Gyuveche – Traditional Bulgarian Meal

If you are wondering what kind of pot this is, it is a clay pot, called gyuveche, from my home country Bulgaria. This pot was a present from my Mom for me and my husband’s first anniversary. She also gave me the recipe for this meal. Some traditional Bulgarian meals are made in clay pots and they define the country’s Old World’s cooking practices. This cooking method enhances the flavors of the ingredients.

If you ever visit Bulgaria, don’t miss the chance to visit a souvenir shop where you will find unique and beautifully hand-painted pottery, as well as textiles and hand-carved wooden accessories, and many more collectible pieces. Pots, trays, bake dishes, casserole dishes, plates, mugs, pitchers, you name it… You will find many pottery pieces in different styles and color patterns. A collector’s dream come true. Bulgarian pottery is great for gifts or to take back home as a souvenir which can be used as a decoration piece, for cooking in the kitchen or both. You can read more about the beauty of the Bulgarian ceramics.

Gyuveche is a traditional Bulgarian meal whose name is derived from the ceramic pot in which it is baked and served.
It is very easy to prepare and tastes wonderful. You just need to wash and cut the vegetables, arrange them and the beef in the pot and bake for 30 minutes. This is also a great recipe you can use for weeknight meals. Just prep the veggies the night before, brown the meat and refrigerate. The next day after you get home from work, arrange the vegetables and meat in the pot and put in the oven. Within 40 minutes you will have a warm, delicious supper prepared with unprocessed food.

I haven’t tried this, but probably you could use a Dutch oven if you don’t have a clay pot.

Ingredients

• Ground beef
• medium sized potatoes – I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes because they hold their shape better when they are cooked
• carrot
• celery
• red belle pepper
• tomato
• onion
• Spices: sea salt, black pepper, paprika, Chubritsa

How To Make Gyuveche

1.      Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.

2.      While browning beef, arrange half of sliced potatoes at the bottom of the pot.

3.      Sprinkle half of chopped carrots, celery, red bell pepper, tomato and onion over the potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chubritsa.

4.      Spread browned ground beef over the vegetables in the pot and season with salt, pepper and paprika

5.      Add another layer of potatoes, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, tomato and onion. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chubritsa.

6.      Add  one cup of water and  1 ½ tbsp of olive oil

7.      Cover with lid and bake at 450 F for about 30 min. *

8.      Carefully take the pot out of the oven and crack four eggs on top of the vegetables.

9.      Bake for another 10 min until the eggs are set.

10.  Season to taste and serve with chopped parsley.

Quick Tip

Don’t place the pot in a preheated oven because it can cause it to crack. Place it in a cold oven and then heat the oven to 450 F. Once it reaches 450, start the timer.

If you enjoyed this Gyuveche recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Gyuveche

Bulgarian Gyuveche. Ingredients 1lb ground beef 5 medium size potatoes, sliced 1 carrot, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 1 tomato, ch Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients  

• 1 lb ground beef
• 5 medium size potatoes, sliced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup water
• extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
• Chubritsa, bulgarian spice – optional
• Chopped parsley for garnish
• 4 eggs

Instructions 

• Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
• While browning beef, arrange half of sliced potatoes at the bottom of the pot.
• Sprinkle half of chopped carrots, celery, red bell pepper, tomato and onion over the potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chubritsa.
• Spread browned ground beef over the vegetables in the pot and season with salt, pepper and paprika
• Add another layer of potatoes, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, tomato and onion. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chubritsa.
• Add one cup of water and 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil
• Cover with lid and bake at 450 F for about 30 min.
• Carefully take the pot out of the oven and crack four eggs on top of the vegetables.
• Bake for another 10 min until the eggs are set.
• Season to taste and serve with chopped parsley.

Nutrition

• Calories: 192 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 4 g
• Protein: 13 g
• Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 122 mg
• Sodium: 82 mg
• Potassium: 309 mg
• Fiber: 1 g
• Sugar: 2 g
• Vitamin A: 2009 IU
• Vitamin C: 23 mg
• Calcium: 34 mg
• Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer: Nutritional values are estimates and may vary with ingredients, brands, and portion sizes. For accuracy, use your preferred nutrition calculator.