Peppers and tomatoes (or other veggies!) stuffed with a tasty rice and veggie stuffing laced with garlic, onion, Greek seasonings and pine nuts, then baked in olive oil. A dollop of creamy Tzatziki (Greek cucumber yogurt sauce) melts into the filling and really is the perfect finishing touch.
You can add meat if desired. I’ve tried it both ways and personally I think the vegetarian version is so much better and I can’t even quite put my finger on why that is. Whatever you do, don’t skimp on the olive oil in the bottom of the pan. It will seem like a lot, yes, but the vegetables don’t absorb much of it and it adds SO much flavor!
The History of Gemista
Gemista (pronounced ye-mista) is traditional Greek fare and so each home in Greece has its own version of the recipe. Recipes on the internet abound too! Sooo many versions. I, an American who has loved Greek food for much of my culinary life (and while I’ve been to Europe, have never actually traveled to Greece), did not even know Gemista existed until a little over a week ago when I was swimming in tomatoes and big beautiful bell peppers with a couple zucchini sitting on the counter and I went searching for something I could do that would go with my tzatziki (cucumber yogurt sauce) that I stashed in my fridge and Gemista is what quickly surfaced in my searches.
According to World Food Story, the name Gemista comes from the verb ‘gemizo/yemizo’ (‘γεμίζω’) which means ‘filled’ or ‘stuffed with’. Apparently, after World War 1, Gemista was introduced in Greece by the Greeks who escaped from Turkey after the Greek-Turkish War.
I’ve seen versions of Gemista that include meat and some without, some that add currants or raisins and pine nuts (or pinons). The great thing about Gemista is you are not limited to peppers and tomatoes … aubergines (eggplant), zucchini and even onions are sometimes stuffed. It’s a recipe that takes full advantage of the abundance of the harvest.
How does this recipe differ?
Many of the recipes I saw called for a Tablespoon of uncooked white rice per vegetable, but since I wanted to use brown rice (for heart health and fiber) and since brown rice takes so much longer to cook, I used pre-cooked brown rice.
Also, the Greeks traditionally tuck in some sliced potatoes into the baking dish to cook alongside the other lovely veggies. I didn’t bother to do that, but I included the option in my recipe. I tried raisins in my first batch and didn’t care for it. But I adored the flavor of the pine nuts with the savory filling, so I kept that.
The really awesome thing about this recipe is you can adapt it to your own tastes. Gemista is endlessly customizable.
Although Tzatziki is also a traditional Greek sauce, I didn’t see any Gemista recipes that served Gemista with Tzatziki. But it seemed super logical to me that they would go well together, so I tried it and was completely mesmerized by the way the cool creamy sauce melts into the filling … it reminded me of the way sour cream and butter melt into a baked potato, turning it from a simple thing into something completely sublime. For full rich flavor, use whole milk Greek yogurt when making the Tzatziki. It’s SO good!
As with many Greek dishes I’ve encountered, Gemista takes a bit of work, but really not more than most other stuffed pepper recipes and it’s SOOO worth it!
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Gemista (Greek Stuffed Vegetables)
- Prep Time: 30 – 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- Tomatoes & Bell Peppers (or Eggplant or Zucchini) to stuff
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 – 8 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1 sweet onion, peeled & chopped
- 1 cup chopped zucchini or eggplant
- 4 teaspoons Greek seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups chopped tomato pulp (from the insides of the tomatoes)
- Optional: 1/2 – 1 lb. ground beef, venison or lamb
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 4 Tablespoons pinons (a.k.a. pine nuts), toasted
- About 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped (or basil)
- Optional: 2 – 3 potatoes, sliced
- 1/2 cup (or more) of extra virgin olive oil
- For serving: Tzatziki sauce (recipe here)
Instructions
- Select a casserole pan or high-rimmed baking dish. Start by arranging your vegetables in the pan, remembering if you’re using peppers, you’ll need twice as much space for each pepper.
- Prepare the veggies for stuffing by cutting the bell peppers in half lengthwise and clearing out the pulp and seeds. For tomatoes, cut the top off as a slice, then cut carefully around the edges, cutting about half to 2/3 the way down so as not to pierce the sides. Use your fingers or a grapefruit spoon to spoon out the pulp and insides of the tomato, leaving the shell empty. For eggplant and zucchini, use a similar method as tomatoes except go sideways like the peppers.
- Heat a Tablespoon of olive oil in a wok or large saute or frying pan. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft and translucent, then stir in the garlic, zucchini or eggplant and seasonings. Cook until tender, then add the tomatoes and cook for 15- 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken.If using meat, make a well in the center and add the meat and cook until browned.
- Stir in the rice and cook a bit more until the moisture is absorbed, then add the mint and pinons. Add seasonings and salt & pepper to taste.
- Stuff this lovely filling into your prepared veggie shells, letting it heap up, placing each stuffed veggie in your prepared pan as you go. Add the reserved tops from the tomatoes. Pour olive oil into the bottom of the pan, then arrange the potatoes along the bottom of the pan in the empty spots.
- Bake at 350 F./180 C. for about 60 – 75 minutes or until the peppers and potatoes are tender. Let cool to lukewarm before serving. If desired, serve with tzatziki or crumbled feta on top, with fresh mint or basil leaves for garnish. Save the flavorful olive oil for future gemista or to use in soups, sauces or other dishes. Serve with dollops of tzatziki on top. It’s even better the next day. Reserve the flavorful olive oil from the bottom of the pan for other dishes (stored in the fridge).
Notes
Cheater/small batch meaty method using leftovers: Stir together 1 cup Moussaka sauce (recipe here), 1/2 cup chopped leftover zucchini (I like to use my grilled zucchini) and 1/2 – 1 cup leftover cooked brown rice along with 4 fresh chopped mint or basil leaves and 2 Tablespoons toasted pinons. Stuff the filling into as many veggies as you like for a single meal, don’t forget to pour some olive oil into the dish for cooking and reserve any leftover filling for future meals.
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