Giouvetsi

Name: Giouvetsi
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 135 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1.2 kg Lamb, shoulder or leg on the bone, in large pieces, or 1 kg boneless beef chuck; 400 g Pasta, orzo (kritharaki); 1 medium Onion, chopped; 3 clove Garlic, chopped; 80 ml Olive oil; 2 tbsp Tomato purée; 400 g Chopped tomatoes, one tin; 150 ml Red wine, or dry white; 1 piece Cinnamon stick; 4 piece Allspice berries; 2 piece Bay leaf; 1.3 l Water, hot; 500 ml for the braise, about 800 ml for the orzo; 2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Black pepper; 80 g Kefalograviera or Pecorino Romano, grated, to serve

Γιουβέτσι

Lamb braised in tomato with cinnamon, then baked with orzo in the same dish until the pasta drinks up the sauce. Grated hard cheese on top.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Γιουβέτσι.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 2 hr 15 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 2 hr 40 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

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About

Giouvetsi is meat and orzo baked together. Lamb, or beef, is browned and braised with onion, garlic, tomato, wine, cinnamon and allspice until tender. Then orzo, kritharaki in Greek, goes into the same dish with hot water and bakes uncovered until the pasta is soft and has soaked up nearly all the sauce, leaving a crust at the edges. The liquid is what matters. Too little and the orzo stays chalky, too much and it turns to porridge, so check it halfway and add a ladle of hot water if it looks dry. Grated kefalograviera or kefalotyri goes on at the table.

What you'll need

15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 15 ready

6 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Lamb, shoulder or leg on the bone, in large pieces, or 1 kg boneless beef chuck1.2 kg
Pasta, orzo (kritharaki)400 g
Onion, chopped1 medium
Garlic, chopped3 clove
Olive oil80 ml
Tomato purée30 ml
Chopped tomatoes, one tin400 g
Red wine, or dry white150 ml
Cinnamon stick1
Allspice berries4
Bay leaf2
Water, hot; 500 ml for the braise, about 800 ml for the orzo1.3 l
Salt9.9 ml
Black pepper4.9 ml
Choose one
Kefalograviera, grated, to serve80 g

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof pot and brown the lamb well on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes, then the garlic and tomato paste for a minute. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom.
17 min
Step 2
Add the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, bay, salt, pepper and 500 ml of hot water. Cover and simmer gently for about 1½ hours, until the lamb is tender.
90 min
Step 3
Heat the oven to 180°C. Pour 800 ml of boiling water into the pot and stir in the orzo, spreading it evenly around the meat. If your pot is not ovenproof, move everything to a deep roasting dish first.
3 min
Step 4
Bake uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring the orzo once after 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender, most of the liquid has gone and the edges have crusted. If it looks dry before the orzo is cooked, add a ladle of hot water.
35 min180°C
Watch: Orzo keeps drinking after it leaves the oven. Take it out while it still looks a little saucy.
Step 5
Rest for 10 minutes. Pick out the cinnamon and bay and serve with plenty of grated cheese.
10 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 885 kcal
Protein: 59.3 g
Carbs: 25.3 g
Fat: 59.9 g
Saturated fat: 22.6 g
Fibre: 2.5 g
Sugar: 4.4 g
Sodium: 1468 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat
Milk

Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Lamb → Beef chuck or chicken thighs on the bone
Beef needs about 2 hours of braising; chicken about 40 minutes.
Kefalograviera → Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
Pecorino is the closer match, sharp and sheepy.

Tips

Stir the orzo once, early. After that, leave it to form a crust at the edges, which is the best part.
If you are using beef, give it 2 hours in step 2 before the orzo goes in.

History & culture

It is a Sunday lunch dish, the kind that used to go to the neighbourhood baker's wood oven in its clay pot on the way to church and come home hot at noon. Tavernas serve it in individual clay pots, still bubbling. Leftovers are eaten the next day, cold or warmed, straight from the dish.

The name comes from the Turkish güveç, the glazed earthenware pot it is baked in, and similar meat and grain bakes run across the Balkans. Orzo is the usual filling in Greece today and probably took over in the 20th century, as factory pasta grew cheap. The clay pot is traditional, but any heavy ovenproof dish does the job.

Traditional — Lamb is the Sunday classic; beef and chicken giouvetsi are common too. Some cooks braise in white wine rather than red. A clay giouvetsi pot is traditional, and the cast-iron pot used here is the usual home substitute.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Giouvetsi take?

2 hr 40 min all in — 15 min prep, 2 hr 15 min cook, 10 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Dutch oven, Oven, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Lamb → Beef chuck or chicken thighs on the bone. Beef needs about 2 hours of braising; chicken about 40 minutes. Kefalograviera → Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. Pecorino is the closer match, sharp and sheepy.

What should I watch for?

Orzo keeps drinking after it leaves the oven. Take it out while it still looks a little saucy.

Any tips from this recipe?

Stir the orzo once, early. After that, leave it to form a crust at the edges, which is the best part. If you are using beef, give it 2 hours in step 2 before the orzo goes in.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.