Briam (Μπριάμ)
Briam is a traditional Greek meal of slow roasted vegetables and herbs. Everything is mixed together in a large pan, with tomato sauce, olive oil and some water. The briam is slowly roasted and the vegetables cook and get caramelized to create a very flavourful meal. No wonder briam is so popular!
Although it can be enjoyed at any time, briam is a wonderful summertime dish. When the vegetables are fresh and plentiful, briam is a wonderful way to enjoy them. At the same time, briam is one of the classic lenten dishes, as it contains no eggs, dairy or meats. Some other lenten dishes that you might enjoy include palikaria (or polysporia or fotokolyva) or giant beans (gigantes) with greens or a lovely soup like red lentil soup (Κόκκινες φακές σούπα)
Why this recipe works
This is an incredible dish that I just know you are going to love. Not only is briam a luxurious way to eat your vegetables, but it is an incredibly easy way to eat them too. All the goodness is simply thrown into a roasting pan, mixed together, and baked; this makes clean-up a breeze, giving you more time to enjoy your family, your garden, or this blog.
Briam, (which our family often refers to as briami…we’ve dropped the second i in this post, as it seems to be unusual) is sometimes referred to as tourlou-tourlou (τουρλού-τουρλού). I think that perhaps this is because of the topsy-turvy nature of the dish. A mish-mash of chopped vegetables and herbs, tossed together with some oil and tomato sauce. No fancy plating required, or desired!
Regardless of what you call it, this is a phenomenal Greek dish that is vegan and perfect for lent, which epitomizes everything that is great about our cuisine; real ingredients, prepared simply, allowing their natural flavours and textures to shine. If you’ve never had briam (or briami, or tourlou-tourlou), you may be amazed at how perfect basic can be.
Key ingredients
The list of ingredients is long, but don’t be discouraged. If you enjoy cooking even a little bit, or if you have a garden, you likely already have many of these items available.
- Potatoes – I use any white or yellow-fleshed potatoes I have available, although if I had a choice, I would use Yukon Gold or yellow fleshed potatoes here. I find them sweeter and more delicious.
- Carrots – Regular carrots are used (not baby carrots). I peel them and cut them into large chunks, about the size of the potatoes.
- Zucchini – You can use either green or yellow skinned zucchini.
- Yellow onions – Onions turn beautiful when roasted; they caramelize and soften and impart their flavour with every bite.
- Green onions – Also called spring onions, I use the entire onions, the white and the green parts
- Parsley – I use Italian or flat-leaf parsley in most of my cooking (as opposed to the curly parsley)
- Mint – Fresh mint is amazing in recipes like this one. You will notice that I use a lot – this is part of what makes this meal fantastic. Use whatever variety of fresh mint that you can find.
- Tomato sauce or tomato passata – A good quality tomato sauce or passata is key. I use our homemade sauce; you can find the recipe for tomato sauce here.
- Celery stalk with leaves – If you can find celery with the leaves still attached, amazing! These are often discarded, and I don’t understand why! They are full of flavour, and totally edible.
- Garlic – Avoid head of garlic that have had their roots removed; a clear sign that it has been imported. I try to buy local as much as possible.
- Olive oil – I always use Greek olive oil for its flavour and fragrance
- Water – Regular tap water will do
- Bay leaves – Dry bay leaves are sturdy herbs that hold up well to long cooking and give a nice undertone of flavour to your recipe.
- Salt & pepper – The basic seasonings, salt and pepper are essential to most cooking.
How to make briam
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Peel potatoes and carrots, and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large roasting pan.
Step 3
Cut your zucchini into chunks (unpeeled) and add to the pan.
Step 4
Dice your yellow onion and green onions and add these to the pan. Add the mint, parsley, celery stalk and leaves to the pan.
Step 5
Finely chop the garlic and add this to the rest of the vegetables.
Step 6
Into the pan which now contains all the vegetables and herbs, add the tomato sauce, olive oil, and water. Mix everything together so that all the vegetables are evenly coated and combined. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves.
Step 7
Bake your briam, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon. Return to oven and bake for another 30 minutes. Stir again. Cook for a total of 1.30 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
Recipe substitutions
There are many versions of briam; this recipe is based on my parents’. There are definitely variations which can be made. For instance, many people add bell peppers to the mix, or eggplant. Any change could be delicious and we invite you to experiment with flavours that you love. If you have never before made briam however, we suggest sticking to the recipe which follows. See how you like it, and make adjustments from there.
The fresh green onions called for in this recipe were pulled straight out of my parents’ garden (awesome!). If you have access to garden onions, great! If not, you can usually find them in a well stocked grocer. If fresh onions are not available, you can substitute the same quantity of leek.
Cooking tips and helpful hints
I bake my briam is always baked in a large, round, metal roasting pan (straight from Greece). If you don’t have such a pan, don’t worry. Just be sure to use a pan which is large enough to hold all the vegetables so that they have space to spread out. If your vegetables are too crammed up in the pan, creating a thick pile of veggies, you may see that they steam rather than bake or roast. This will affect the flavour.
I find that celery leaves are rarely appreciated. I love that in this dish a point is made to include the celery leaves in the mix. They provide a unique and lovely flavour which can’t be compensated for by simply using the celery stalk. So when buying your celery, remember to look for leaves.
