Greek Beef Orzo Pasta (Giouvetsi)
This scrumptious Greek Beef Orzo Pasta (Giouvetsi) is a one pot, flavorful dish with tender beef, thick tomato sauce and orzo pasta.
Ingredients
Giouvetsi
- 28 ounce (800 g) chuck beef cut into 3 cm cubes (see notes for more cut options!)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste be generous!
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine (optional)
- 300 g (300 g) crushed canned tomatoes can crush fresh ones
- 2 cups (500 ml) beef stock
- 4 cups (1 litre) boiling water divided
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups (400 g) orzo pasta
Instructions
Giouvetsi
- Clean and pat dry your beef. Cut away excess fat and sinew and cut into 3cm cubes. Add to a bowl and season with salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Mix to coat.
- Heat up a large deep pot on high heat. Add the olive oil and cook your beef in 3 batches until browned on both sides. Once cooked add all back into the pot along with the onion and garlic. Cook for 1 minute and then add your tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste starts caramelizing on the bottom.
- Add your red wine, beef stock and 2 cups (500ml) boiling water and the bay leaves. Mix to combine. Place your lid on top, bring to a simmer then lower the heat to low heat and allow to cook for 90 minutes. Once cooked, the beef should be tender and fall apart.
- Add 2 more cups of boiling water and the orzo pasta and stir. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Sprinkle with some grated kefalotyri cheese or some parsley and serve nice and hot!
Notes
What Beef Can I Use? - Chuck beef is cheap and because this dish is slow cooked it comes out fall apart tender! Other cuts of beef you can use include chuck roll or flatiron. You can even use chicken thigh!
Red Wine - if using red wine, the cheapest will work! If you’re not using it, just replace with more stock.
Storage - Giouvetsi can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Nutrition - is based on per serving. This serves 4 people or 2 hungry hippos!
A note on measurements - all ingredients in this recipe are offered in Australian cup measurements and weight measurements. Weight measurements are created by me, in my kitchen here in Melbourne Australia. The best way to get recipe success is to measure ingredients by weight, using kitchen scales.
Nutrition
Calories:769kcal | Carbohydrates:68g | Protein:52g | Fat:31g | Saturated Fat:11g | Polyunsaturated Fat:3g | Monounsaturated Fat:17g | Trans Fat:1g | Cholesterol:137mg | Sodium:901mg | Potassium:1439mg | Fiber:5g | Sugar:8g | Vitamin A:377IU | Vitamin C:11mg | Calcium:106mg | Iron:7mg
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