Boureki from Chania is a zucchini and potato gratin filled with Greek cheeses. It’s a delicious vegetarian meal that can also be served as a side on special occasions. Delicious all on it’s own and even better with a nice salad and some hearty bread.
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BOUREKI: ZUCCHINI, POTATO & CHEESE GRATIN from CHANIA
Yield:
6
Boureki is a zucchini and potato gratin from the city of Chania in Crete. It's rich and tasty with all of the Greek cheeses: feta, ricotta, and kefalotiri. This dish is a great option for entertaining because it can me made ahead.
Ingredients
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch(3mm) thick
- 3 zucchinis. sliced 1/4 inch (3mm) thick
- 8 ounces of ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 8 ounces shredded parmesan or kefalotyri
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup of flour
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
- Place the zucchini slices in a colander and sprinkle with some salt. Set aside for 1 hour to drain. This step is important so that the gratin will not become watery. Discard all of the liquid that the zucchini releases, pat the slices dry. Drizzle some oil on the zucchini slices, season with salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Put the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over them. Season well with salt and black pepper.
- Combine the strained ricotta with the crumbled feta in another bowl and mix well.
- Combine the finely chopped onion with the chopped herbs (mint and parsley) and mix together.
- Pour 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 10 x 10-inch baking pan.
- Arrange half of the zucchini slices on the bottom of the baking pan. Top with half of the onion and herb mixture. Dollop ¼ of the feta cheese mixture on top. Dust lightly with all-purpose flour.
- Layer half of the potato slices on top. Drizzle half of the heavy whipping cream on top and sprinkle 1/3 of the parmesan cheese over top. Dollop ¼ of the feta cheese mixture over that.
- Repeat the zucchini layer as before then the potato layer. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and sprinkle some oregano over it.
- Place in the center rack of the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and cover with parchment paper then with aluminum foil. Bake covered for 1 and ½ hours. Remove the cover and bake uncovered another 30 minutes. Or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Tip: crumble the parchment paper and wet it lightly with water. This will help keep it in place.
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Your Boureki recipe is divine. Divine!!!! It’s my new favorite. I’m throwing the others away. It’s perfection. ❤️
Can this dish be prepared in advance and finished the next day? I was thinking I could do it up to after the long covered bake and save the browning for the day of. What do you think?
Yes, you could do that.
I am wondering if this can be cooked and frozen or would it get mushy?
You can freeze it, but it will not be as good as fresh.
This boureki is fantastic. It tastes just like the ones I have had in many places on Crete. Really pleased to be able to cook it at home.
Are the directions for this accurate? 10×10 pan and baking for 2 1/2 hours?
A 10 star recipe**********
My great aunt used to make this dish as a side for every family get-together. She never gave her recipes to anyone!!!! By the Grace’s of God, this Boureki recipe is the exact recipe as I remember it to be. You brought back such happy, lost memories!!! Looking forward to 2022 and baking and cooking with you another year.
May you and your beautiful family have a Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year.
Thank you and I’m so glad that you found the recipe that you were looking for!Wishing you and your family a very Happy & Healthy New year!!
The ingredient list calls for 1/2 cup of flour, but step by step instructions don’t mention using it. I assume it’s meant to thicken heavy cream before adding to the dish.
Also, I am not sure I would add more salt to the drained and dried zucchini, you could easily over season them this way. I would taste first and determine how much salt they retained.
This looks wonderful but as I am VERY lactose-intolerant, can I substitute the heavy cream for yoghurt ?
I’ve never tried that but yes, I think that you might be able to water it down and it should work 🙂 Let me know how it goes.
Is the total cook time of 2 1/2 hours accurate?
Thanks for clarification!
Yes, it is 🙂 It takes time but will be well worth it. Enjoy
The recipe on line is different? Is there a reason?,
Great recipe Last line – I think you mean crumple the baking paper not crumble it!!!
haha! Yes, thank you 🙂
Dimitra, I made your Boureki recipe it was the best, can’t wait for everyone to come over and try it. I couldn’t wait I give it 10 stars.
Omg beautiful.I added some sliced capsicum in between layers and had some sauerkraut to use and put a sprinkling of that in between.It added a absolutely delicious sour note .Stuffed myself silly.Great dish and can’t wait to cook for friends.
That sounds absolutely delicious! The addition of capsicum and sauerkraut must have really elevated the flavors with that perfect balance of sweetness and sourness. I’m sure your friends will love it too! Keep me posted on how it turns out when you cook for them—I’m sure it’ll be a hit!
love the recipe. can u pls let us know whenever possible what we are able to freeze or not, like this dish
So glad you loved the recipe—thank you! 😊 And yes, great suggestion. I’ll start adding freezer-friendly notes when possible. For this Cretan Boureki, you can freeze it before baking! Just assemble the whole dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze it. When you’re ready to cook, bake it straight from frozen—just add extra time in the oven. Freezing after baking works too, but the potatoes and zucchini may soften a bit more when reheated. Hope that helps!