It's easy to fall in love with the vibrant flavors of the Greek vegetable stew, soufiko. This is a big, delicious pot of assorted veggies slow-cooked with herbs and olive oil until they are melt-in-the-mouth tender.
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What is soufiko?
Soufiko or soufico is a vegtable stew from Ikaria, a Greek island that's one of a handful of blue zones across the world - places where people, on average, live longer, healthier lives than the rest of us.
It is a summertime stew, designed to use up the veggies you have in your fridge or pantry, and it's often compared to French ratatouille, although if you taste it you might think, as I do, that soufiko tastes richer, more complex.
I love serving soufiko as a main or as a side for a Mediterranean themed dinner alongside dishes like Greek lemon potatoes and gigantes or baked lima beans. It balances out the meal perfectly and it is delicious beyond description when you sop it up with crusty bread.
Making soufiko is as simple as can be. The vegetables most often used are eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, a few potatoes, tomatoes and onions. You can switch these up but thoughtfully (suggestions in the FAQs below) so as to not mess up the flavor. The vegetables are cut in a chunky dice, doused with herbs and a few generous glugs of olive oil (its polyphenols are one of the factors key to Ikarians' long lives) and slow-cooked until they are meltingly tender.
The slow cooking doesn't take up a lot of time because the veggies all cook rather quickly. You need under an hour to take this stew from scratch to the table.
Traditional soufiko can be very simple but I adapted my recipe from a slightly more complex recipe by the Greek cook Diane Kochilas. I did tweak it considerably to include ingredients more easily available to me. This has quickly become one of my favorite dinners, and I love that it makes me feel good from the inside out.
Here's the recipe.
Recipe card
Soufiko (Greek Longevity Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium Italian eggplant (cut in a ¾ inch dice)
- 2 large bell peppers (any color. Remove seeds and cut in a ¾-inch dice)
- 2 cups butternut squash (or zucchini. Cut in ¾-inch dice)
- 2 medium potatoes (use waxy potatoes. Cut in a ¾-inch dice)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2-3 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup canned plum tomatoes (crush the whole tomatoes with fingers before adding)
- ¼ cup assorted fresh herbs (I added a mix of oregano, mint, thyme and sage. Chop the herbs roughly)
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the onions in a wide saucepan or skillet. Add a bit of salt and ground black pepper and sauté the onions until they begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and garlic and mix in. Continue to sauté the onions until they are translucent.
- Add in the eggplant, bell peppers, butternut squash and potatoes. Add the wine and bay leaves, mix, cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the eggplant and potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the tomatoes followed by the herbs and the pomegranate molasses. Mix well, cover again and simmer 10 more minutes for the flavors to meld. Check seasoning before turning off heat and add more salt and ground black pepper as needed.
Nutrition Information
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How to make soufiko
Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil
- Place the onions in a wide saucepan or skillet and add a bit of salt and ground black pepper. The salt helps the onions release their moisture so they cook faster. Sauté the onions in the dry pan until they begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the olive oil and garlic and mix in. Continue to sauté the onions until they are translucent.
Add the vegetables
- Add in the eggplant, bell peppers, butternut squash and potatoes. Make sure they are cut in approximately the same sizes so they cook together. I like adding the tomatoes a little later to make sure their acidity doesn't slow down the cooking of the potatoes.
- Pour in the wine, add the bay leaves, mix, cover and cook the vegetables over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the eggplant and potatoes are tender. Stir the veggies a few times during cooking.
Finish with tomatoes, herbs and pomegranate molasses
- Stir in the tomatoes followed by the herbs and the pomegranate molasses. The molasses adds a slight note of sweetness that's wonderful with the herbs.
- Mix well, cover again and simmer 10 more minutes for the flavors in the pot to meld. Check seasoning before turning off heat and add more salt and ground black pepper as needed.
Recipe FAQs
For the best flavor, substitute with vegetables that are similar in flavor to the ones in traditional soufiko. For instance, in summer you can use zucchini instead of winter squash (I still had some on hand because I was making this in spring). You can also replace the butternut squash with sweet potatoes or carrots and bell peppers with sweet peppers.
Pomegranate molasses has a rich, sweet and tart flavor that's wonderful in soufiko. Greeks would likely use petimezi, which is a reduction of grapes. If you'd like to source pomegranate molasses I will add a link in the recipe card, but if you want to use what's on hand substitute with a tablespoon of maple syrup mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Soufiko works both as a main dish or as a side. I serve it with Greek lima beans and a crusty bread like this Tuscan loaf. For dessert serve this vegan Greek yogurt cake.
Leftover soufiko is delicious because the flavors merge together really nicely the next day. Store it in the fridge for up to four days and freeze up to four months. Thaw and reheat before serving.
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