Shrimp and orzo baked in one pan. 53 g protein at 601 kcal per plate, fasting-friendly and ready in 40 minutes.
By Frixos Dimitriadis · Published November 3, 2026 · Updated November 3, 2026
2 servings · Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min · Total 40 min · Per serving: 601 kcal, 53.1 g protein, 71 g carbs, 12.3 g fat
Giouvetsi is Sunday food: orzo baked in tomato sauce until it soaks up every drop. This version swaps the beef for shrimp and drops the feta, which makes it fasting-friendly and fast.
Each plate carries 53.1 g of protein for 601 calories, with 12.3 g of fat, and the whole thing takes 40 minutes from start to table.
Feta is what usually finishes a giouvetsi, and it is also what rules it out during the fast. Without it, the dish leans on the tomato sauce, oregano and a little chilli, and the shrimp bring the richness.
One thing to check: your orzo. Most dried orzo is just durum wheat and water, but some brands add egg. Read the label once and you are covered for the whole fast.
Orzo needs about 20 minutes. Shrimp need two or three. Cooking them together for the full time is how giouvetsi ends up with rubbery shrimp.
So they are handled separately. The orzo bakes in the sauce for 15 minutes while the shrimp get a quick sear in the remaining olive oil, then they go into the pan for the last five to seven minutes. The orzo finishes tender and the shrimp stay juicy.
Roughly 250 of each plate's calories come from the orzo, about 170 from the shrimp and about 90 from the olive oil, with tomato and onion making up the rest. The shrimp bring about 40 g of the protein on their own.
That breakdown makes it easy to adjust. Cutting? Use 100 g of orzo instead of 140 g and save about 70 calories a plate. Need more protein? Add 100 g of shrimp for about 10 g more per plate.
Use raw, peeled shrimp. Pre-cooked shrimp will overcook in the oven and turn tough, however carefully you time them.
Frozen is fine, and out of season it is often all you will find. Thaw the shrimp in the fridge or under cold running water, then pat them completely dry. Wet shrimp steam in the pan instead of searing, and you lose the colour and flavour the quick sear is there for.
Weigh them after thawing. The 400 g in the recipe is the thawed, peeled weight, and frozen shrimp can carry a lot of ice glaze, so the weight on the bag is not the weight in your pan.
Medium to large shrimp work best. Very small ones cook in seconds and disappear into the orzo. If you buy them with shells, peel them yourself and weigh them peeled.
Yes, as long as you leave out the cheese. Traditional giouvetsi is made with beef or lamb and usually finished with grated cheese or feta, so it is off the table on fasting days. Swapping the meat for shrimp and skipping the cheese changes that.
Shrimp, like octopus, squid and mussels, is allowed during the Orthodox fast, and so is olive oil. Everything else here is orzo, tomato, onion, garlic and herbs. The only ingredient worth a second look is the orzo: most is just durum wheat and water, but if the label lists egg, choose another brand. That makes it one of the few pasta dishes that fit the fast and still give you more than 50 g of protein.
With 71 g of carbs and 53 g of protein, one plate covers both things you need after a hard session: carbs to refill and protein to recover. It is also light on fat for a pasta dish, at 12.3 g a plate, most of it from the olive oil.
On a rest day, the version with 100 g of orzo keeps it lighter while the protein stays the same. Log it in the app as one plate and every macro is filled in for you.
Giouvetsi is filling on its own, but it is easy to turn into a bigger dinner without adding many calories. A large green salad with lemon, or a plate of boiled horta, adds volume and fibre for very little. Just log any olive oil you pour over it.
A squeeze of lemon over the top just before serving lifts the tomato sauce, and it adds nothing worth logging.
Cooking for the family? The recipe makes two plates and doubles easily. Use a wider baking dish so the orzo cooks in an even layer, and check that it is tender before the shrimp go in, since a fuller dish can need a few extra minutes.
Leftovers keep for two days in the fridge. Reheat them in a pan with a splash of water so the orzo loosens. This is not one for the freezer: frozen and reheated shrimp turn rubbery.
Pair it with the octopus stifado and the vegan pastitsio, and finish with a protein rizogalo. All four are in the DietSync app with their macros already worked out.
Pat the shrimp dry with kitchen paper before they hit the pan. Moisture is the reason shrimp boil instead of browning.
Add the water hot, not cold. The orzo cooks evenly and the oven time stays accurate.
A squeeze of lemon on the plate lifts the tomato sauce and adds almost nothing to the macros.
Keeps 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water so the orzo loosens. Not one for the freezer: the shrimp turn rubbery.
Yes, as long as you skip the feta. Shrimp is allowed during the Orthodox fast, and everything else is pasta, tomato, olive oil and herbs. Check that your orzo has no egg in it; most dried orzo is just durum wheat and water.
A quick sear adds colour and flavour, and adding them only for the last 5–7 minutes stops them turning rubbery. Shrimp overcook fast.
Yes. Thaw them, pat them dry and weigh them after thawing so the 400 g matches the macros. Wet shrimp steam instead of searing.
Use 500 g of shrimp instead of 400 g. That adds about 10 g of protein and 45 kcal to each plate.