Slow-cooked lamb in a rich, spiced tomato sauce, tossed through orzo pasta – topped with olives and Greek cheese. An absolute winner! This authentic Greek lamb stew with orzo (youvetsi/giouvetsi) is the perfect dish to impress a crowd, or for a family dinner everyone will love!
What is Youvetsi/Giouvetsi?
Youvesti, sometimes spelled giouvetsi, or yiouvetsi, is a traditional Greek dish of slow-cooked lamb, beef, or chicken, with orzo (kritharaki). I first tried it years ago at a Greek restaurant, on a whim, and I’m glad I did!!! The flavour of the spiced sauce is so complex and aromatic, and the combination of al-dente orzo with lamb falling off the bone and grated Greek cheese is out-of-this-world. Traditionally, youvetsi/giouvetsi is baked in a clay pot, and lamb or beef is most commonly used. Of course, every Greek family will have their own special recipe, but I’m just showing you the version I love, and reminds me of the first time I ever tried this delicious, comforting meal!
Ingredients for Greek Lamb Stew with Orzo (Youvetsi/Giouvetsi)
They key to a delicious youvetsi/giouvetsi is layering flavours, building complexity, and slow-cooking to get maximum flavour out of each ingredient. This is the kind of dish you make with a glass of wine in hand, with music in the background. Take your time and enjoy cooking this one!
Lamb
I love the flavour and fattiness of lamb in this dish – so I use lamb shoulder pieces (bone-in). But you can use any cut you like, that’s good for slow-cooking (lamb shanks, or neck would be good)! Whatever you use, I strongly suggest that at least some of the pieces you use have bone. The flavour and richness you get from the bone and the bone marrow makes all the difference.
Plus, bone marrow is incredibly good for you! It’s got healthy omega-3 fats, and is packed with vitamins and minerals like B12, fat-soluble vitamins like A, E and K2, calcium, zinc, and so much more! Plus it’s packed with glucosamine, chondroitin, and collagen – all fantastic for skin and joint health! Regardless, it adds such a rich mouth-feel and deeper flavour to this Greek lamb stew with orzo, making it extra delicious!
Vegetables and Spices
For the vegetable base, you’ll need olive oil, garlic, and carrots and red onions for sweetness. For the spices, you’ll need bay leaves, fresh oregano (or dried), cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice. These are spices you might think of when you think of desserts, but I’ll stand by this – lamb and cinnamon are one of the best combos ever!!! It’s a combination that’s quite common in Middle-Eastern and North African cooking (think Moroccan, Persian, Lebanese, or Turkish cuisine).
Braising Liquid/Sauce
To braise or slow-cook the lamb, you’ll need tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, passata, red wine, and beef bone broth (or stock). The crushed tomatoes give a rustic, slightly chunky texture, which is balanced with the tomato paste and smooth passata. The red wine gives the most beautiful floral, fruity note to the dish. Word of advice – use a wine you actually enjoy the taste of! One of the best tips I’ve come across for cooking wine is that if you like the taste of the wine on its own, you’ll like it in the dish. I used this Cabernet Sauvignon for this dish, because of how intensely fruity and full-bodied it is.
The beef bone broth (or stock) gives a savoury, meaty flavour. I prefer bone broth over stock because of its health benefits. It’s made by simmering bones for 12-24 hours, or longer, to extract all the vitamins and minerals (calcium, potassium, vitamin A, and more) and tonnes of collagen!
Orzo and Garnishes
The orzo pasta is the vessel for all the delicious, meaty sauce. When making the dish, you’ll need some boiling water for the orzo to absorb while cooking. They expand a lot in size. Because of this, they’ll need extra liquid so that you don’t end up with a youvetsi/giouvetsi that is dry pasta with chunks of meat. You want it it to be saucy! As a good rule of thumb, for every 1 cup of dry orzo, you’ll need 3 cups of boiling water. To finish the dish, you’ll need some kalamata olives and Greek kefalotiri/kefalotyri cheese.
This is a hard, salty, sheep’s milk cheese that is kind of like a cross between feta and haloumi. You can also use kefalograviera cheese which is softer, or just feta cheese! The olives and cheese give a salty, creamy burst of flavour at the end and complete the dish!
How to Make Greek Lamb Stew with Orzo (Youvetsi/Giouvetsi)
The beauty of this dish is that’s a straightforward, one-pot meal. The best thing to use is a dutch oven, to mimic the clay pots that are traditionally used. You start by browning your lamb in some olive oil, with salt and pepper. Then sauté your vegetables in the same pot, and add your herbs, spices and tomato paste.
Next, deglaze the pot with red wine and scrape the fond (the delicious caramlised bits at the bottom of the pot). Then add the bone broth, passata, and crushed tomatoes. Return the lamb to the pot, and simmer for 2-2.5 hours or until it’s tender and falling apart.
Toast your orzo in some olive oil to bring out a nutty, flavour, and harden the exterior – this will prevent it from turning to mush in the final dish! Then add it to the pot with some boiling water. Pop it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo has cooked, stirring once or twice. And that’s it! Straight from the stove-top to the oven, and you’ve got a delicious Greek lamb stew with orzo (youvetsi/giouvetsi) the whole family will love!
How to Serve Greek Lamb Stew with Orzo (Youvetsi/Giouvetsi)
Once the youvetsi/giouvetsi is out of the oven, serve immediately, with an extra drizzle of olive oil, warm kalamata olives, fresh oregano, and plenty of Greek kefalotiri cheese! And I mean plenty. Here’s a photo where you can actually see what the dish is under the cheese…
And here’s how much cheese I grated on when actually serving, when it didn’t matter whether you were looking a bowl of nothing but grated cheese!
And while you’re there, pour a glass of the lovely red wine you used while cooking – an absolutely perfect dinner or lunch with loved ones! I mean, just look at how that lamb is falling apart – delicious.
I truly hope you love this recipe! xxx
Greek Lamb Stew with Orzo (Youvetsi/Giouvetsi)
Ingredients
Method
-
Heat 3 tablepsoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven pot, on high heat. Brown your pieces of lamb for 3-4 minutes per side, seasoning with salt and pepper. You may need to work in batches. Once you have browned all the lamb, set aside.
-
In the same pot, add 5 tablespoons of olive oil, turn the heat down to medium, and sauté your garlic, onion, and carrot with a pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in the cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaves, and oregano for 30-60 seconds, then stir in your tomato paste.
-
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot - scrape any caramelised bits off the bottom of the pot. Then pour in the crushed tomato, passata, and bone broth/stock. Return the lamb to the pot, with any pooled juices. Simmer on low heat for 2-2.5 hours, or until the lamb is tender and falling apart.
-
Preheat your oven to 180°C fan. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on low heat, and throw in your dry orzo. Toast for 1-2 minutes, or until the orzo has a nutty, toasted fragrance.
-
Throw the orzo into your pot, along with 750ml of boiling water. You can adjust the amount of water depending on how thick you want your dish to be. Give everything a stir, and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo has cooked. Make sure to stir once or twice, and top up with a splash of boiling water if the dish seems too dry.
-
Serve with a final drizzle of olive oil, warmed kalamata olives, and plenty of grated kefalotiri cheese (and the remaining wine) - enjoy!
