love), but this looks much more approachable than somehow concocting a huge vertical spit! thank you for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        January 22, 2017 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks Sabrina, I'm glad you decided to take a look, this is definitely one of our family favorites. And a great way to expand your experience of Greek food too.

        Reply
    9. Tentimestea

      April 01, 2016 at 1:15 pm

      That is such a lovely description of the balanced warm flavours and fragrance of the dish. If it does not do the dish justice, I can only imagine how lovely it is! As part of a mezze, thus sounds just so delicious!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        April 03, 2016 at 8:44 am

        Thanks so much, it's a really tasty dish!

        Reply
    10. Monica

      March 28, 2016 at 7:41 am

      5 stars
      It's raining today and this is the perfect thing to have for dinner.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        March 29, 2016 at 2:49 pm

        Thanks Monica, yes definitely good for days like that!

        Reply
    11. Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom

      March 27, 2016 at 6:48 am

      I have to say I am a bit jealous of your trip to Greece--somewhere I always have wanted to go. I would absolutely love this stew as well.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        March 27, 2016 at 6:27 pm

        There are so many places in Greece that just ooze history, it's fascinating to see. This stew is delicious, hope you enjoy!

        Reply

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