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This healthy Greek pea and potato stew is an easy and quick dinner made in one pot. It’s traditionally served with crusty bread and feta.
The Mediterranean cuisine is full of simple and healthy meals often made with cheap ingredients. This Greek pea and potato stew is a vegan recipe made in one pot and it only requires 30-40 minutes of your time. I dare to say that using frozen peas is probably even better than using fresh ones, not only for your convenience, but also because today peas are frozen just hours after their harvest, something that preserves all of their healthy nutrients, their natural sweetness and their fresh taste.
In Greece, this pea and potato stew is served as a main course, especially during times of Lent. It belongs in the “Lathera” category, which means “cooked with oil”. And when we say oil, we almost always mean olive oil. However, if olive oil is pricey where you live you can certainly use half olive oil and half of another vegetable oil like corn or sunflower oil. If you’re interested for more Lenten or vegan recipes, make sure to also check this Mediterranean green bean stew with potatoes, and if you have a sweet tooth (like me) you’ll definitely want to try this fanouropita which is a vegan oil cake with a tahini chocolate ganache!
How long to cook peas?
Traditionally, in this stew, the potatoes and the peas are cooked together, almost for the same time. Sometimes the peas are sauteed with the onion and the olive oil first, and then the potatoes and the water are added. But I’ve found that the longer you cook peas the more they tend to lose their flavor and sweetness. That’s why in this recipe, they’re added to the pot just before the end and are being cooked only for 2-3 minutes, just so they can retain their beautiful color and great taste.
Some notes/tips:
- Cooking the frozen peas for a very short time preserves their sweet taste and bright color. (If you use fresh peas you may have to cook them some more).
- Some chopped dill is almost always used in this Greek pea and potato stew. If you absolutely hate dill, you can omit it.
- This dish is traditionally served with sourdough bread and feta cheese. If you’re vegan you can serve it with some crispy tofu instead.
- A little bit of sugar brings out the sweet taste of peas.
Similar recipes you may like:
Greek traditional baked chickpeas (Revithada)
Greek gumbo with gnocchi, okra and chickpeas
Greek chicken stew with potatoes and okra
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This healthy Greek pea and potato stew is an easy and quick dinner made in one pot. It’s traditionally served with crusty bread and feta.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 4-5 large potatoes (about 3.3pounds / 1.5kg), peeled and cut in thick slices
- 1/4 cup thick tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 cups frozen peas
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- Transfer the olive oil, the onion, and the carrot to a large pot and set over medium/high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Add the potatoes, the tomato paste, the salt, and the pepper. Add enough water to the pot to almost (but not completely) cover the potatoes and stir gently. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and cook for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the peas, the sugar, the parsley, and the dill to the pot and stir gently. Cover the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Eat!
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This looks absolutely delicious. Its quite similar to Indian style Aloo Matar curry(aloo for potatoes and matar for green peas), but with the difference in the spices used. I am sure this goes really well with naan!!!
Thank you Akhila! It definitely goes well with naan!