🫑 Gemista
Gemista are Greek tomatoes and bell peppers hollowed out and stuffed with rice, onion, fresh herbs and the scooped-out tomato pulp, then baked in olive oil until soft and caramelised. The filling is fragrant with mint, parsley and dill. Gemista are a classic summer dish, served warm or at room temperature as a main.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large tomatoes
- 4 bell peppers
- 200 g short-grain rice
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, mint and dill, chopped
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- Salt, pepper, 1 tsp sugar
Method
- Slice the tops off the tomatoes and peppers, scoop out the tomato pulp and seeds of the peppers. Blend the tomato pulp.
- Soften the onion in 2 tbsp oil, add the rice, half the tomato pulp, herbs, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle a little sugar and salt inside the tomatoes, fill the vegetables three-quarters full and replace the lids.
- Arrange in a baking dish, pour over the remaining pulp, the rest of the oil and 150 ml water.
- Bake covered at 190 °C for 45 minutes, then uncovered for 20–30 minutes until the rice is tender and the tops are browned.
How to make it lighter
- Olive oil is generous in this dish — 2–3 tbsp instead of 5 still works (1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal).
- Use less rice and more herbs and onion in the filling.
- Add courgettes or aubergines to the tray for more vegetables per serving.
History
Gemista, meaning "filled" in Greek, belong to the wide family of stuffed vegetables cooked around the eastern Mediterranean. The meatless rice version is a summer favourite in Greek homes and tavernas today.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →