Briam – Greek Roasted Vegetables

Some recipes hit a little different when there's a memory attached to them. For me, that’s Briam.

The first time I had it, I’d just finished a long hike in Meteora — dusty, sun-beaten, completely wiped. I sat down at a little taverna, ordered what the server recommended, and out came a tray of vegetables. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. But that first bite? Warm potatoes, sweet roasted garlic, tomatoes that had collapsed into a sauce at the bottom of the pan… I was hooked. That simple tray of veg might’ve been the most satisfying thing I ate on that entire trip.

Since then, I’ve made it more times than I can count — sometimes just for myself, other times as part of a bigger spread. It always delivers.

So what is Briam?

Briam (pronounced bree-AHM) is a traditional Greek dish made with chopped vegetables, olive oil, and herbs — roasted together until tender and slightly caramelized. It's part of the broader ladera category of Greek cooking, which refers to oil-based, vegetable-forward dishes, usually made without meat. That makes it perfect for fasting periods, but honestly, it’s the kind of food Greeks cook all year round because it’s easy, flexible, and good.

At its core, Briam is comfort food. You get the deep flavor of roasted vegetables, the richness of olive oil, and a sort of built-in sauce from the tomatoes and their juices. Everything cooks together in one pan, and the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredient flexibility

The classic version uses tomato, zucchini, potato, red onion, and garlic. That’s what I’ve included here. But like most home-cooked dishes in Greece, it’s adaptable. You can add eggplant, green beans, okra, or carrots depending on what you’ve got. The goal is just to keep things roughly uniform in cooking time and size.

It’s a great dish for late summer when gardens and markets are overflowing. But it also works just as well in colder months when you want something hearty and meatless.

How to serve it

Briam can be served warm or at room temperature. I like to finish it with a drizzle of good olive oil and a bit of crumbled feta. Bread on the side is a must — not optional. You want something to soak up the juices at the bottom of the pan.

It works on its own as a vegetarian main, or alongside grilled meat or fish. And like most dishes in this category, it only gets better the next day.