Gemista: Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers

Greek Chef Giorgos Tsoulis brings you everyone’s favorite authentic Greek recipe – Gemista!
Tomatoes and green peppers stuffed with an amazingly delicious rice mixture that is full of fresh herbs and baked to perfection!
Please find this traditional gemista recipe below!
Gemista: Greek Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers
Ingredients
- 5 ripe tomatoes
- 5 green peppers
For the filling:
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 250 g glace rice glutinous
- 400 g tomato juice
- 10-12 mint leaves finely chopped
- 10 basil leaves finely chopped
- ½ bunch parsley finely chopped
- salt
- pepper
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 150-200 ml water lukewarm
- pine nuts (optional)
- raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170° C (338° F) Fan.
For the vegetables:
- Rinse the tomatoes and bell peppers. Using a sharp knife, slice off the top of each one so you have cap to cover them with once they are filled.
- Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the tomatoes. Add the flesh to a food processor and purée.
- Remove the pith and seeds from the green peppers. You can either discard them or purée them along with the tomato flesh.
- Using a sharp knife, slice off just a little of the bottom of the green peppers, to help them stand in the pan. Make sure you don’t cut through and create a hole.
- Arrange the vegetables nicely in a large 30×26 cm (10 x 12 – inch) roasting pan or ovenproof dish.
For the filling:
- In a large bowl, add the puréed tomato flesh, onion, garlic, rice, mint, basil, parsley, tomato juice and 50 ml (1/4 cups) olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
- Add the filling to the tomatoes and green peppers. Fill them ⅔ of the way, since the filling will fluff up when baking. Add any remaining filling in the baking pan. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining 50 ml (1/4 cups) of olive oil and add the lukewarm water.
- Cover the tomatoes and green peppers with their caps. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1 ½ hours. Remove the aluminum foil for the final 15 minutes of baking.
- When ready, remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Greek feta cheese for a completely authentic Greek taste!
Notes
Related: Greek Stuffed Eggplant with Chickpeas
Related: Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Feta and Capers
Related: Stuffed Mushrooms w/ Parmesan & Thyme
Related: Cheese-Stuffed Kebabs (Kaserli Kebab)
Related: Greek Meatballs (Soutzoukakia)
Related: Briam
This recipe was surprisingly easy to make, considering the number of ingredients. The flavors were complex and satisfying. Highly recommend!
Glad you liked the recipe, Maya. Thanks for being such a wonderful Chef’s Pencil fan.