10+ Delicious Eastern European & Ukrainian Recipes even Kitchen Newbies can make

Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another article filled with delicious recipes here on the Dreaming of Butterflies blog. 

Today, because we want to celebrate Ukraine’s strength in the war against Russia in the best way we know-how, we want to bring you 10+ Eastern European and Ukrainian recipes that are not only super tasty but so easy to make as well. (And let’s not forget, CHEAP!)

Even if you’re a kitchen newbie, you can handle these.

The recipes we’re showcasing today are the most popular in Eastern European countries, as variants of them can be found in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries as well. 

Our home country, Romania, shares the longest border with Ukraine from all of Ukraine’s neighbours (over 613 km, that’s 381+ miles), so it’s only natural that we share more than country lines, especially here in Transylvania.

The recipes Andy and I grew up eating and still love to eat are almost identical to some of the most popular Ukrainian recipes, and they are soooooo yummy! 

You’ll definitely want to try them. And they're perfect for all of you dreamers on a tight budget.

True, they might not all be the best when you’re on a diet, or if you’re vegetarian, because meat, white flour dough, bread and potatoes are very important to us, Eastern Europeans, but nothing can beat the flavours and the taste of a delicious home-cooked meal around here.

This article is dedicated to all the souls of Ukraine. The ones that keep on fighting, the ones that are forced to run and abandon their homes, and to save their children, and last but not least, the ones that have lost this battle.

If you want to help the Ukrainian people, even from afar, please consider donating to either one of the following charities:

• Unicef
• International Rescue Committee
• Vostok SOS
• Doctors Without Borders
• Voices of Children
• CARE
• UN Crisis Relief
• Choose Love
• Red Cross
• Global Giving
• Nova Ukraine
• Save the Children

And don’t forget about supporting the Ukrainian small businesses (even if they can’t fulfil your orders right now) and independent press! They need us now more than ever.

Free Ukraine! 

But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!

10+ Yummy & Easy Eastern European & Ukrainian Recipes you will want to try this month

Chicken Kyiv

Photo and recipe source: recipetineats.com

Fairly simple to make, this dish is the perfect choice for a cosy feel-good dinner. It’s similar to a Cordon bleu but way less complicated. 

The trick with this recipe is to make sure that you partially freeze the butter stuffed chicken before you fry it. This helps prevent the butter from spilling like crazy in your frying pan and ruining the chicken. 

Kapusniak (Sauerkraut Soup)

Photo & recipe source: polonist.com

A cold-weather favourite in Ukraine, Poland and Transylvania (and others), this fermented cabbage soup is definitely going to warm you up and fill your belly with joy on a bad day. 

P.S. it sounds like a strange sour soup, but it’s actually not.   

The most important ingredient here is the fermented cabbage, which can be hard to find, depending on where you live, but quite simple to make yourself.

In Transylvania, this is served with fresh cream and fresh or pickled hot chilli peppers (although the peppers are optional). Another thing we vampires like to put in this soup is a good spoonful of smoked paprika.

Varenyky (Pierogi/Dumplings)

Photo & recipe source: thenewbaguette.com

Who doesn’t like dumplings? They’re delicious, fairly easy to make, can be filled with anything your heart desires and can be either sweet or savoury.

Sweet variants include sour cherries and sweet cheese, served with powder sugar on top.

On the savoury side, you can go for potatoes, ground meats, veggies, even cooked cabbage.

No matter which way you go, it’s still going to be a delicious meal. What’s your choice?

Holubtsi (Romanian Sarmale aka Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Photo & recipe source: notentirelyaverage.com

This delicious dish is a bit time consuming because you need to prepare the cabbage, and the filling, BUT it’s so worth it! Just made it the other day, but instead of fresh cabbage, we used fermented cabbage. 

Other leaves you could use for this recipe are grape leaves, beet leaves, stevia leaves and even linden leaves, but if that’s too much for you, just stick to plain cabbage.

Borscht (Beetroot soup)

Photo & recipe source: natashaskitchen.com

This recipe might sound like an odd one, because you don’t normally think of beetroot as a primary piece in a soup, but this recipe is so delicious, you won’t be able to stop.

Deruni (Potato pankakes)

Photo & recipe source: olgainthekitchen.com

These are the perfect breakfast pancakes on a high carb day, or a cheat day, as they are super simple to make, and they truly are addictive, so watch out!

Nalesniki (crêpes)

Photo & recipe source: alyonascooking.com

Surprisingly simple to make, these can be served as breakfast, lunch or a dessert after dinner if you’re feeling fancy, and can be served simple and sweet, or with jams, sweet cheezy cream, Nutella and even maple syrup (if you’re feeling experimental). Yum, yum, yum!

Banush (Polenta)

Photo & recipe source: nomadparadise.com

Once considered the food of the poor, now it’s a staple in many Eastern European cuisines, including Ukrainian, Romanian and Moldavian. 

And the fun fact? The recipes are identical. The only difference is that in Romania and Moldova we say mamaliga, not banush or polenta.

Easy to make (just be careful when it boils because it tries to attack the cook).

Olivier Potato Salad

Photo & recipe source: momsdish.com

A super popular dish amongst all post-soviet countries, this dish should remind us that even though Eastern Europe is at war now, we do share a history, and we do enjoy cooking and eating the same foods.

As the Ukrainian people deserve their country back, their freedom, and to live beautiful normal lives in their homeland, so do the Russian people who are innocent in this madness that they were dragged into.

Let’s not blame a whole country for the madness of one man. And may this simple salad be a reminder that we are all humans that want to live freely and happily.    

Tomato & cucumber salad

Photo & recipe source: vikalinka.com

Refreshing, incredibly simple to make and adapt, this salad is everything you need on a hot summer’s day. 

We love to serve it as a side dish to any barbecue, eat alone, or even for breakfast, with scrambled eggs. 

You can even switch the dressing for something simpler, if the dill and cream are too much for you, and go for an olive oil and apple cider vinegar mix (our family’s fave).

Honorable mentions:

11. Kholodets (Meat Aspic)

Photo & recipe source: letthebakingbegin.com

Although a little funny looking, because it’s basically gelly with meat inside, and it can be a little bit time consuming to make if you don’t have an instant pot, this dish is definitely worth a try.

It’s served around the holidays (especially the Winter holidays), and it’s also good for you! 

The collagen, glutamine, and glycine that come out of the bones used to make it help with your immunity, gut health and last but not least your joints. 

12. Garlic pampushki (garlic bread)

Photo & recipe source: tasteofartisan.com

For when you crave delicious bread. Some cooks like to use herb and garlic butter on the inside as well, and the only thing we can say to that is: yes, please!

We might be your friendly neighbourhood vampires, but we definitely love our garlic!

Aaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed our picks for today’s top of Eastern European & Ukrainian recipes, and if you did, please make sure to share it, pin it, tweet it! 

QOTD: What’s your favourite dish from your home country?