The Best Authentic Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers-Gemista
User Reviews
5
44 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 50 mins
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Total Time
2 hrs 15 mins
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Servings
7
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Course
Main Course, Dinner
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Greek, Vegan
The Best Authentic Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers-Gemista
Report
The Best Authentic Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers-Gemista is a classic vegetable dish featuring hollowed tomatoes and peppers filled with a mixture of grated zucchini, onion, garlic, diced green peppers, grated potato, and rice. The combination is seasoned with traditional Mediterranean herbs like oregano, mint, and parsley, resulting in a savory and herbaceous filling. This preparation cooks in a deep pan, allowing the vegetables to soften and the rice to steam inside, yielding tender, aromatic stuffed vegetables.
Description
This Gemista recipe begins by carefully hollowing large tomatoes and green bell peppers without damaging their structure. The filling blends grated zucchini, minced onion and garlic, diced green bell pepper, and grated potato, which provide moisture and texture. Uncooked short or medium grain rice is mixed in to absorb the flavors and swell during baking. The seasoning includes oregano, dry mint, and fresh parsley, contributing herbal complexity typical of Greek cuisine. Tomato paste, lemon juice, and olive oil enhance the filling’s depth and tang.
The stuffed vegetables are arranged in a deep pan, often with their caps set nearby, and baked at a moderately high temperature until the rice and vegetables are tender. The slits made inside the bottoms of the tomatoes and peppers allow steam to escape, preventing bursting during cooking. This dish is typically served as a main vegetarian course or alongside other Mediterranean dishes.
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Ingredients
- 5 tomato large
- 5 green bell pepper large and 1 small green pepper, you may also use zucchini or eggplant
- 5 zucchini
- 5 eggplant
- 10-12 tablespoons short grain rice uncooked, or medium grain rice, do not use long grain
- 8 zucchini
- 1 onion
- 2 pounds potato
- 7 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons mint dry
- 4 tablespoons parsley fresh
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- cloves whole
- allspice whole
- 1 1/2 cup olive oil
- lemon juice
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius).
- Wash the tomatoes and peppers. For the peppers cut around the stem and empty the inside of the pepper. For the tomato cut around the base (the bottom part) not the stem part and empty the tomato with a spoon. Put these pieces of tomato in a separate bowl along with the juices. Make tiny slits on the inside bottom of the peppers and tomatoes (not all the way through)
- Place the empty tomatoes and peppers along with their caps n a large pan about 3 inches deep.
- Take 2-3 zucchini peel them and grate them, put the grated zucchini in another bowl.
- In a food processor add an onion, 4-5 garlic cloves, a bit of oil about a teaspoon and some salt. Mix but not too much (you don’t want a paste). Add the onion mixture to the zucchini.
- Take a small green bell pepper and also dice it and add to the zucchini mixture.
- Finally take a small potato (a bit larger than an egg) and grate it and add to the zucchini mixture.
- Now strain the juice from the tomatoes (squeeze the tomato with your hands too) and save in a separate bowl. Now you should have 3 bowls one with tomato, one with zucchini-potato-onion mixture and one with tomato juice.Cut the tomato in small pieces and mix it with the zucchini mixture. Add 1 tablespoon salt, dry mint, parsley and tomato paste. Now add to the mixture 10 to 12 tablespoons short grain rice and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Finally add ¾ cup olive oil. Let the mixture sit.
- Now start cutting the potatoes. Take 2 lbs. of potatoes, peel them and cut them into quarters, place in a bowl. Take 3-4 zucchini, peel and slice and add to potatoes. Add ¾ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon oregano, some salt and 2 cloves garlic cut n small pieces. Mix well (with your hands preferably). Then add the tomato juice which you had saved from the tomatoes in step 8.
- Now start filling the tomatoes and peppers with rice all the way to the top and close with their caps.
- Add the potatoes to the pan, making sure to place around the tomatoes and peppers so they don’t slide in the tray. If there is any rice mixture left mix it with the quartered potatoes and add to to the pan.
- Add 5 cloves to the potatoes and about 5 allspice.
- Add about a cup of water, but not on top-you don’t want to “wash off” the oil. Add the water in a corner of the pan and tilt slightly so the water goes everywhere.
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius). Then reduce to 320-340 Fahrenheit (170-160 Celsius ) and bake for another 1-½ hours. If you notice it getting dry, add a bit more water.
- To see if it is done, check the rice it should be soft and mushy.
Notes
- You may opt to prepare this dish using only tomatoes for a variation.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
44 reviews
Excellent
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