Yemista
stuffed vegetables
By: Eleni Saltas
Yemista (or Gemista) is a Greek word meaning “to be stuffed with.” You may have grown up just calling it stuffed tomatoes or peppers, or zucchini. Many chefs and amateur cooks have created their own take on this traditional Greek dish, finding that most of the variety will come from the filling.
Yemista is typically served by hollowing out vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and sometimes potatoes, and then filled rice, herbs, cheese, and ground meats. This is a dish you can let your imagination run wild with, creating stuffing flavors of your choosing to fill your favorite vegetables.
This classic recipe is made with rice and herbs, and your guests are guaranteed to leave both satisfied and…stuffed.
Prep Time:
20 min
Total Time:
2 hrs
Servings:
4 to 6
Good For:
Lunch/Dinner
Ingredients
- 5 large ripe tomatoes
- 5 large bell peppers (green or yellow)
- 2 potatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 cup rice, soaked for 10 minutes and drained
- ½ cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup water or vegetable broth
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of sugar
- ½ cup pine nuts (optional)
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
Wash the tomatoes and peppers, then cut off the tops of each vegetable (about a 1 cm thick slice) and set aside the tops. Scoop out the pulp from each vegetable, reserving only the tomato pulp in a bowl.
Step 2
In a medium pan or skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced onion and chopped garlic until translucent and fragrant. Add the soaked and drained rice to the pan and cook for a few minutes until the rice starts to toast slightly. Add the tomato paste and sauté in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the water or vegetable broth.
Step 3
Remove from heat and add the reserved tomato pulp and tomato sauce to the pan with the rice mixture. Mix well to combine. Stir in the parsley, mint, oregano, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. If using pine nuts, add them to the mixture at this point. Mix everything well to combine.
Step 4
Stuff the tomato rice filling into the hollowed-out vegetables, leaving about a quarter of the space empty as the filling will expand during cooking. Place the reserved vegetable tops back on each stuffed vegetable.
Step 5
Arrange the potato wedges in between the tomatoes and peppers to help hold the vegetables in place while cooking. Add any extra leftover filling on top of the potatoes.
Drizzle the remaining olive oil evenly over all the vegetables.
Step 6
Cover and bake the stuffed vegetables for 60 minutes, and then remove the cover and bake for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and the filling is cooked through. Allow the stuffed vegetables to cool slightly before serving.
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