Most people’s comfort food is some kind of casserole, mac’n’cheese, or other simple American fare.
Manestra is mine.
Comfort food really is what you grow up eating, and my mom had lots of delicious, simple Greek recipes that I still make when I want something warm, comforting, and non-vegetable based (because what comfort food is made of vegetables?) :-)
This recipe is simple, and I sometimes refer to it as “Greek Chop Suey” – Ground beef or turkey (or lamb, if you want to get fancy) is cooked with onions in a tomato-based broth with orzo, with mint and cinnamon added for a unique Greek flavor.
I know what you are thinking.
Mint and cinnamon?
Really?
Trust me, it works.
Cinnamon is added to a lot of meat-based Greek recipes (have you ever had Cincinnati-style chili? Chili with cinnamon added to it, first made by Greek immigrants in the area). The mint is super unique but subtle and gives the whole thing a great flavor.
You will just have to trust me and go make it for yourself :-)
Start by browning 1 pound of ground beef or turkey with one large diced onion. I used ground turkey for this one- both are delicious!
Once the meat is cooked through, add 1 small can of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and the spices.
There isn’t a lot of cinnamon in this dish- only 1/8 teaspoon. For the mint, I use dried spearmint
leaves (I have never tried fresh, but I have a mind to start an herb garden in the spring and will try it later for sure!).
Get a heaping teaspoon of the mint, and put it in the palm of your hand.
Crush the dried leaves when you add it to the pot by rubbing it between your hands as you add it to maximize the flavor of the mint. This part is fun- it kind of feels like I’m making a potion and I actually live in Hogwarts, and I should be saying some kind of spell while adding it.
Stir to coat the meat in the tomato and spice mixture, and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, add 1 cup regular or whole wheat orzo (you can find this at Whole Foods or in bulk on Amazon), stir, and simmer on low, covered, until cooked, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes).
Serve with Romano or parmesan cheese on top. Get second helpings (and thirds) :-)
Here’s the printable recipe for Manestra!
Manestra (simple Greek orzo comfort food)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 lb. ground beef or lamb or turkey
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more if needed
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 heaping teaspoon dried spearmint or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup orzo whole wheat or regular is fine
- grated romano cheese, fresh chopped mint or parsley, and/or extra-virgin olive oil, for serving optional
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced 1 large onion and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the 1 lb. ground beef and cook until fully browned, breaking apart as it cooks with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.
- Add the 6 oz. tomato paste, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper to taste, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 heaping teaspoon dried spearmint.
- Stir to coat the meat in the tomato paste and spices and cook until tomato paste begins to brown, about two minutes.
- Add the 4 cups water; bring to a boil.
- Add 1 cup orzo; stir, cover, and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until orzo is cooked (approximately 20 minutes). I recommend doing this on the back burner, which isn't as hot, to prevent the orzo from sticking to the pot too much.
- Serve with grated romano cheese, fresh chopped mint or parsley, and/or extra-virgin olive oil, for serving, if desired.
Notes
- I recommend using lean ground beef for this. If you use a fattier kind, or with ground lamb, it may be greasy, so I recommend using a spoon to scoop out and discard some of the fat after browning the meat.
- If you use ground turkey, I recommend adding 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil to the pan when you cook it, since turkey is so lean.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Magda
Fantastic. Made it with lamb (made sure to drain grease) and added garlic. Thanks for the great recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
The-Meghan-Disruptor
There’s an ad covering step 2. I assume that’s where you add the tomato paste, cinnamon and mint. Looking forward to trying this. Can’t rate it u til it’s been made
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I’m going to contact my ad company right now to see if they can’t get this resolved. Step 2 reads: “Add the 6 oz. tomato paste, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper to taste, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 heaping teaspoon dried spearmint.”
FYI, you can click “print recipe” and it will open the recipe in another tab so you can view it there too! Hope that helps and thanks again, so sorry for the inconvenience!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Just popping back in to let you know my ad company took care of this issue, so you should be good to go now! Thanks again!