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Yemista or gemista is a Greek dish traditionally consisting of vegetables such as tomatoes and green peppers that are stuffed with rice and vegetables' inner parts. The stuffed vegetables are then baked in the oven. The name of the dish means stuffed in Greek language, and it's a typical summer dish.
It is mainly considered a vegan dish, although there are some that prepare it with ground meat in the stuffing. It is recommended to prepare the dish when the vegetables are at the peak of the season and to serve it garnished with a spoon of Greek strained yogurt and accompanied by feta cheese.
MOST ICONIC Yemista
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Pasulj is a popular Serbian bean soup that is traditionally prepared with white beans. The beans are usually simmered with sausage, bacon, or ham, and vegetables such as onions and carrots. Paprika, bay leaves, and garlic are commonly used as seasonings in the soup.
Pasulj is a typical representative of Serbian comfort food, and it is also very popular throughout the Balkans, especially in the neighboring countries. It is recommended to serve the dish with some crusty bread or sliced raw onions on the side.
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In Greece, fried zucchinis can be enjoyed as a meze or a side dish. The zucchinis are sliced, seasoned, and then simply dusted with flour or dipped in an egg batter before they are fried until crispy and golden. It is recommended to pair them with various dips such as yogurt-based tzatziki or garlicky skordalia.
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Tavče gravče is the national dish of North Macedonia consisting of beans stewed with onions, oil, dried pepper flakes, and seasonings such as salt, parsley, and black pepper. Although it is primarily a vegetarian dish, some recipes call for the addition of smoked pork, bacon, sausages, or suho meso.
The dish is baked in an earthenware bowl and usually served in it, keeping the beans warm. Tavče gravče is traditionally enjoyed on Fridays or during fasting (the original vegetarian recipe), but in restaurants, it is often served as a side dish to grilled meats.
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This Greek classic consists of large white beans that are cooked and then baked in a flavorful tomato sauce, which is usually seasoned with various herbs such as oregano, parsley, and mint. The dish calls for the use of fasolia gigantes, an authentic Greek variety of beans characterized by their large size, hence the name (gigantic).
Gigantes plaki can be enjoyed as the main course, but it is also a common meze dish that is best served with bread on the side.
Čorbast pasulj is a popular Serbian dish made with soaked beans, onions, carrots, paprika, garlic, and bay leaves. Dried or smoked meat and ribs are common additions to čorbast pasulj in order to make it more flavorful and to give the dish a fragrant, smokey aroma.
This bean stew is typically flavored with parsley and pepper after it has been cooked. When served, it is recommended to pair it with various cuts of meat or meatballs. Čorbast pasulj was a staple dish in the Yugoslavian army due to ease of preparation and its nutritive value.
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These flavorful fritters employ diced tomatoes as their main ingredient, while other additions commonly include onions, fresh herbs, spices, feta cheese and grated zucchinis. The dish is usually associated with Santorini, an island known for the highly prized local tomato variety Tomataki Santorinis.
The fritters are typically enjoyed as a light main course, a snack, or a meze dish, and are best paired with creamy fava or tzatziki dips.
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Iahnie is a traditional bean stew consisting of boiled white beans cooked with braised onions, carrots, red peppers, bean stock, flour-tomato paste mixture, dried spices, and seasonings. The dish is cooked until all vegetables are tender and a thick sauce has formed.
Fried sausages can be served as an accompaniment to this dish or they can be added to the stew during the cooking process for a nice, smoky flavor. The white bean stew can also be consumed as a vegetarian dish and is usually eaten during the fasting period.
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Bob chorba is a soup prepared with Bulgarian varieties of white and kidney beans, onions, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and mint. Additional ingredients include bell peppers, paprika, potatoes, and meat, but the soup can be made with almost any available ingredient.
Particularly popular is the bob chorba po manastirski, a monastery-style version of this soup that was prepared in many of Bulgarian monasteries and is completely vegetarian. This simple soup is one of Bulgaria's national dishes and its meatless version is traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
Fasole cu cârnați is a popular Romanian stew consisting of either pork and beans or sausage and beans. There is also a variation on the dish that replaces the sausages with smoked meat. It is a typical army dish that is traditionally prepared by army cooks and served free of charge during the National Day celebration on December 1 in Bucharest and Alba Iulia.
A hearty, satisfying, and easy meal, it also makes for great leftovers, and it tastes even better when reheated the next day.
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