Giouvetsi is the original one-pot meal: a delicious Greek casserole with tender meat and orzo in a rich tomato sauce. Cook it slowly in the oven or make it in your Instant Pot.
400g(4oz) chopped tomatoes or pureed plum tomatoes
3tbsptomato puree
1cinnamon stick
1tspsalt
1tspgarlic granules
1tspdried thyme or mixed Italian herbs
250g(1 ⅓ cups) orzo
750ml(3 cups) vegetable stock
Handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped to garnish
100g(3 ½ oz) feta cheese, crumbled to serve (Healthy Extra)
Ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot method
Heat at the olive oil in a large casserole dish or directly in your Instant Pot using the 'sauté function. Use cooking spray such as Fry Light for SW version.
Brown the meat, in batches, until nicely coloured on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add a little more oil in the Instant Pot (or use cooking spray) and sauté the onions, garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Season with the salt, garlic granules and thyme.
Return the browned meat into the Instant Pot together with 250ml (1 cup) of stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, bay leaves.
Set vent to sealing and cook for 17 minutes on high pressure. Release the steam manually.
Add the orzo and remaining stock and cook for 3 minutes on high pressure. Release the steam manually.
Give the stew a good stir – it will probably still have quite a lot of liquid. Turn the Instant Pot off, loosely cover with the lid (without sealing just resting it on top) and leave for 10-15 minutes.
Check again – the stew should have thickened as the orzo will have absorbed more of the liquid and be ready to serve. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Transfer to a platter, season with pepper and sprinkle with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately!
Stove/oven method
Please note you will need 1litre (4 cups) stock for this version. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
Heat the olive oil in a large lidded casserole dish (Dutch oven). Use cooking spray such as Fry Light for SW version.
Brown the meat, in batches, for 5 minutes, until nicely coloured on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add a little more oil (or use cooking spray) and sauté the onions, garlic, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Season with the salt, garlic granules and thyme.
Now add the browned meat together with all the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cover.
Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours until the meat is very tender.
Add the orzo and cook for a further 30 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Transfer to a platter, season with pepper and sprinkle with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately!
Video
Notes
You can replace the lamb with beef or chicken thighs, whatever your preference is.Slimming World: This recipe is syn-free unless you use oil which comes at 6 Syns per tablespoon (2 per serving). Feta cheese can be part of your healthy extra allowance or you can use fat-free Polish curd cheese as a free substitute.Please note I am not affiliated in any way with Slimming World. Syn values are based on the Slimming World online calculator. Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on the ingredients you choose, serving sizes etc.