22 Greek Recipes to Master
From cooling tzatziki to a simple grilled leg of lamb, these Greek recipes are some of our favorites. You'll find walnut and olive oil cake with orange syrup, shrimp saganaki, and kourambiedes, too—read on to find out how to make them.
Cucumber-Dill Tzatziki
This yogurt dip is incredibly versatile—serve it with toasted pita wedges as an appetizer, or pair it with grilled lamb, chicken, fish or vegetables.
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Horiatiki Salad with Beet Hummus
Hetty McKinnon says her recipe for horiatiki is "fairly traditional, with a few small quirks." Pickled shallots are swapped in for raw onion, and the dish also gets paired with a bright beet hummus.
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Kourampiedes (Greek Christmas Cookies)
Blanched and toasted almond pieces bring a lovely crunch to these crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Greek Christmas cookies. Some versions of kourampiedes add orange zest, but League of Kitchens Greek cooking instructor Despina Economou, who shared this recipe, prefers the simple flavors of butter, sugar, almonds, and vanilla.
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Lemony Roasted Potatoes with Oregano (Psites Patates)
It's hard to resist that Greek diner specialty of potatoes bathed in a lemony oil. In this version, slices of lemon are roasted along with the potatoes, gently perfuming the dish making it fresher and very satisfying.
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Grilled Asparagus with Taramasalata
Taramasalata is a Greek dip or spread made with salted fish roe, olive oil and bread (or sometimes potatoes). Chef Zoi Antonitsas's creamy version is a perfect accompaniment for grilled asparagus.
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Supper Spanakopita
Traditionally shaped into small triangles or made in large casserole dishes, the Greek spinach pies, known as spanakopita, are just as easy to roll into logs. This unconventional shape offers plenty of contrast between the crisp layers of buttered phyllo and the creamy, dill-flecked filling. Round out this vegetarian meal with a green salad.
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Greek-Style Leg of Lamb
This simple recipe features garlic, dill, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, and more.
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Grilled Lamb Chops with Ladolemono
Michael Psilakis dresses these luscious lamb chops with ladolemono, a super simple Greek sauce of lemon juice and olive oil. The sauce is often spooned over fish, but it's delicious on meat and vegetables, too. "This is real Greek cooking," he says.
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Shrimp Saganaki
For shrimp saganaki, Greeks sauté shrimp in a pan with tomatoes, olives and feta cheese, then serve it right out of the skillet with bread to soak up all the delicious juices. Grace Parisi stirs fresh dill into her quick version to brighten the flavor.
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Grilled Branzino with Skordalia and Ladolemono
Chef Zoi Antonitsas tops flaky grilled fish with a super lemony Greek ladolemono sauce and serves it with the tangy, garlicky potato puree called skordalia.
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Greek Fish Stew
"On the Greek island of Kalymnos, fishermen make a stew with shellfish, whole fish, lemon, onion and water," says Andrew Zimmern. "They eat it straight from the pot with their hands—no bowls. It tastes of sweat and iodine, but it is easily one of the best soups I've ever had. I make my version with halibut, throwing in mussels at the end."
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Homemade Greek Yogurt
All you need to make this thick, tangy yogurt is one quart of whole goat's, sheep's, or cow's milk, as well as a couple spoonfuls of plain full-fat yogurt with live active cultures.
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Kourambiedes
Beating the butter until very fluffy—a good 10 minutes—makes these Greek shortcakes especially light.
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Fried Greek Pastry with Honey and Nuts
These crisp pastries can be made one day in advance and stored in an airtight container overnight at room temperature.
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Chicken Souvlaki
Grilled chicken on pita with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki makes a cool yet satisfying warm-weather supper. Souvlaki is often rolled to eat in your hand as a snack, but this more substantial version is served on a plate with a knife and fork. If you like, accompany the souvlaki with lemon wedges. When using wooden skewers, soak them first in water for at least ten minutes, or they'll smoke during cooking.
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Greek Salad with Shrimp and Kamut
Kamut, an ancient variety of wheat, adds hearty chew to this entree inspired by a classic Greek salad. Soak kamut overnight to help it cook faster or, for an even easier dish, cook the kamut in advance to trim day-of prep to 30 minutes.
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Greek Baked Pasta
The moist and fragrant casserole pastitsio traditionally combines béchamel with pasta, ground lamb, tomato sauce, cheese, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Here, instead of béchamel, Grace Parisi stirs a ricotta mixture into the pasta before baking it.
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Karithopita (Greek Walnut and Olive Oil Cake with Orange Syrup)
In Greece, this type of nut cake is often soaked in syrup, resulting in a very sweet, moist dessert. Here, a citrus syrup filled with lots of fresh, juicy oranges is served on the side, so everyone can add as little or as much as they like.
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Greek Hand Pies with Greens, Dill, Mint and Feta
Jacques Pépin ordered a saiti, a turnover filled with tangy wild greens and feta, at Marianthi tavern in the Greek village of Monemvasía. This recipe is a close approximation. The olive oil in the dough (adapted from a recipe by Diane Kochilas) makes the crust extraordinarily flaky.
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Greek Salad of Sorts
Of his delicious and crowd-pleasing Greek salad, Athens, Georgia, chef Hugh Acheson says, "It feeds four people like champions, or six like semifinalists."
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Taramosalata
This creamy, briny dip belongs in the pantheon of classic Greek meze, alongside hummus, baba ghanoush and skordalia.
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Greek Salad Sandwiches
This is Greek salad perfection: Michael Psilakis tops warm bread with garlicky red-pepper tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt spread) and a piquant combo of cucumbers, olives, peperoncini, tomatoes, radishes, greens and feta.