Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi)
Spiced ground beef and orzo simmered in cinnamon-warmed tomato broth.
Ingredients
- 500 g Ground beef
- 250 g Orzo
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- 1 Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 700 ml Chicken stock
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Dried oregano (optional)
- 2 Bay leaves (optional)
- 30 g Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
Method
- Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high. Brown the beef hard, breaking it up, until deeply coloured, about 6 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, stock, cinnamon stick, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the orzo, reduce to a low simmer, and cook covered until tender and the sauce coats it, about 15 minutes. Stir once or twice to prevent sticking.
- Off the heat, rest for a few minutes. Plate, scatter the parmesan over, and serve.
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About Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi)
This home-style giouvetsi is a Greek comfort dish of meat and orzo simmered together in a tomato broth warmed with cinnamon. Traditional giouvetsi is often oven-baked with larger cuts of lamb or beef, but this everyday version uses ground beef and cooks entirely on the stovetop, so the orzo swells in the sauce and turns creamy as its starch thickens the broth. The signature is the warm-spice profile: a cinnamon stick, oregano, and bay leaves give the tomato base an aromatic, faintly sweet depth that marks the dish as distinctly Greek rather than plainly Italian.
It eats rich and homey, the beef browned hard for deep savory color, the orzo soft and saucy, and the cinnamon lending a cozy warmth that lingers behind the tomato. A scatter of grated Parmigiano over the top adds salty sharpness, and a short rest off the heat lets the sauce settle and cling to the pasta. It's a one-pot weeknight main that feeds a table without fuss and reheats into an even more cohesive dish the next day. The detail that makes this version sing is browning the beef deeply before the aromatics go in, which builds the foundation of flavor the quick simmer then carries.
Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi): frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi)?
A serving has about 745 calories — 40.6g protein, 65.7g carbs, 34.6g fat, 5.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 40.6g of protein, roughly 22% of its calories.
Is Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi) gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Orzo. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi) dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Parmigiano-Reggiano. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi)?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out dried oregano, bay leaves, parmigiano-reggiano — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Greek Beef & Orzo (Home-Style Giouvetsi) make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.