Gemista or Greek stuffed tomatoes and peppers are one of the most beloved summer recipes in Greece. Fragrant vegetables filled with rice, herbs, and aromatics are baked to perfection, making this dish absolutely irresistible!
If you love our Gemista, you will also love Briam-the Greek Rattatouille, Stuffed Squash Blossoms or Green Beans in Tomato Sauce!
Why this recipe sings
What is Gemista
Gemista or yemista means ‘filled with’ in Greek. Traditional gemista can be vegetarian or vegan and are filled with rice, vegetables, and herbs. They call them orfana-orphans because there is no meat involved. This expression comes from the old days when meat was expensive and saved for special occasions. Gemista can also be filled with ground meat or a combination of rice and ground meat, such as beef, pork, or turkey.
Our recipe is the rice version; they are lighter, very aromatic, and can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Here is what you need
- Tomatoes —The star ingredient of a great gemista recipe is juicy firm tomatoes.
- Bell peppers —The greens have a slightly bitter, grassy flavor, and the red and yellow peppers are sweet. All pair perfectly with the sweet and savory filling.
- Potatoes —They’re a must ingredient (not shown above). Potatoes slow roast in all the juices and taste heavenly. They develop nice crusty edges while being buttery, soft, and delicious.
- Carolina rice — Long-grain rice is best for gemista.
- Pine nuts and raisins—Both are optional. They give an extra layer of flavor to the stuffed tomatoes. Some recipes skip them, but I love adding them in my gemista.
- Fresh herbs—Parsley and spearmint give this food a fresh, bright aroma. Another herb to add is fresh dill.
- Chopped tomatoes—Extra tomatoes and their juice provide flavor and moisture.
- Onion—Sauteing the onions before adding them to the stuffing brings out their sweetness, another key step in this recipe.
- Breadcrumbs—A tiny amount of breadcrumbs is sprinkled on each vegetable, and they become crunchy and super delicious with baking.
- Olive oil— Good gemista needs olive oil. There is no way around it. It is an essential ingredient, and you will use it a lot!
- Sea salt, pepper, and sugar—A small amount of sugar is added to the bottom of each vegetable to break any acidity and bring out its sweet flavor.
How to make gemista
Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C
- Remove all tomato stems and shorten the bell pepper stems with a knife.
- Turn the veggies bottom side up. Cut vertically with a pairing knife in a circle to create a little cap. Save it on the side. If too much flesh comes out, cut off the extra and add it to the stuffing mixture.*
- Carefully scoop out the flesh, making sure you do not rip the tomato skin. *Place the flesh in a separate bowl and set it aside.
- Sprinkle each tomato with a little sugar and sea salt and turn them upside down to release their juices while you clean the peppers.
- Slice the bottom of the bell peppers, cut about 1/4 inch this time. Save the little pepper cap on the side. Carefully remove the bell pepper flesh, and rinse each pepper under water to remove any seeds.
- Place the peppers and tomatoes in a large baking pan, open side up this time. Cover each with their little caps.
- In a large sauté pan, add four tablespoons of olive oil. On medium heat, sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the rice, pine nuts, and raisins. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Chop up the tomato flesh and add it with its juices to the rice.
- Add the crushed tomatoes—season with sea salt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and half a teaspoon of sugar. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the filling from the heat and mix in the chopped mint and parsley. Add one tablespoon of dried oregano, and check the seasoning to taste.
- Using a spoon, start filling your veggies. Fill around 3/4 from the top. The rice will grow in size as it cooks, and you don’t want to overflow your veggies. Cover each with their little caps
- In a separate bowl, mix the potatoes with two tablespoons of olive oil and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and dried oregano.
- Tuck the potatoes snuggly between the tomatoes and peppers.
- Any remaining filling mixture can be added around the veggies and the bottom of the pan.
- Mix one tablespoon of sugar with the breadcrumbs. Add a teaspoon or so of the breadcrumb mix to each tomato and pepper.
- If you have any olive oil left, drizzle it evenly over the pan.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1/2 hour.
- Uncover and continue baking for another 90 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tops of the veggies are nice and golden. Every oven cooks differently, and you might need to cook them further. Check the potatoes first; they must have nice crusty edges and a soft, buttery inside. The sauce will feel thicker, jammy and irresistible.
Tips & Tricks
- The secret to succulent, amazing gemista is to sauté the onion before stuffing the vegetables. Sautéing the diced onion allows its sweetness to come through and is key for developing great flavor.
- You can also stuff zucchini, eggplant, and even zucchini blossoms for this recipe. A great trick is to chop the flesh out of the veggies and saute with the onions. Grate them in a hand grater or add everything in a food processor for a quick chop.
