332 Greek and Cypriot recipes · Every dish with its Greek nameCyprus · Crete · The Cyclades · Epirus · The Peloponnese · The Mainland · Asia Minor
Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Vegetables

Onion

Κρεμμύδι · Kremmydi

Onions, a foundational vegetable across Greek cooking
Advertisement

Onion underpins a larger share of Greek savoury cooking than any single herb or spice, providing the base for nearly every braise, ladera dish and meat filling in the repertoire. Its role shifts dramatically depending on how it is used: finely chopped and slowly sweated as an aromatic base is standard practice, but Greek cooking also treats onion as a headline ingredient in its own right in a way many cuisines do not.

Stifado is the clearest example, a beef stew built around a large quantity of small whole or halved shallots or pearl onions rather than a token chopped onion softening in the background. The onions cook down over hours until sweet and soft, thickening the sauce as much as providing flavour, and a version made with too few onions barely counts as stifado at all.

Grated raw onion is the other technique worth knowing: it turns up in Cypriot sheftalia and koupepia fillings, releasing its juice directly into a meat mixture to keep it moist, in a way that finely diced onion, which stays drier and more textured, cannot replicate.

Recipes with onion

127 recipes on the site use it. Here are 36 of them.

A tray of Greek moussaka with a browned bechamel top, one square lifted outMoussakaMousakas ΜουσακάςMain Courses · 1h 55m · serves 8A Greek village salad with tomato wedges, cucumber, red onion and a whole slab of feta topped with oreganoGreek SaladHoriatiki salata Χωριάτικη σαλάταSalads · 12m · serves 4A tray of spanakopita cut into squares showing green spinach filling under crisp golden phylloSpanakopitaSpanakopita ΣπανακόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 30m · serves 8Charred pork souvlaki skewers on a wooden board with lemon wedges and oreganoPork SouvlakiSouvlaki ΣουβλάκιMain Courses · 32m · serves 4A slice of pastitsio showing distinct layers of pasta, meat sauce and golden bechamelPastitsioPastitsio ΠαστίτσιοMain Courses · 1h 40m · serves 8A bowl of pale golden avgolemono soup with shredded chicken, rice and a lemon wedgeAvgolemono SoupKotosoupa avgolemono Κοτόσουπα αυγολέμονοSoups · 1h 30m · serves 6A dish of baked giant beans in a rich orange tomato sauce with parsley and olive oilBaked Giant Beans in TomatoGigantes plaki Γίγαντες πλακίMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6A bowl of rough-textured aubergine dip with olive oil, parsley and a scattering of walnutsSmoky Aubergine DipMelitzanosalata ΜελιτζανοσαλάταDips and Sauces · 45m · serves 6Thin strips of crisped pork gyros piled in a warm pita with tomato, onion and tzatzikiPork GyrosGyros ΓύροςMain Courses · 2h · serves 6A tray of baked stuffed tomatoes and peppers with browned tops and potato wedges between themGemistaGemista ΓεμιστάMain Courses · 2h 10m · serves 6A plate of golden brown Greek meatballs with lemon wedges and fresh mintKeftedesKeftedes ΚεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6A bowl of thick Greek white bean soup with carrot and celery, olive oil pooled on the surfaceFasoladaFasolada ΦασολάδαSoups · 1h 45m · serves 6A tray of collapsed roasted Greek vegetables, browned at the edges and glossy with olive oilBriamBriam ΜπριάμMain Courses · 2h · serves 6A bowl of smooth yellow split pea puree topped with raw red onion, capers and olive oilYellow Split Pea PureeFava Santorinis Φάβα ΣαντορίνηςDips and Sauces · 1h · serves 6Slow-cooked Greek lamb kleftiko falling off the bone with potatoes and lemonKleftikoKleftiko ΚλέφτικοMain Courses · 4h 25m · serves 6Prawns baked in tomato sauce with melting feta and parsley in a small panPrawns with Feta and TomatoGarides saganaki Γαρίδες σαγανάκιMain Courses · 37m · serves 4Rolled stuffed vine leaves arranged in a dish with lemon wedges and olive oilDolmadesDolmades ΝτολμάδεςMeze and Appetisers · 1h 50m · serves 8A pot of Greek beef stifado with whole small onions in a dark cinnamon-spiced sauceStifadoStifado ΣτιφάδοMain Courses · 3h · serves 6A bowl of thick Greek lentil soup with olive oil and a small jug of vinegarLentil Soup with VinegarFakes ΦακέςSoups · 1h 7m · serves 6Golden Greek courgette fritters piled on a plate with tzatziki and lemonCourgette Fritters with FetaKolokithokeftedes ΚολοκυθοκεφτέδεςMeze and Appetisers · 55m · serves 6Crisp Rhodian chickpea fritters piled on paper with lemon wedgesRhodes Chickpea and Tomato FrittersPitaroudia ΠιταρούδιαMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 6Pork and Celery in Egg-Lemon SauceHirino me selino Χοιρινό με σέλινοMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6Cypriot koupepia stuffed vine leaves arranged on a plate with lemonCypriot Stuffed Vine Leaves with MeatKoupepia ΚουπέπιαMain Courses · 1h 50m · serves 6Grilled Cypriot sheftalia sausages wrapped in caul fat with charred edgesCypriot Sausages in Caul FatSheftalia ΣεφταλιάMain Courses · 45m · serves 6Cypriot black-eyed bean and chard salad dressed with olive oil and lemonCypriot Black-Eyed Bean Salad with ChardLouvi ΛούβιSide Dishes · 55m · serves 4Cypriot Clay-Pot Lamb and RiceTavas ΤαβάςMain Courses · 2h 55m · serves 6Golden fried Cypriot koupes bulgur shells on a plate with lemonCypriot Bulgur Shells Stuffed with MeatKoupes ΚούπεςMeze and Appetisers · 1h 40m · serves 8A tray of Cypriot baked macaroni with a golden halloumi toppingCypriot Baked MacaroniMakaronia tou fournou Μακαρόνια του φούρνουMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 8A bowl of pale homemade taramosalata drizzled with olive oilFish Roe DipTaramosalata ΤαραμοσαλάταMeze and Appetisers · 15m · serves 8A pot of Greek spanakorizo spinach and rice, deep green and glossySpanakorizoSpanakorizo ΣπανακόρυζοMain Courses · 45m · serves 4A pot of Greek prasorizo leek and rice, pale and glossy with olive oilLeek and RicePrasorizo ΠρασόρυζοMain Courses · 50m · serves 4A Greek bifteki patty cut open showing melted feta insideBiftekiBifteki ΜπιφτέκιMain Courses · 40m · serves 4A plate of Corfu pastitsada, beef in spiced tomato sauce over pastaCorfu Beef and Pasta in Spiced Tomato SaucePastitsada ΠαστιτσάδαMain Courses · 3h · serves 6Greek giouvetsi baked beef and orzo in a clay dishGiouvetsiGiouvetsi ΓιουβέτσιMain Courses · 2h 55m · serves 6A bowl of Greek magiritsa Easter soup with fresh dillEaster Offal and Herb SoupMagiritsa ΜαγειρίτσαSoups · 2h 30m · serves 8Sifnos Sunday Chickpea BakeRevithada ΡεβιθάδαMain Courses · 8h 15m · serves 6

More vegetables

TomatoAubergineCourgetteGarlicCucumberArtichokeBeetrootCabbageCarrotCauliflowerCeleryChardGreen BeansLeekLettuceOkraPeppersPotatoSpinachWild Greens