Eastern European recipes
34 Eastern European recipes for a home kitchen, from 15 minutes. Have some of the ingredients already? Match them to what you have.
Dinner
30 min
Eastern European · dinner
Kielbasa and cabbage skillet
Browned smoked sausage and skillet-steamed cabbage, brightened at the end with cider vinegar and fresh dill.
30 min
Eastern European · dinner
Túrós csusza
Hungarian pasta tossed with crumbly túró cheese, sour cream and crispy bacon.
35 min
Eastern European · dinner
Mushroom and buckwheat bowls
Nutty buckwheat cooked in stock, topped with seared mushrooms, a splash of sherry vinegar and plenty of parsley.
35 min
Eastern European · dinner
Beef and mushroom stroganoff
Strips of seared sirloin and browned mushrooms in a silky sauce of beef stock, mustard and sour cream, served over buttered egg noodles.
40 min
Eastern European · dinner
Skillet chicken paprikash
Chicken thighs braise in a sweet paprika and onion sauce that is enriched at the end with a little sour cream.
40 min
Eastern European · dinner
Lecsó
Hungarian pepper and tomato stew with onions and paprika, often with sausage or eggs.
45 min
Eastern European · dinner
Polish beef rolls with pickle and mustard
Thin beef steaks rolled around dill pickle, mustard and onion, then browned and braised in beef stock. A Polish dish where the filling flavors the gravy.
45 min
Eastern European · dinner
Kluski śląskie (Silesian dumplings)
Chewy Polish potato dumplings with a thumbprint dimple to hold gravy or fried onions and bacon.
60 min
Eastern European · dinner
Żurek (sour rye soup)
Polish Easter soup soured with fermented rye starter, with white sausage, potatoes, marjoram and a halved egg.
60 min
Eastern European · dinner
Shashlik
Russian picnic skewers of pork or lamb marinated with onions and vinegar (or kefir), grilled over charcoal.
75 min
Eastern European · dinner
Ukrainian yeasted potato cakes with garlic yogurt
Fluffy potato cakes leavened with yeast and filled with a savory mixture, pan-fried golden and served with garlicky yogurt and dill.
90 min
Eastern European · dinner
Pork and rice cabbage rolls in tomato
Cabbage leaves wrapped around a dill-scented pork and rice filling, then simmered slowly in tomato until everything is tender.
90 min
Eastern European · dinner
Potato and cheese pierogi
Soft sour-cream dough dumplings filled with potato and cheddar, boiled then pan-fried with onions.
90 min
Eastern European · dinner
Russian pelmeni
Small beef-and-pork dumplings boiled in broth and served with butter, sour cream and dill.
90 min
Eastern European · dinner
Chicken Kyiv
Crumbed chicken breasts filled with garlic-herb butter that bursts out when cut.
90 min
Eastern European · dinner
Halászlé (fisherman's soup)
Fiery-red Hungarian river fish soup built on a strained fish-and-onion base with lots of paprika.
100 min
Eastern European · dinner
Potato and cheese varenyky (pierogi)
Soft, tender Ukrainian dumplings filled with potato and farmer cheese, boiled and then fried in butter with onions.
120 min
Eastern European · dinner
Hungarian beef goulash
Beef chuck simmered with onion, sweet Hungarian paprika, caraway and tomato paste, then finished with potatoes and red bell pepper. A rich, brick-red soup-stew.
120 min
Eastern European · dinner
Ukrainian borscht
Ruby-red beet soup with beef, cabbage, potatoes and dill, finished with sour cream.
120 min
Eastern European · dinner
Gołąbki (cabbage rolls)
Soft cabbage leaves rolled around pork, beef and rice, baked in tomato sauce.
120 min
Eastern European · dinner
Shchi
Russian cabbage soup with beef, potatoes and carrots, finished with dill and sour cream.
180 min
Eastern European · dinner
Rosół (Polish chicken soup)
Golden Sunday chicken broth simmered slowly with root vegetables and charred onion, served with fine noodles and dill.
240 min
Eastern European · dinner
Bigos (hunter's stew)
Poland's national stew of sauerkraut, cabbage, kielbasa, pork and mushrooms simmered for hours.
Lunch & snacks
15 min
Eastern European · lunch
Creamy cucumber dill salad
Thin cucumbers and onion in a cool sour cream, dill and vinegar dressing.
60 min
Eastern European · lunch
Olivier salad
The New Year's salad of diced potatoes, carrots, peas, pickles, eggs and bologna or chicken in mayonnaise.
60 min
Eastern European · lunch
Vinegret
Ukrainian and Russian beet salad with potatoes, carrots, pickles, sauerkraut and beans in sunflower oil.
90 min
Eastern European · lunch
Lángos
Hungarian fried potato-dough flatbread rubbed with garlic and piled with sour cream and grated cheese.
Breakfast
25 min
Eastern European · breakfast
Buckwheat kasha
Toasted buckwheat groats cooked fluffy, served Eastern European–style with butter, milk or a fried egg.
30 min
Eastern European · breakfast
Syrniki (farmer's cheese pancakes)
Golden, custardy fried pancakes of tvorog (farmer's cheese), served with sour cream and jam.
Baking & sweets
180 min
Eastern European · baking
Dobos torte
Hungarian seven-layer sponge with chocolate buttercream under a crackly caramel top.
180 min
Eastern European · baking
Makowiec (poppy seed roll)
Polish yeast roll swirled with sweet poppy seed, honey, raisin and orange filling, glazed for Christmas and Easter.
240 min
Eastern European · baking
Medovik (honey cake)
Many thin honey-caramel layers soaked with sour cream frosting until tender, covered in crumbs.
300 min
Eastern European · baking
Kulich / paska (Easter bread)
Tall, rich Orthodox Easter bread with raisins and saffron or vanilla, crowned with white icing and sprinkles.
Drinks
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