gemista

This stuffed tomato recipe is prepared Greek-style with a hearty, flavor-packed stuffing mixture of ground meat, rice with onions, garlic, fragrant spices like cumin, oregano, and nutmeg, and fresh herbs. A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil helps these stuffed tomatoes as they bake to delicious, tender perfection. Perfect as a main dish with Greek salad and Tzatziki sauce or as a stunning side next to lamb or lemon chicken. 

BEST Greek Stuffed Tomatoes (Gemista) 

rice

Extra virgin olive oil

red onion halved, mince 1/2 of the onion and slice the other

garlic cloves,

lb lean ground beef (you can use ground lamb or

Kosher salt and black pepper

tsp cumin

oregano

tsp allspice

nutmeg

tomatoes

white wine

water

parsley

spearmint

Rinse the rice well, place in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes until you are easily able to break one grain of rice between your fingertips. Drain.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. And begin working on the stuffing mixture.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and heat until just shimmering but not smoking. Add chopped onions (but not the sliced onions) and garlic, toss briefly until fragrant (do not brown the onions and garlic.) Add the ground meat, season with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, allspice and nutmeg.  Cook the meat for about 5 minutes or until fully browned and cooked through (use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart to avoid large chunks.)

When meat is fully browned, add drained rice it to the meat mixture in the skillet. Add crushed tomatoes, white wine, and water (a pinch of salt if you like.) Bring the saucy mixture to a boil, turn the heat down and let simmer for for just 10 minutes or so (the simmering is an optional step, but it is helpful to get the rice cooking a little bit.) When ready, stir in the fresh herbs. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Meanwhile, prepare tomatoes for stuffing. Cut tomato tops (about 1/2 inch from top). Set the tops aside (they will be used later). Take a small pairing knife and carefully go around the edges of the tomato to loosen/separate the flesh. Then using a spoon, carefully scoop out the tomato flesh. Chop the flesh into large pieces and set it aside of later use (see photo in the tutorial above).

Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan (this is the one I used). Oil the bottom of the baking pan with extra virgin olive oil. Spread chopped tomato flesh and sliced onion the bottom of the baking dish and add the chopped tomato flesh and sliced onion to make a bed for the stuffed tomatoes.

Now, spoon the saucy meat and rice mixture into the empty tomato shells. Arrange the stuffed tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Cover the stuffed tomatoes with the reserved tops. From one of the corners of your baking dish, carefully pour about 3/4 cup of water. Add a little pinch of salt and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in heated oven for about 30 to 45 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 45 minutes to 1 hour or so (a total of 1 1/2 hours or until the rice is fully cooked. The tomatoes will collapse well and become super tender.) Be sure to check during baking and add a little water if needed.

My family and I got back from a Euro trip almost two weeks ago. Greece (Athens &amp; Imerovigli, Santorini) was one of the countries we visited and we had so much good food there. After visiting the Acropolis, we stopped by a restaurant in Plaka and I ordered their Gemista and it was delicious. I loved it so much I just had to try and make them myself. I would rate my culinary skills somewhere along the lines of beginner. This recipe was easy to prep and cook and the end result was... well we were quiet while eating and enjoying the flavors. Plates were cleaned, bellies full, and happiness followed.

I ended up using four huge tomatoes I found that were the size of grapefruits. While in the oven, the tomatoes were sweating so much, it filled half the pan. I thought I might have ruined it or made a mistake somewhere but I ended up serving the tomatoes in a soup plate and spooned the left over juices.  So delicious.

Suzy, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all of your recipes!!! Can I use brown rice in place of white for this recipe, stuffed peppers or really any of your recipes calling for rice? Thank you in advance!

I'm making this tonight!  it's amazing how this recipe differs from Greek to Greek LOL. Respectfully however I feel that your recipe is more complicated than it needs to be. For instance, I have found that you do not need to precook the ground meat and associated ingredients before stuffing your vegetables, be they tomatoes or peppers. I do my mixture:  rice, raw ground meat and associated ingredients including spices and olive oil (I prefer to use pork or even ground turkey) mix everything together well, and then stuff the veggies prior to cooking.  

Also, I use the guts of the tomato, chopped up finely and added to the same meat mixture for added moisture - it helps cook the rice and keeps the meat tender if you're using something leaner. I personally do not use strained tomatoes in my mixture as I find them too overpowering due to their concentration. 

The length of time that they are in the oven more than cooks the meat through, and the rice plumps up nicely as well with the added moisture of the chopped, fresh tomato guts in the mixture. Lastly, I add some roast potatoes around the stuffed veggies and roast them at the same time. Just give them a quick toss in some salt and pepper, smoked paprika and olive oil and nestle them in between.

