Yemista - Greek Stuffed Vegetables With Rice

Gemista or Yemista is a dish of stuffed vegetables with rice, that's light and flavorful with naturally sweet flavors and herby aromas. These Greek stuffed vegetables get baked in the oven with potatoes on the side and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.

Gemista or Yemista (as it's pronounced) is one of the best Vegetarian Greek dishes to make. Especially during the summer. When all these delicious sweet vegetables are in season.

Table Of Contents

• Ingredients
• The Filling
• The Rice Variety
• How To Make
• Baking
• Make Ahead
• Storing and Reheating
• Serve With
• Recipe

Most of the time, the Greek Gemista recipe is made with just stuffed tomatoes and peppers. Only in some cases, zucchinis and eggplants are stuffed also. Whenever I make Yemista, I always stuff zucchinis and eggplants too. Because they're very delicious cooked this way.

And I get that many people aren't fond of eggplants, but what's not to love about zucchinis right?

Greek Yemista recipe is in a category of foods, that in Greece, we call Ladera (oily). That includes many Vegetarian Greek dishes cooked with plenty of extra virgin olive oil such as Briami, Green Beans With Tomato, Stewed Green Peas, etc.

Ingredients

You only need fresh ingredients to make these Greek vegetarian stuffed peppers and tomatoes. What you need is:

• Tomatoes, sweet and ripe.
• Bell Peppers (green, red whatever you prefer).
• Zucchini, you need a small one for the filling and a few larger ones for stuffing (optional).
• Eggplants (optional).
• Potatoes.
• Onion.
• Garlic Cloves.
• Basil, fresh holy basil.
• Spearmint or Mint will do.
• Parsley.
• Parboiled Rice (yellow, long grain).
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

NOTE: Some people add tomato paste, or tomato sauce to the rice and vegetable filling. I prefer to use just fresh grated tomato pulp as I find it goes best with the light and fresh flavors of this dish. But if the tomatoes are not sweet and ripe and in season, then some tomato sauce should be added to enhance the flavor.

The Filling

The filling for Greek stuffed tomatoes and peppers is made with fresh, raw vegetables and herbs. The rice is cooked inside the vegetables, in the oven. There are variations of the recipe, where the filling is partly cooked on the stovetop, before stuffing the vegetables.

I skip this step because I want to keep all the freshness of the vegetables and their flavors intact. And I find that sauteeing the onion and garlic for example before adding it to the filling, only makes it a bit heavier.

To make the filling for Gemista:

• Mince onion and add to a bowl.
• Mince a bell pepper.
• Grate a small zucchini on a hand grater.
• Grate 3 large garlic cloves on the finer scale or use a garlic press.
• Slice the top of the tomatoes and with a spoon scoop the insides.
• Grate the tomato insides on a hand grater on the large scale.
• Mince the fresh herbs (basil, parsley, spearmint, or mint).
• Combine everything in a bowl, with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The Rice Variety

Traditionally, Yemista are made with a type of medium-grain white rice that in Greece is known as Carolina rice. This rice makes the filling a bit sticky, it's easy to overcook and become mushy. That's why I prefer using long-grain parboiled rice for stuffing tomatoes and peppers.

Parboiled rice will hold its shape even if you overcook it slightly and won't release the same amount of starch as white rice and turn the filling mushy.

What Is Parboiled Rice?

Parboiled rice is rice that is partially precooked in its husk. This process also makes the rice more nutritious as it helps it keep nutrients that are otherwise lost during refining.

How To Make

To make Greek stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes (and zucchinis and eggplants if you want), begin by preparing the vegetables.

NOTE: You can use any vegetables you like. For example, you can use only tomatoes and peppers, or only tomatoes and eggplants, or only peppers, etc. Just keep in mind that 1 medium-sized vegetable equals 1 tablespoon of raw rice. For a larger vegetable like a medium-large eggplant for example, you will need about half a tablespoon extra of raw rice, so instead of 1 tablespoon of rice, you need 1 ½ tablespoon.

Slice off the top to create a lid. Then with a spoon, scoop the insides from the tomatoes (the insides are used in the filling, so do not discard them).

For the bell peppers empty and discard the insides. In case the stem of the pepper is too long trim a bit to flatten it.

Hollow the zucchini and eggplants using a knife to remove most of the flesh and then a small spoon or a fruit baller scoop if it's easier for you. Make sure to leave a thick wall lining, at least 1cm (¼-inch) thick.

TIP: If you are stuffing eggplant, make sure to scoop its insides at the last minute and stuff it right away, otherwise its flesh will darken in color.

When vegetables are ready, make the filling for Gemista as mentioned above.

Stuff the vegetables with the rice filling and then cut some potato pieces and place all around the vegetables in the pan. Drizzle with olive oil and add a small splash of water to the pan. Season the vegetables on top with salt and pepper.

Baking

Bake Gemista for about an hour in a very hot oven. The temperature should be 220°C / 428°F to give a nice roast on the vegetables. After the first 20-25 minutes of baking/roasting when the vegetables are nicely colored on top, cover with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. This also creates steam inside and helps the rice cook and soften.

After an hour in the oven, uncover, and if you like the veggies more roasted on top, or if there's still too much water in the pan bake for 10 minutes more uncovered. Sometimes the veggies will release more water into the pan if they're not too ripe for example. Ideally, there should be mostly oil leftover at the bottom of the pan. So give a final roast to achieve this.

Make Ahead

To make this Vegetarian Yemista recipe ahead of time, prepare and scoop the veggies the day before. You can even make the filling, stuff the veggies, and bake the next day, Or make the filling the next day and only prepare the veggies the previous day.

Whatever you prefer, depending on how much time you have on hand.

Storing and Reheating

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven covered with aluminum foil at 200°C / 392°F for 15-20 minutes. Or in the microwave, covered with plastic wrap for 5 minutes on high.

Serve With

In Greece, it's a must to serve Yemista with a big piece of feta cheese. Other Greek side dishes to serve with this delicious food are Spetsofai (Greek Sausage And Peppers), Fried Feta Cheese Saganaki, or a Greek Cheese Pie.

Recipe