The Tastiest Gemista Recipe (Greek Stuffed Peppers And Tomatoes)

Why is this the best gemista recipe?

Go to any Greek taverna and you’ll find gemista/yemista (pronounced ‘yemist-ah’ and meaning ‘stuffed’ or ‘things that are filled’!) on the menu.

Gemista are traditional Greek stuffed vegetables that are filled with rice and herbs and then baked with potatoes and a delicious tomato sauce. The potatoes are crammed in between the peppers and tomatoes so that they soak up all the yummy flavors from the veggies and sauce.

There are as many versions of this stuffed tomatoes and peppers recipe as there are restaurants and households in Greece. I tweaked my version over many many ‘makes’ until it was the tastiest it could be! There’s plenty of olive oil in it, like all the best dishes from the ‘ladera’ (pronounced ‘lather-ah’) group of dishes – coming from the Greek word for oil (more examples of these dishes include fasolakia (or Greek green beans), and gigantes or Greek baked beans, in case you’d like to try those too). There’s also plenty of the yummy tomato sauce in the dish, and I don’t hold back on the herbs and spices, so it’s really tasty.

It takes a little bit of time to prepare and assemble this classic dish ready for baking, but it’s very easy. It’s also truly worth it, in my humble opinion! And there’s no need for fancy side dishes – just serve with tangy feta and fresh crusty bread.

About the main ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

This is one of the longest ingredients lists you’ll find here on Scrummy Lane.

But don’t worry. A lot of the ingredients are herbs, spices and other flavorings. It might take a while to gather everything together, but as I said, it’s worth it 😉

• Peppers and tomatoes: Use the biggest, reddest, juiciest tomatoes you can find! These are sometimes called beefsteak tomatoes or just beef tomatoes. I often use green peppers because they’re easy to find, but yellow, red and orange are great too.
• Olive oil: You need more than you would think (but trust me) for the sauce, and more for cooking. Use a really good quality extra virgin olive oil. Preferably Greek! It makes all the difference to the final taste.
• Tomato sauce: The easy tomato sauce that you’ll pour all over the dish before you cook it takes it from good to incredible. All you need is olive oil, tomato puree/paste, garlic, sugar/honey, salt and pepper to mix with the flesh scooped out of the tomatoes. If you don’t have a food processor you can mix by hand.
• Rice: Traditionally, a Greek rice called Carolina is used, but any starchy rice such as risotto or arborio rice is fine.
• Ground beef (minced beef)
• Grated onion, zucchini and carrot: You can either grate using a food processor for quickness, or by hand. Grating them makes sure they cook in the same time as everything else.
• Garlic, canned tomatoes and tomato paste: In some places tomato paste is called ‘tomato puree’. If in doubt, it’s the concentrate that you need.
• Lots of herbs and spices, including dried oregano, allspice, cinnamon, and fresh parsley and mint: Don’t skip these, it’s part of what makes the dish just so delicious!
• Potatoes: Rice and potatoes? Yes, indeed. You need just 2 or 3 potatoes to cut into small wedges to tuck among the veggies!
• Feta cheese: You just can’t serve your gemista without a big hunk of feta cheese on the side. Just trust me on this one! I recommend an authentic Greek feta cheese brand such as Dodoni or Athenos.

How to make gemista

These delicious ground beef stuffed tomatoes and peppers are one of those recipes that’s worth the little bit of extra effort.

Here’s the basic (easy, 5 step!) process:

• Slice the tops of the tomatoes and peppers off with a sharp knife. Don’t throw them away!

• Scoop tomato flesh out and throw into food processor with a few more simple pantry ingredients. This will be your sauce for pouring over during cooking.

• Scoop seeds and ‘bits’ out of peppers. Stand hollowed-out tomatoes and peppers in a large baking pan.

• Make a simple rice, ground beef, vegetables and herb filling on the stove top. Cook it until the rice is part cooked.

• Stuff vegetables with rice and meat filling. Put the reserved tops back on. Tuck potato wedges into the spaces between the stuffed veggies.

• Pour tomato sauce you made over the top, along with some water. Then bake until the potatoes and vegetables are perfectly soft. Serve with a big wedge of feta cheese.

Just like this:

Make it your own (variations)

As with other traditional Greek recipes like moussaka or pastitsio (you have to try these too!), everyone seems to have their own recipe. It’s sometimes been passed down through many generations!

So don’t be afraid to create your very own perfect recipe. Some recipes leave out the tomato sauce but I think that’s one of the things that makes it so delicious.

• Fresh tomatoes not in season? Try stuffing a variety of vegetables such as zucchini/courgette, big onions (check out this amazing stuffed onion recipe!), mushrooms, or eggplant/aubergine instead. Use canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomato flesh for the sauce.
• Swap the ground beef for ground lamb, turkey, chicken or pork. Or skip the ground meat altogether to make vegetarian stuffed vegetables. Add more grated vegetables, or replace the meat with cooked lentils or beans.
• Vary the herbs and spices. Add some chopped dill if you like it (about a third to half a bunch) or even coriander.
• Add some pine nuts and/or sultanas or raisins to the filling. The dried fruit adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. I’ve had gemista like this, and it’s amazing!

How to serve it

This stuffed peppers and tomatoes recipe is a nutritious and satisfying all-in-one-meal that doesn’t need fussy side dishes.

All it needs is a big wedge of feta cheese on the side. And perhaps some tzatziki sauce. Some greeks also like to serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.

If you like (or you’re entertaining) you can serve a traditional ‘Xoriatiki salata’ (Greek salad) and this 2-minute toasted bread with it. Got a little extra time? This homemade Greek bread is easy, and so worth it!

Serve the meal hot or serve it at room temperature like the greeks sometimes do.

Tip: Don’t skip the feta cheese. In fact, be greedy with it. Eat a little bit with every mouthful!

Making it ahead, reheating & leftovers

This is a perfect meal for making ahead. You can literally assemble it to the point where you’d put it in the oven. Then keep it in the fridge until about an hour and a half before you’re ready to eat.

Leftover yemista will keep well for a few days in the fridge. You can also freeze it in sealed containers for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

This meal reheats really well. Just cover and microwave on full power for 5 minutes. Check then microwave again for another 3 to 5 minutes. I know that sounds like a lot but I find the rice filling in the centre sometimes takes a while to reheat properly.

You’ll also find you have quite a lot of the part cooked rice mixture left after stuffing your peppers and tomatoes. I usually freeze it for the next time I’m in the mood for yemista!

More delicious Greek main meals

• Greek oven baked fish (your new favourite way to cook fish!)
• Baked Greek chicken and potatoes or similar beef bifteki (classic everyday meals for a reason!)
• Traditional easy moussaka or authentic pastitsio (my favorites, and Greece’s answer to a lasagna!)
• Greek lamb with lemony garlic potatoes (highly recommended if you’re looking to impress!)
• Greek spinach and feta filo pie (spanakopita)