You will love this hearty, comforting Greek Beef Stew with Orzo that mixes together chuck roast, fresh vegetables, garlic, warm spices, red wine, tomatoes and orzo pasta. The stew is slow cooked all day to create so much flavor and very tender beef. Garnish the stew with crumbled feta cheese and fresh herbs. Beef Giouvetsi tastes even better the next day!
When Mike and I were in Greece years ago we had this Greek Beef Stew with Orzo, also knows as Beef Giouvetsi in greek cuisine, which was one of our favorite meals.
It was a hearty, warming meal that we talk about still today. I like to pair it with a big Greek Village Salad, pita bread, hummus and a plate of olives.
This Greek Beef Stew will be the perfect way to warm yourself up and keep yourself satisfied. It is a true comfort food. This stew uses chuck roast, fresh vegetables, garlic, red wine, tomatoes, spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and coriander and orzo. The orzo is a nice addition to the stew because it adds texture and just pairs to nicely with the beef.
This meal also makes really great leftovers, and I think tastes even better the next day. I love garnishing this with crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley.
Looking for other easy beef stew recipes, then try my Crock Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Beef Stew, Easy Instant Pot Beef Chili, or my Lebanese Beef & Green Beans.
Why You Will Love This Greek Beef Stew Recipe
- Easy to Make: With this hearty stew the hands on prep time is minimal. Simply brown the beef, add to the slow cooker, mix through the other ingredients and turn it on low for a few hours while you get on with your day.
- Make Ahead: This traditional Greek beef stew is a great make ahead dish. Make it up to 2 days beforehand and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. In fact this stew will taste even better if left to sit as all the flavors will meld together, resulting in an even tastier plate of food.
- Protein Packed: This recipe is packed with protein making it a great weeknight meal for your kids, especially after a busy day or schools and sports.
Recipe Ingredients
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below.
- Beef – I use beef chuck roast which I cube into large chunks. You also can use stew meat.
- Onions: I like to use sweet onions in this dish as they have a great strong onion flavor.
- Carrots: carrots also add great flavor to the stew.
- Wine: the beef stew is cooked in red wine, opt for a good quality dry red wine with depth of flavor, a merlot or cabernet sauvignon would be great options. If you don’t want to add red wine you could also add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar for that savory, rich flavor.
- Tomatoes: I use both tomato paste and a can of crushed tomatoes in this stew. You also can use fresh tomatoes in place of the crushed tomatoes if you like amore chunky sauce.
- Dried spices: I flavor the stew with dried spices of ground nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and coriander.
- Pasta: use orzo pasta in the stew, it is a small, rice shaped pasta, that cooks quickly and works really well with the beef stew.
Recipe Modifications
- Beef: I’ve used chuck roast which is a great slow cooking cut as the meat is well marbled and the fat renders down during the cook which adds to the flavor. Good alternative slow cook cuts would be pot roast, brisket, bottom sirloin flap, or bone-in short ribs.
- Wine: Use a good quality wine, something you would drink yourself, as it will make a difference to the flavor of the finished dish. I’d suggest a robust red like a merlot or cabernet sauvignon which will add great flavor to the stew.
- Spices: the blend of spices I’ve used add flavor, without any chili heat. However, if there’s a spice that you don’t like simply leave it out.
- Vegetables: I’ve only used onions and carrots in this recipe, but you can add in extra veggies if you wish, try parsnips, celery, mushrooms, bell peppers, or green beans.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1. Brown the beef {this is optional but adds flavor to the beef}: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add the diced chuck roast when the oil is hot, and season with salt and pepper. Brown the beef pieces for about 6-8 minutes over medium heat, turning the pieces of beef until browned all over.
Step 2. Add the beef to the slow cooker: Remove the beef from the pot and set it in the slow cooker.
Step 3. Add the remaining ingredient to the stew: Add the onion, garlic, red wine, tomato paste, tomatoes, brown sugar, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker. Stir until well combined. Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the beef is fork tender.
Step 4. Add the orzo pasta: Add the orzo into the slow cooker the last 30 minutes of the cook. Make sure to add some liquid if it looks like there isn’t enough, at least a 1/2 cup broth. Stir well before covering again. Serve the stew warm with fresh parsley and feta cheese.
Storage Tips
- Leftovers: store leftover beef stew in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: to reheat leftovers place into a pot and warm up to piping hot on the stove. Add a splash of broth or water if the stew look too dry.
- Freeze: once cooked and cooled, place the stew into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight and warm up on the stove when ready to enjoy.
Recipe FAQ
If you don’t have a large pot, brown the beef in batches. This ensures the beef sears and browns, rather than steams in the pot due to overcrowding the chunks of meat.
The beef will take anywhere between 6 and 8 hours to cook on low. You know the beef is cooked when it falls apart when pressed gently with a fork.
You can cook the orzo separately and when the beef stew is done cooking you can stir in the orzo, garnish with feta cheese and parsley and serve warm. You can remove the beef mixture from the slow cooker and add to a large dutch oven. Add in the orzo with the beef mixture and give it a good stir. Add extra stock to make sure there is liquid for the orzo to cook in. I suggest probably another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of broth. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the orzo is tender stirring occasionally to make sure the orzo isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
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Greek Beef Stew with Orzo
Video
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds chuck roast, cubed
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled, for garnish
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot.
- Add the diced chuck roast when the oil is hot, and season with salt and pepper.
- Brown the beef for about 6-8 minutes over medium heat, turning the pieces of beef until browned all over {browning the beef is optional but I think it adds a lot of flavor to the beef}.
- Remove the beef from the pot and set it in the slow cooker.
- Add the onion, garlic, red wine, tomato paste, tomatoes, brown sugar, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker. Stir until well combined.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the beef is fork tender.
- Add the orzo into the slow cooker the last 30 minutes of the cook. Make sure to add some liquid if it looks like there isn’t enough, at least a 1/2 cup broth. Stir well before covering again. Serve the stew warm with fresh parsley and feta cheese.
Notes
- You can cook the orzo separately and when the beef stew is done cooking you can stir in the orzo, garnish with feta cheese and parsley and serve warm.
- You can remove the beef mixture from the slow cooker and add to a large dutch oven. Add in the orzo with the beef mixture and give it a good stir. Add extra stock to make sure there is liquid for the orzo to cook in. I suggest probably another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of broth. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the orzo is tender stirring occasionally to make sure the orzo isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Leftovers: store leftover beef stew in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: to reheat leftovers place into a pot and warm up to piping hot on the stove. Add a splash of broth or water if the stew look too dry.
- Freeze: once cooked and cooled, place the stew into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight and warm up on the stove when ready to enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
delicious!! followed the recipe but added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end – appreciate your sharing this recipe!!
I am so glad that you liked it! Love the idea of adding the squeeze of lemon.
This is delicious!! Made a lovely dinner, final result was exactly as described. The house also smells like Sunday a Yaya’s🥰 Highly recommend!
I am so happy to hear that! <3