Djuvec Rice | One Pot Vegetable Rice Recipe - Elavegan (2024)

This Djuvec rice is a simple, healthy, and super customizable veggie and flavor-packed side dish or main. Serve alongside a mid-week meal or at parties, potlucks, and BBQ’s. Plus, this vegetable rice recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, low fat, vegan, and uses just one pot!

Flavorful One Pot Vegetable Rice

Today I’m sharing something a little different for you, that isn’t well known in the US, but is something I absolutely love; Djuvec rice.

This dish is popular in Southeast Europe (including Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and other Balkan countries). It’s also extremely popular in Germany and Austria – though it doesn’t have any German or Austrian origins.

In fact, the dish has several variations on the name depending on where you are; Güveç and Đuveč in Turkey and Bosnia, Gyuvech in Bulgaria, Giouvetsi in Greek, and several others (let me know in the comments if your own country has another name).

So, What Exactly Is Djuvec?

Djuvec (Đuveč – pronounced Joo-vetch) is a very common dish originating in Serbia from the Turkish word Güveç (goo-vetch), which refers to a type of earthenware casserole/stew dish used to create one-pot meals, particularly a stew of meat and vegetables.

In Serbia, Djuvec refers to a layered casserole with vegetables, meat, and rice often topped with a layer of tomatoes that caramelize and concentrate as they cook.

In comparison, Djuvec rice is a one-pot dish combining vegetables, rice, and seasonings – then traditionally served as a side dish alongside grilled meats such as Souvlaki, Gyros, or Cevapcici. The best part is that the rice soaks up all the delicious juices and flavors of the veggies and seasonings for something truly flavorful and comforting.

This particular vegan fried rice recipe is naturally plant-based and gluten-free and combines the flavors of Ajvar and Vegeta salt for a simple but flavor-packed rice dish. Best of all, it’s super customizable to ingredient subs, omissions, and additions.

What Are Ajvar And Vegeta?

These two ingredients give this vegetable rice its typical flavor and are available in many large food departments and online.

Ajvar

Ajvar is a popular condiment/ingredient in the kitchen of the Balkan countries and Turkey – coming from the word ‘havjar’ meaning caviar.

However, rather than containing anything from the sea, it consists primarily of roasted red peppers, seasonings, and oil, sometimes also eggplant. It can be sweet, mild, or hot, depending on what peppers/chilies are included.

When made at home, it’s often prepared during bell pepper season (mid-fall) and then preserved in jars for long-term storage.

Vegeta

Vegeta is a Croatian vegetable salt, extremely common in South-Eastern Europe. It is used as a ready-made seasoning combining vegetables (carrot, parsnip, celery, parsley, onion, etc.) and spices.

Even though it’s optional in this recipe, it’s used like other seasonings- for vegetables, soups, pasta, rice, potato, and proteins, etc. You can use vegetable bouillon powder instead.

The Step-By-Step Instructions

First Step: First, heat the olive oil in a large pot or frying pan. Add the onion and pepper and lightly sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Second Step: Add the garlic, Ajvar, spices (not the fresh herbs), and rice. Fry for a further 1-2 minutes until lightly aromatic.

Third Step: Then, add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir well, bringing the mixture to a boil.

Fourth Step: Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer covered for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fifth Step: Add the frozen peas, mix, and simmer for a further 5-6 minutes. If you find that too much liquid evaporates, then add a little more vegetable broth or water.

Sixth Step: Taste the rice and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Serve up garnished with a little fresh parsley and lemon juice, if desired, then enjoy!

For the full ingredients list, ingredient measurements, and nutritional information, read the printable recipe card below. Check the step-by-step photos:

How To Serve

You can serve it alongside Vegan Sausages or Vegan Meatballs. Also, add a little Vegan Sour Creamon top of this healthy rice dish.

Storing Instructions

Store any leftover Djuvec rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to two months.

To reheat the rice, you can do so in the microwave, oven, or over the stove. Add a splash of water or vegetable broth if needed.

Useful Recipe Tips & Variations:

• You can use mild or spicy Ajvar (red pepper paste). Alternatively, you can use any other bell pepper paste or tomato paste, though the taste will be different.
• Use long-grain rice with shorter cooking times (i.e., Basmati or parboiled, etc.). Brown rice will take twice as long and require additional liquid for cooking. You can soak the rice in cold/lukewarm water for 20-30 minutes before cooking to reduce the cooking time by 20%.
• You can use a large heavy-based pan for this dish or even a cast-iron Dutch oven.
• This vegetable rice dish is super customizable. Feel free to mix up the vegetables you use in the dish depending on what you have and the time of year. Some examples are eggplant, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.

Related Recipes

I love flavorful, healthy rice recipes, so I often share them here on my blog. Below are a few options that you may be interested in checking out:

• SPANISH RICE AND BEANS
• CHEESY VEGAN RICE AND BEAN CASSEROLE
• TURMERIC RICE WITH COCONUT (1-POT RECIPE)
• BROWN RICE SALAD (EASY SUMMER SALAD)
• VEGAN MUSHROOM RISOTTO
• CREAMY VEGAN BROCCOLI RISOTTO

If you give this tasty Djuvec recipe a try, I’d love a comment and recipe rating below. Also, don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing your recreations.

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