Kotlovina is a traditional dish made by cooking various types of meat, sausages, and vegetables in a large, shallow plate that is placed over an open fire. The dish is typically prepared outdoors, often in gardens or courtyards. There are numerous recipes for kotlovina, but the meat is usually seasoned with salt, pepper, and oil.

It is recommended to serve the dish with roasted potatoes or a fresh salad on the side.

Sir i vrhnje is a favorite food of many Croatians, made by simply mixing fresh cottage cheese with sour cream. There are plenty of variations, so some like to add smoked paprika powder, salt, pepper, or minced garlic to make it taste even better.

The dish is usually served for breakfast or as a light appetizer that can be paired with homemade sausages, bacon, sliced onions, or tomatoes. What was once a modest, humble dish is today an icon of Northwestern Croatian cuisine that can even be bought pre-made in many supermarkets, although the best sir i vrhnje is regularly sold at food markets.

Zapečeni štrukli is a Croatian dish that is especially popular in the Zagorje and Međimurje regions, as well as Zagreb. The dough for these štrukli is made with flour, oil, lukewarm water, and salt, while the filling consists of fresh cow's cheese, eggs, butter, salt, and a bit of sugar.

Once the štrukli have been assembled and rolled, they are first shortly boiled, then transferred to the oven. Before baking, they are traditionally topped with heavy cream, sour cream, or a combination of both. Zapečeni štrukli are done once they develop a golden-brown color on the exterior.

This festive Croatian dish consists of a whole roasted turkey, paired with an authentic Croatian side dish known as mlinci. The dish has its origins in the Zagorje region, where turkey has been brought over from Italy by the Pauline Fathers in the 15th century.

Specific breeding and growing conditions have led to the creation of an autochthonous Zagorje Turkey breed that is praised for its exceptional quality of meat. Mlinci, on the other hand, are best described as a cross between pasta and crispy, unleavened flatbread. 

This traditional soup hails from the Croatian region of Zagorje. It is prepared with boletus mushrooms, cured meat products, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, white wine, sour cream, and flavorings such as paprika, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.

This hearty and nourishing soup is especially popular in autumn and winter, and it is said that the soup is quite effective as a hangover cure. It is also a staple at numerous feasts in Zagorje, where it is sometimes served in a hollowed-out loaf of round-shaped bread.

Krampogača is a savory Croatian biscuit or a scone with a flaky, crumbly texture. These snacks are filled with pork cracklings in order to give them more flavor. They consist of flour, pork cracklings, milk, sugar, yeast, salt, pepper, and butter or lard.

The dough is shaped into small scones, then baked until it develops a golden-brown color. Krampogača is a typical continental snack that can be found in many Croatian bakeries.

Međimurska gibanica is a traditional, highly caloric layered pastry originating from the Croatian region of Međimurje. It is usually served as a dessert after a big meal, but due to its nutritional value, it can also be consumed on its own. The pastry consists of several layers of phyllo dough filled with a combination of fresh cow's milk cheese, grated apples, ground walnuts, and ground poppy seeds, with the addition of raisins, cinnamon, rum, and sugar, according to personal preferences.

The fillings are divided by alternating layers of thin dough. Međimurska gibanica is quite similar to the EU-protected Prekmurska gibanica, with some slight variations concerning the fillings and type of dough. The pastry is ready to be consumed after it has been baked in an oven and develops a golden-brown color of the exterior, and it is then typically cut into squares and served either warm or cold.

Bučnica is a comforting Croatian rolled pastry or strudel made with layers of thin dough that is filled with a combination of grated pumpkin, salt, fresh cheese, butter, sour cream, and eggs. The savory rolled pastry is baked in an oven until it develops a golden-brown color on the exterior, and it is recommended to serve it warm with a dollop of sour cream.

Bučnica should always be well-baked and crispy, otherwise the filling will release the water and the pastry will lose its crispiness. It's especially popular in the summer as there is an abundance of young pumpkins which are ideal for the filling.

Patka s mlincima is a specialty originating from the northern parts of Croatia, especially the regions of Zagorje and Međimurje. Main components of the dish are a whole duck and mlinci – a traditional pasta variety made with flour, water, and sometimes lard and eggs.

The duck is seasoned with salt, covered with a mixture of water, wine, and melted fat, then roasted. While it's roasting, the duck is drizzled with its own dripping juices. The mlinci are baked, covered with boiling water, then drained. When the meat is done, mlinci are covered with leftover roasting juices.