Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Raštan
A rustic Montenegrin stew of wild kale (raštan) slow-simmered with smoked meat, potato and onion.
Montenegrin · easy · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 90 min
~316 cal · 28g protein · 24g carbs · 11g fat · 7g fiber · 3g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Raštan is the leafy Montenegrin kale that gives its name to one of the country's most characteristic winter stews. The sturdy leaves are to tame their bite, then long and slow with smoked meat, ribs or bacon, along with onion, carrot and potato until everything is tender and the broth is rich and smoky.
It belongs to the same family of hearty cabbage-and-kale one-pots found across the Balkans, and every household has its own version, some with sausage, some with dried pork, some finished with a little garlic at the end. The potatoes half-collapse and thicken the stew, which is served hot with bread.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
1 1/2 lb raštan or collard greens (kale), chopped
1 lb smoked pork ribs, bacon or dried meat
1 lb potatoes, cubed
1 onion, diced
2 carrot, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cups water or
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
Blanch the chopped greens in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften and remove some bitterness, then drain.
2
Soften the onion in the olive oil, add the carrot and cook a few minutes, then add the smoked meat and brown lightly.
3
Add the blanched greens, paprika and water or stock, bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for about 45 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Go easy on the salt: the smoked meat is already salty, so season at the end.
4
Add the potatoes and simmer another 30 minutes until they are tender and beginning to thicken the stew.
5
Stir in the garlic, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot with bread.
Montenegrin home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Cetinje. Cetinje is Montenegro's old royal capital beneath the black mountains, known for Njegusi ham air-dried in the surrounding villages and served with hard cheese. Lamb cooked under the bell-shaped sac, kajmak, and Adriatic fish round out the table.
🗺️
Montenegro. Montenegro's cuisine splits between an Adriatic coast of seafood and olive oil and rugged mountains of smoked meats, cheese, and kačamak. Small but varied, it draws on Italian, Balkan, and Ottoman roots.
🌍
Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Montenegro
KačamakWhipped cornmeal-and-potato mash beaten with young cheese and clotted kaymak until glossy and rich.
PriganiceSmall, airy fried dough puffs served with honey, cheese, and jam, a Montenegrin breakfast treat.
Punjene PaprikeBell peppers stuffed with spiced rice and meat, braised in tomato sauce, a comforting Montenegrin household staple.
Browse all Montenegro recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Montenegro meal
RožataDessert
Punjene PaprikeLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Raštan?
A rustic Montenegrin stew of wild kale (raštan) slow-simmered with smoked meat, potato and onion.
Where does Raštan come from?
Raštan is a Montenegrin dish from Cetinje, Montenegro.
Can Raštan be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Raštan recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Raštan safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Raštan take to make?
About 110 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 90 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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