I use homemade tomato sauce when I make briam. You can make your own tomato sauce too by following this recipe. It you prefer to purchase tomato sauce, find a good quality tomato passata or jar of strained tomatoes.
Briam is a great vegan meal, perfect for periods of lent, or when you want to abstain from meat. If you are eating dairy however, this meal is amazing with a side of feta. Some olives and a slice (or two, or three, of fresh bread) make this meal even more wonderful.
Pin this recipe if you like it!
Frequently asked questions
Is briam the same thing as ratatouille?
Some people refer to briam as the Greek ratatouille. They are similar, but whereas ratatouille can sometimes be made on the stovetop, briam is always baked in the oven. Maybe ratatouille is the French version of briam!
What vegetables are used to make briam?
I use potatoes, carrot, celery, zucchini, onion and tomato sauce. Some recipes call for sliced or diced tomatoes. You can actually add other vegetables too; bell peppers work well as does eggplant and even winter squash.
Related recipes
If you are looking for more vegetable based dishes, check these out:
Green beans with potatoes A traditional Greek stew of green beans and potatoes in a tomato and olive oil sauce
Okra with cauliflower A wonderful way to combine two nutritious vegetables
Spanakorizo A Greek classic! A simple tomato based recipe of rice and spinach
How to serve briam
I often serve briam as the main part of a meal with some bread, marinated olives and if I am not fasting, some feta cheese. To me, this is a perfect meal.
You can also serve briam as the side dish to a meat or chicken dish. It would go really well as a side to Greek marinated chicken thighs, grilled lamb chops, or even a grilled steak.
How to store and reheat
Cooked briam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat it, you can either use the microwave or place it into the oven preheated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or so, or until heated through.
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Briam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 small to medium sized potatoes
- 2 medium sized carrots
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts
- 1 cup chopped mint
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ⅓ cup tomato sauce or tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
- 2/3 cup Greek olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Peel potatoes and carrots, and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large roasting pan.6 small to medium sized potatoes, 2 medium sized carrots
- Cut your zucchini into chunks (unpeeled) and add to the pan.2 large zucchini
- Dice your yellow onion and green onions and add these to the pan. Add the mint, parsley, celery stalk and leaves to the pan.1 medium yellow onion, 1 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts, 1 cup chopped mint, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
- Finely chop the garlic and add this to the rest of the vegetables.2 cloves garlic
- Into the pan which now contains all the vegetables and herbs, add the tomato sauce, olive oil, and water. Mix everything together so that all the vegetables are evenly coated and combined. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves.1 ⅓ cup tomato sauce, 2/3 cup Greek olive oil, 1 cup water, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 3 bay leaves
- Bake your briam, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Stir carefully with a wooden spoon. Return to oven and bake for another 30 minutes. Stir again. Cook for a total of 1.30 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
would this work in a slow cooker ?
Hi Mike. Great question. I’m actually not sure if this would work well in the slow cooker. Part of the charm of briam is that the veggies roast and so get a bit of that crispy, roasted flavour. I”m not sure that would happen in a slow cooker. Having said that, I bet that it would still be delicious (but different). We may try it one day…or if you do, let us know how it works out 🙂 Thanks for your interest in Mia Kouppa!
thanks for reply, will try this week and let you know,
Please do 🙂
A family favorite! I add the zucchini about 30 minutes into roasting time so they don’t get overcooked. Keep these recipes coming!
Thank you Nancy! We have many more recipes that we’re excited to share. Stay tuned! xoxo
Hello ladies! I made this Saturday night for guests… another Miakouppa hit! Thank you… love following you and making your delicious recipes… especially the ones that are Weight Watchers friendly!
Thank you for inviting us (or at least our recipe 🙂 ) to your dinner party! We are thrilled that you all enjoyed the Briam. Thanks so much for letting us know! xoxo
Hi! I made it but replaced the potatoes by sweet potatoes. I also added two small eggplants. It was a blast! It is as good as it is beautiful to look at. Thank you for sharing your recipe <3
You’re so welcome Bruno! Thank you so much for trying our recipe for Briam and for your comment. It’s a great recipe to make substitutions with. The addition of eggplant sounds especially fantastic. Hope you find more to love here 😉 xoxo Helen & Billie
Trying to eat oil free – do you think I can leave out the oil ??
Hi Dionysus. For this recipe we don’t think that it would work – the olive oil is a key component to the recipe. If you are trying to eliminate oil you can give some of our other recipes a try. Soups like fasolada and fakes can be made by sauteeing the veggies in a bit of water instead of oil, for example.
I’ve been making this all fall and winter – probably once a week. I just can’t get enough of it! I find briam far preferable to ratatouille (maybe it’s the potatoes? or the celery?). I also much prefer this recipe – nice large chunks to the thinly sliced versions I’ve seen. It is probably not traditional, but I also love the incredible flexibility this recipe offers – I end up throwing in lots of tidbits from the crisper (peppers, eggplant, etc etc). Thanks for the ultimate comfort food!
Thank you Emily! Your comment has made us so happy; thank you for taking the time to write! We are thrilled that you love our briam recipe, and good for you to make it your own by also adding what you have in the refrigerator. No waste is our motto too! Hope you continue to find much to love here with us 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie