I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! Gemista (pronounced “yeh-mee-stah” means stuffed or filled with) is one of my top three favourite Greek dishes… it’s right up there with rizogalo (rice pudding) and spanakopita, and I think it may just become one of your favourite recipes, too!

This gemista recipe uses both ground beef and rice, so it’s not vegetarian, but it can be dairy-free if you don’t add parmesan cheese on top, or you can use your favourite dairy-free parmesan cheese alternative. This recipe makes enough filling for between 10-12 tomatoes and bell peppers.

If you have any extra filling left over, you can add it to the pan with the tomato sauce and potatoes so that it can bake with the gemista.  I usually suggest about two pieces per serving if you’ll be enjoying gemista as a main dish, so this recipe would be good for about 5-6 people.

Gemista is a classic Greek dish and a comforting traditional recipe to make when you want to use up those fresh summer vegetables! This recipe is for authentic Greek stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers with delicious ground beef and herby rice filling. This recipe makes between 10-12 stuffed peppers and tomatoes, so it’s a satisfying and rustic meal served right from the baking dish. Gemista is often enjoyed as a main dish with a side of feta cheese and fresh bread, or you can also serve gemista as a side dish.

INGREDIENT NOTES

Tomatoes: Ripe, bright red tomatoes will provide the most flavour.   Tomatoes peak in late summer, so this would be the perfect Greek recipe to use all those fresh tomatoes.

You’ll want to select tomatoes that are larger so that there’s room once you hollow out the tomatoes to add the filling. It can be a little tricky to scoop out the tomato filling, so I love using this grapefruit spoon to scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. It’s like using a knife and a spoon at the same time… genius!

Bell peppers: You can choose either orange, yellow, red, or green peppers. I usually use a variety of orange, yellow or red peppers because they’re sweeter. If you remember, try to pick bell peppers with four points on the bottom so they can stand up without falling over in the baking dish.

You may get some weird looks from people in the grocery store, wondering why you’re spending so much time looking at bell peppers, but that’s ok! Another note is that the tomatoes and bell peppers should be similar in size so that they can bake evenly, and try not to get bell peppers that are too tall since the tops may burn more easily.

Ground beef: I usually use lean ground beef. Extra-lean ground beef will be too dry, but if you’re looking for a meat variation, you could use ground chuck, ground turkey, or ground sausage could be really good too!

Rice: I find that short-grain white rice works really well since it absorbs more of the sauce, whereas long-grain rice stays firm. I like to use Kokuho Rose short-grain white rice.

Olive oil: This recipe uses plenty of olive oil, but that’s where so much of the flavour comes from. If you can, use great quality extra virgin olive oil since it will make a difference in the final taste.

Fresh herbs (parsley, mint, and basil): Fresh herbs are delicious for this recipe, and I’d recommend using fresh herbs if you can.  The fresh herbs should be washed, patted dry, de-stemmed and chopped.  They don’t need to be chopped too finely since they will shrink in the filling and when baking.

Potatoes: I like to use Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe. The delicious gemista is the main star of this dish, but flavourful potatoes are a surprise bonus for your tastebuds. They cook in the baking dish as the gemista bakes, absorbing so much flavour! 

I usually suggest about one potato per person. How you cut the potatoes is up to you, but I’ll usually slice the potato in half and then slice it again in half lengthwise to end up with four wedges from one potato.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK GEMISTA: STEP BY STEP 

STEP 1: Wash and prepare the bell peppers and tomatoes.  Cut the bell peppers along the tops (as close to the top as you can) so that you have a bottom and a lid. Remove and discard the seeds and filling from the peppers. *important* when you slice a pepper, keep the lid for that pepper close to it so that when it’s time to cover the peppers, you know which lid goes with what pepper.

For the tomatoes, cut along the top of the tomato to create a lid or a cap.  But don’t slice all the way through instead, leave a little bit of the lid attached to the tomato. Use a knife to cut around the perimeter and a spoon to scoop out the inside of the tomatoes, or if you have it, a grapefruit spoon will make this process a lot quicker!

You’ll need to keep the flesh of the tomatoes because we’re going to add it to the gemista filling. Once you’ve scooped out all of the tomato fillings, use your hands or a fork to squish the tomato filling into smaller pieces. You can use a food processor if you’d like, but you don’t need to. Reserve about 1/4 cup of this tomato filling because we’ll be adding it to the bottom of the bell peppers later in this recipe. Place the tomatoes and peppers upright in your baking dish.

STEP 2: Lightly roast the pine nuts.  Preheat your oven to 200°F on bake.  Spread the pine nuts on an oven-safe pan and place the pan in the preheated oven. Allow the pine nuts to bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Then, remove them from the oven and set them aside. Nuts have a high fat content, so be careful not to have the heat too high and keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

STEP 3: Make the gemista filling.  Heat up 3/4 cup of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add two cups of diced onion. Sauté on medium-low heat until the onions are translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Then, add in the diced garlic. Continue to cook the onions with garlic until the garlic becomes fragrant (about 5 minutes). Then add in all of the ground beef. Use a large fork to break up the ground beef into small pieces.

Continue to sauté the onions, garlic, and ground beef on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Then, add in the salt, seasoning salt, sugar, Italian seasoning, black pepper, Greek all-purpose seasoning, and dry oregano. Mix together. Add in the tomato filling (from the scooped-out tomatoes) and allow the ingredients to simmer together for 10-15 minutes.

After 10-15 minutes, add in the chopped mint, fresh parsley, fresh basil, and roasted pine nuts. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes on low heat. Finally, add the rice and stir together for a few minutes, then turn off the element and set aside.  The rice is going to cook inside the gemista in the oven.

STEP 4: Cut and season the potatoes.  Peel the potatoes and then slice them in half and then in half again lengthwise to get four pieces per potato. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the potato wedges, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix together so the potatoes are well coated and set aside.

STEP 5: Assemble the gemista.  Add about one tablespoon of tomato juice (from the reserved tomato flesh earlier) to the inside of each pepper and sprinkle a pinch of salt inside each pepper. Sprinkle a little salt and sugar inside each tomato. The sugar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.  You won’t need to add any tomato juice to the inside of the tomatoes since they will release their own juices as they bake in the oven.

Scoop the gemista filling from the pot into the tomatoes and peppers.   Lightly press the filling into the tomatoes and peppers and spread it evenly inside.  The rice in the filling will expand as it cooks, so be sure not to stuff the peppers and tomatoes all the way to the top. Place the lids back on the peppers and the tomatoes.

STEP 6: Bake the gemista.  Add the seasoned potato wedges to the pan and any extra liquid from the bottom of the bowl. Pour the can of Italian whole plum tomatoes (and the juice) into a separate bowl and use your hands or a fork to squish the tomatoes together to make a sauce.

Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar to the crushed tomatoes and mix them together. Pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes into the baking dish. Sprinkle the tops of the tomatoes and the tops of the peppers with breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

Bake the gemista uncovered in the oven at 350° F on convection bake and on the second to the lowest rack in your oven for about an hour and a half. Keep an eye on the liquid in the baking pan since you may need to add more water halfway through. The tomatoes and peppers will be soft and slightly wrinkly when they’re done!

RECIPE TIPS 

• This recipe uses a good amount of olive oil, but it adds so much flavour, so using a good quality olive oil will elevate the flavours of this gemista even more!

• The size of your tomatoes and peppers is important – ideally, pick tomatoes and peppers that are about the same size so they bake evenly.

• Want sweeter peppers? Stick with red, yellow, or orange peppers.  Also, when picking out bell peppers, look for ones with four points on the bottom so they stand up better in the dish.

• When you slice the lids for the peppers, keep the lids with their matching peppers. It’ll save you a headache when it’s time to cover them.

• Add a little bit of tomato juice (from the tomatoes) and a pinch of salt inside the peppers, and sprinkle some salt and sugar inside the tomatoes before stuffing them.

• Check on your gemista halfway through. If the baking dish does not have enough liquid, you may need to add 1/4 – 1/3 of water to the dish so that the gemista don’t burn.

• For the gemista filling, the ground beef should be fully cooked before stuffing the tomatoes and peppers.  The rice will still be crunchy in the filling when you stuff the tomatoes and peppers (that’s ok! The rice will absorb the flavours and cook as the gemista bakes in the oven.

• This recipe fills about 10-12 tomatoes and peppers, depending on their size. Any extra filling? Just toss it in the baking dish with the sauce and bake it too!

Gemista: FAQ

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