- Do not add the flesh of green bell peppers to the rice mixture. They can be bitter and affect the flavor.
- Fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, mint, and fresh oregano add brightness to any recipe.
Gemista can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. They taste even better the next day!
Helpful Q&A
To achieve the unforgettable flavor of stuffed tomatoes, you need Carolina rice. This rice is found in every Greek home. It holds its shape when cooked and becomes soft without becoming mushy.
The one rice you should avoid for gemista is parboiled long-grain rice. Due to its process, it will not be able to absorb the beautiful juices from the veggies and filling, and you will lose the flavor.
Gemista is usually a summer food due to the abundance of tomatoes and other summer vegetables. Other stuffed vegetables include bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash and their blossoms, onions and eggplants.
My favorite side dishes for gemista
Stuffed tomatoes and peppers are an unpretentious, delicious Greek dish and a summer staple. You definitely need good crusty bread like our bread with olive oil and oregano. For a salad, the traditional Greek maroulosalata is light, full of leafy greens, and has an acidic dressing that is perfect next to the sweetness of stuffed tomatoes. Cheese goes well with gemista so you might also want to consider our marinated olives with feta, Greek fried cheese saganaki, or a spicy whipped feta dip.
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Gemista-Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers
Equipment
- 11"x14" roaster pan
Ingredients
- 6 tomatoes ripe but firm large tomatoes
- 4 bell peppers any color
- 4 yukon gold potatoes cut in wedges
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil in total
- 14 oz chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup long grain white rice like Carolina
- 1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh mint finely chopped
- 5 tablespoon pine nuts optional
- 5 teaspoon raisins optional
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup sugar total, you might not use all of it.
- dried oregano
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
for serving
- Greek feta cheese optional
- crusty bread optional
Instructions
- Remove all tomato stems and shorten the bell pepper stems with a knife.
- Turn the veggies bottom side up. Cut vertically with a pairing knife in a circle to create a little cap. Save it on the side. If too much flesh comes out, cut off the extra and add it to the stuffing mixture.*
- Carefully scoop out the flesh, making sure you do not rip the tomato skin. *Place the flesh in a separate bowl and set it aside.
- Sprinkle each tomato with a little sugar and sea salt and turn them upside down to release their juices while you clean the peppers.
- Slice the bottom of the bell peppers, cut about 1/4 inch this time. Save the little pepper cap on the side. Carefully remove the bell pepper flesh, and rinse each pepper under water to remove any seeds.
- Place the peppers and tomatoes in a large baking pan, open side up this time. Cover each with their little caps.
- In a large sauté pan, add four tablespoons of olive oil. On medium heat, sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the rice, pine nuts, and raisins. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- Chop up the tomato flesh and add it with its juices to the rice.
- Add the crushed tomatoes—season with sea salt, plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and half a teaspoon of sugar. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the filling from the heat and mix in the chopped mint and parsley. Add one tablespoon of dried oregano, and check the seasoning to taste.
- Using a spoon, start filling your veggies. Fill around ¾ from the top. The rice will grow in size as it cooks, and you don’t want to overflow your veggies. Cover each with their little caps.
- In a separate bowl, mix the potatoes with two tablespoons of olive oil and season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and dried oregano.
- Tuck the potatoes snuggly between the tomatoes and peppers.
- Any remaining filling mixture can be added around the veggies and the bottom of the pan.
- Mix one tablespoon of sugar with the breadcrumbs. Add a teaspoon or so of the breadcrumb mix to each tomato and pepper.
- If you have any olive oil left, drizzle it evenly over the pan.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and continue baking for another 90 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tops of the veggies are nice and golden.
Notes
- Do not add the flesh of green bell peppers to the rice mixture. They can be bitter and affect the flavor.
- Every oven cooks differently, and you might need to cook them further. Check the potatoes first; they must have nice crusty edges and a soft, buttery inside. The sauce will feel thicker, more jammy and irresistible.
- The secret to succulent, amazing gemista is to sauté the onion before stuffing the vegetables. Sautéing the diced onion allows its sweetness to come through and is key for developing great flavor.
- You can also stuff zucchini, eggplant, and even zucchini blossoms for this recipe. A great trick is to chop the flesh out of the veggies and saute with the onions. Grate them in a hand grater or add everything in a food processor for a quick chop.
- Fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, mint, and fresh oregano add brightness to any recipe.
- Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.
Nutrition
olive oil guide
Everything You Wanted To Know About Olive Oil
Olive oil is an essential ingredient in the Greek cuisine. Greece is one of the largest producers of olive oil in the world. Learn a bit of its history, harvest, production, and how to choose the right olive oil for your recipes.
