Vegan Mushroom Giouvetsi, our vegan take on a traditional Greek orzo pasta casserole. Mushrooms in a rich red wine and tomato-based sauce with courgette and orzo pasta.
Giouvetsi is a traditional meat and pasta casserole. We used mushrooms in this recipe for a rice umami flavour. Baking the dish in the oven deepens the flavours and makes an absolutely delicious baked pasta dish.
We added courgette to our Vegan Giouvetsi recipe to make it a more complete dish. You could also add more protein by adding cubed tempeh or a tin of butter beans. The courgette could be swapped for any soft vegetable such as aubergine or green beans or other seasonal vegetables.
Serving Vegan Mushroom Giouvetsi
Vegan Giouvetsi is a meal in its own right. Serve with some fresh crusty bread and garnished with vegan feta, lemon juice and parsley for a delicious dinner.
You could also serve your Giouvetsi with a fresh Greek salad. We also like serving it with some roasted vine-ripened cherry tomatoes to add a pop of sweetness to the dish.
Vegan Mushroom Giouvetsi (Youvetsi)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil split into 3 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 medium brown onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato purée
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 80 ml red wine
- 500 ml passata
- 450 ml vegan beef stock or vegetable
- 1 medium courgette diced optional
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- 250 g orzo pasta
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 80 g vegan feta
- 1 lemon juice and ½ teaspoon zest
Instructions
- Heat a large oven-proof pot with a lid over medium heat. If you don't have a large ovenproof pot you can transfer it to a casserole dish later.
- Once the pot is hot add 3 tablespoons of olive oil then add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Stirring occasionally, sauté the mushrooms until they have released all of their liquid and no liquid is left in the pot. This will take around 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the mushrooms from the pot and set them aside until later.
- In the same pot add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the diced onions and carrot with a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, around 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato puree and mix well into the onions and carrots. Sauté until the tomato puree is a deep red in colour, around 2 minutes.
- Add the sweet paprika, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, dried oregano, fresh thyme and bay leaves. Mix well to combine then add the red wine. Continue to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Preheat an oven to 200°C (180°C fan), 390°F
- Pour in the passata and stock, mix well, and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. The amount of salt needed will depend on the salt level in your stock. We didn't have to add anything.
- Add the cooked mushrooms, courgette and orzo pasta. Mix together then place the cherry tomatoes evenly on top. Cover the pot with a lid or kitchen foil and place it in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the lid after 30.
- If transferring to a casserole dish. Transfer before adding the cherry tomatoes and cover with kitchen foil.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven and stir through the chopped parsley and the tomatoes that were cooked on top. Remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme.
- Serve your Vegan Giouvetsi garnished with vegan feta, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of lemon zest and chopped fresh parsley.
