The Greek cuisine is rich in simple, but very flavorful, vegetarian dishes that rely heavily on fresh, wholesome ingredients. Depending on the season, and what is available at the market, a whole meal can be created around a vegetable and it is then served as a very satisfying main course.
This dish of Greek-style spring peas and potatoes is a beloved recipe, super easy to make and seriously delicious! It belongs to a category of Greek dishes called “lathera”, which means vegetables braised slowly in an olive oil-based sauce, often with tomatoes, fresh herbs or spices. The word “lathera” comes from “lathi”, the Greek word for oil — olive oil, of course! These dishes are a staple in the Greek kitchen, a big part of the Mediterranean diet and a nutritional powerhouse.
Ingredients for the Greek-style spring peas
What you need for this dish is an onion, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, fresh dill and of course, the main ingredient of the dish, peas. When fresh spring peas are hard to find, good quality frozen young peas are a perfect substitute in this dish. At summer time, you can just grate the pulp of fresh tomatoes and add that to the dish, but good canned tomatoes and a little tomato paste will work just fine here.
All the vegetables are slowly braised in the flavorful sauce and when the dish is ready, it is served with chunks of briny Greek feta and of course, some hearty bread to help sop up the delicious juices. It can be served warm or at room temperature and it tastes even better the next day!
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 med. red onion, diced
- 2 med. carrots, sliced
- 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut in cubes
- 1 TBSP. tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 2½ cups warm water
- 14-16oz. sweet young peas (petite pois)
- 3-4 TBSP. fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- Set a medium pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the diced onion and sauté for about three minutes, or until the onions are softened but not brown.
- To the pot, add the carrots and the potatoes and cook briefly, stirring frequently. Then, add the tomato paste and cook for one more minute, scraping the bottom of the pan as the tomato paste starts to caramelize.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and the warm water, then bring to a boil and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (but not completely cooked) and the sauce is starting to thicken.
- To the pot, add the peas, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cook over medium-low heat for 15 more minutes. Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in the fresh dill.
- When most of the water is evaporated and the vegetables are nice and soft but still hold their shape, remove the pot from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Set it aside for a few minutes to allow it to cool slightly. Ladle into deep bowls, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, and serve with Greek Feta cheese on the side and lots of good bread to mop up the sauce.
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These are so great! They are definitely one of my favorites and worth making!
Hi Kathy! This is real comfort food and one that my family craves all year ’round!
Do let me know how you like it, when you make this dish for yourself! ?
Yassou Marilena~
I am of 100% Greek. American Decent. and.sending. along this brief note. to. say.I found. your. site recently ke
Bravo Sou! I have. traveled internationally. to a. great. extent in my. hospitality and. entertainment. career and. have been blessed. to. study with. many accomplished formally. trained. chefs. along with. numerous. Cafe and. Taverna chefs. As. the years passed. I found life offered me. many. magical opportunities….
Early days began with college training, owning a. cafe, a catering company prior to entering. the arena of producing and designing. Corporate Special Events. There. were. many wonderful years. of. successful. travel and. client interactions with. the. miracles. of. culinary study and learning along the. way. I was. blessed. enough to receive. much attention. and. advice. from numerous chefs. along. the. way. as. I. produced. fundraisers. and events. for. several. Charitable Organizations. with. media and. fundraising efforts. in. Boston, New York. and. several. European. cities…learning. every step of the. way….. Although I. have. been. fortunate. enough. to be able. to. embrace. the. medium. thru. technical. as well. as. Live avenues.. It. was a. total. delight. to. find. your. site. and. the. rich. abundance. of. information and. wide. variety of. offerings.. I. know. it. takes. an. enormous. amount. of. work… EFKARISTO! I. have. adored. every. step of. the way. and. look. forward. to. more!! very best. wishes. for. continued success, Estelle. Speros. Macdonald.
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave your comment, Estelle. I am so happy that you discovered my site and you like my recipes! Thank you for recognizing the time and effort it takes to produce every single post, I truly appreciate that!
Hi,
I would like to make this dish for my husband and since he’s a meat lover is it possible to add sausage or other meat?
Hi Terry,
Yes, even though this is a vegetarian recipe, you absolutely can add some meat to this dish. Just cut up some chicken into bite size peaces and sauté with the onions until golden brown. Then, proceed with the recipe!
Many thanks for your recipe tips. Very helped me in completing the hobby of cooking.
You are very welcome, Debora. I am so happy to know they helped!
Made these today for my Greek husband. He said this recipe reminded him of home. Thank you so much for sharing!
This make me so happy to hear, Kristin….. Such a favorite, family recipe!