I grew up in Greece and have been cooking yemista for years, but never soaked the rice! I appreciate this tip!

Your recipe is delicious!

Fresh, juicy and loaded with flavor, these Greek Stuffed Tomatoes (or Gemista) are the perfect healthy comfort food. Naturally paleo, whole 30 and vegan!

Paleo Greek Stuffed Tomatoes (Gemista)

beef tomatoes, large tomatoes, see notes*

olive oil

red onions,

garlic

cauliflower rice

480 ml juice

dill

mint

tbsp parsley

35 g pine nuts

raisins

salt

Cut off the tomatoes' tops and carefully scoop...

Cut off the tomatoes' tops and carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Keep the lids.

Blend the scooped out flesh of the tomatoes...

Blend the scooped out flesh of the tomatoes until smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in pan.

Sauté onions for 3 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.

Add riced cauliflower and tomato juice. Stir until...

Add riced cauliflower and tomato juice. Stir until combined.

Add dill, mint, parsley, pine nuts, raisins and...

Add dill, mint, parsley, pine nuts, raisins and salt.

Stir until well combined.

Simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Add nutritional yeast and stir.

Scoop into tomatoes and put tops back on.

Place tomatoes in baking try.

Bake at 200°C/390°F for 45 minutes.

A simple how-to for flavor-packed Greek rice-stuffed vegetables (Gemista/Yemista). This &quot;one size fits all&quot; recipe works wonders for Greek stuffed peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onion, and tomatoes! Best of all, this recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and packed with color, flavor, and nutrients!

Greek Stuffed Vegetables with Rice (Gemista/Yemista)

eggplants

zucchini

bell peppers (red, green,

onions

rice (short

oz onions (2 medium-sized; white

tomato paste

tsp salt

oz parsley or dill (or a bit of both)

Wash and dry the vegetables well.

Core them, scooping out their flesh and transferring it to a bowl.To core the peppers, tomatoes, and onions (peel or leave unpeeled), first slice off the top and then use a spoon to scoop out the middles (ensuring you don&#39;t pierce the veggie &quot;walls&quot;). For the zucchini, slice them in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin &quot;wall.&quot;

For the eggplant, I recommend pre-baking it (without coring). Slice the eggplant in two, score lightly down the middle of each half, and then bake for about 15 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC.You can also optionally fry the zucchini and onions before stuffing them to tenderize and &quot;brown&quot; them slightly.  However, I skip this &quot;extra step&quot; to save time and still love the results.

Once all the vegetables are prepared, oil them (inside and out) and lay them on a large baking tray.

Step 1: Core the vegetables

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and finely dice the onions (if you&#39;re making stuffed onions, you can use the scooped-out flesh without needing any extras). At the same time, mince the herbs, and rinse the rice (until the water runs almost clear).

Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook, stirring often, until translucent (3-4 minutes). Then add all the remaining vegetable pulp (roughly chopped), the tomato paste, and salt, mixing well.

Add the rinsed rice and water, mix well, and then cover and cook until around 90% cooked (follow the package instructions, minus about 4 minutes). Just before it&#39;s ready, add in the minced herbs and dried mint and stir to combine.

Step 2: Prepare the tomato &quot;sauce&quot;

Stuff the vegetables with the rice mixture, making sure not to overfill, as the rice will still slightly expand when baking in the oven. Once filled, add all the &quot;lids&quot; to the vegetables.

Bake for between 30-35 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC, or until the vegetables are tender with a cooked rice filling.The open-faced veggies (zucchini and eggplant) can &quot;dry out&quot; slightly while baking. To avoid this, you can bake the stuffed vegetables covered in tin foil (the entire pan) for the first 20 minutes before removing it for the last ten minutes.Optionally, you can broil the vegetables at the beginning (before stuffing) or at the end of the baking process for more of a char on the veggies.

Remove the Greek stuffed vegetables from the oven and serve optionally topped with extra herbs, cheese (like feta or vegan feta), tzatziki, or a dollop of yogurt (dairy or dairy-free), and some lemon wedges. I also recommend further drizzling with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil before serving.

Step 3: Bake the stuffed vegetables

Make ahead: you can core and stuff the vegetables up to a day in advance and store them, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator until you&#39;re ready to bake them. You can also freeze the rice-stuffed vegetables pre-baking (be aware that certain vegetables – particularly tomatoes - are more likely to &quot;collapse&quot; when thawed and baked. They won&#39;t look great but will taste amazing, still) for between 2-3 months. Store: once baked, allow the stuffed vegetables to cool and then store in an airtight container for up to four days.Reheat: you can reheat the baked stuffed vegetables either in the microwave or in the oven, in a large baking pan filled with around a cup of water at 400ºF/200ºC, until thoroughly warmed.

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