Gemista - Greek Stuffed Vegetables

This Greek Gemista or Yemista recipe features veggie and rice stuffed peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini. These vegan stuffed vegetables are full of flavor with rice, and aromatic fresh herbs, and loaded with chopped veggies. While it's a bit time-consuming because of all the chopping, it's worth the effort.

Greek Gemista is a staple in every Greek village home, especially in the summer when gardens are plentiful and bursting with tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Is it Gemista or Yemista? Technically it's Gemista, but the G (gamma in the Greek alphabet) is pronounced as a y - so it's phonetically pronounced ye-mi-sta.

If you love meatless meals, you also need to try my Greek Stuffed Onions, Greek Lentil Soup, Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach and Rice), and my Asparagus Feta Orzo recipes on this site.

Ingredients in Vegan Greek Gemista Stuffed Vegetables

Simple, wholesome ingredients make up this traditional vegan Greek Gemista recipe. This is a perfect recipe to make during Lent when meat and animal products are not consumed, or in the summer when the garden is bursting with fresh vegetables.

If you prefer to add meat to your Gemista, you can add ground beef or ground turkey. These honestly have so much flavor in the filling, you don't need the meat.

• tomatoes - hot house tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes are used to make Gemista.
• peppers - you can use any color of bell peppers, you want peppers that are small and sit flat when upright. I also chop a few mini bell peppers to add to the filling.
• eggplant - Japanese eggplant is used here as they are smaller and more tender.
• zucchini - we use medium-sized zucchini to stuff and also in the filling of these Gemista.
• onions and leeks - one large sweet onion is diced and used in the filling as well as 3 leeks and 4 green onions. The onion trio adds delicious flavor to the filling.
• mushrooms - the filling gets its umami flavor from mushrooms that are diced small and cooked with rice and veggies before filling the peppers.
• garlic - 4 cloves of garlic are minced and used in the filling.
• fresh herbs - Gemista is traditionally made with fresh mint and parsley that is found growing wild throughout regions of the Mediterranean.
• salt, pepper, dried oregano - the spices for Gemista are simple, and add great flavor to the filling and the peppers.
• long-grain rice - we use ½ cup par-boiled rice in the filling of these stuffed vegetables.
• celery - diced and sauteed with the onions, the celery gives great flavor and texture to the filling.
• vegetable broth or water - is used in the filling as well as in the pan for roasting the stuffed vegetables.
• tomato passata or jarred pasta sauce - is used in the filling and the braising liquid in the Greek stuffed vegetables. Yiayia's tip is to use a jarred pasta sauce with onions and garlic.
• potatoes - are cut into 2-inch pieces and roasted in the baking pan with the Gemista.

How to Make a Greek Yemista

Preparing Greek Yemista is easy, but requires an hour of roasting time from start to finish. It's a perfect Sunday night dinner meal, or you can plan ahead and prepare everything ahead of time, including stuffing the veggies, then refrigerate to bake later for an easy weeknight dinner.

If using zucchini and Japanese eggplant, trim 2 inches off one end. Dice the trimmed part and reserve it for the filling. Cut a small slit lengthwise down the center of the eggplant and place it on a baking pan along with the zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast the prepared zucchini and eggplant covered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Par-boil the rice for 10 minutes in boiling water.

Start by cutting the tops of the peppers and tomatoes and scoop out the insides to hollow out the veggies. Finely chop the tomato insides and place them into a bowl for the filing.

Once all the veggies are chopped and your peppers and tomatoes are hollowed out, you can prepare the filling.

In a large pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onions, leeks, and green onions until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add diced celery, chopped peppers, diced mushrooms, diced zucchini, eggplant, and chopped tomatoes. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute. Then, stir in the par-boiled rice and add the chopped mint, and parsley, and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.

In the skillet with the veggies, pour 2 cups tomato sauce (pasta sauce) and 1 cup vegetable broth. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Meanwhile, remove the zucchini and eggplant from the oven and cool them until you can handle them.

Using a small knife cut the top of the zucchini like a boat shape so that you can hollow it out and stuff it. Hollow out both the zucchini and remove the seeds and insides of the eggplant.

Place all the hollowed veggies into a baking dish and add the filling mixture. Scatter potatoes around the baking dish to fill any open space and help the peppers sit upright.

Replace the tops of the tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Drizzle generously with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.

In a measuring cup, mix together 1 cup of tomato sauce (pasta sauce) with ½ cup of vegetable broth. Pour this mixture over the stuffed vegetables and potatoes.

Cover the pan with foil and bake the Gemista for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking for the veggies to get some color.

Gemista Substitutions

Modify these stuffed vegetables by adding potatoes or cooked ground beef or ground turkey meat if you wish to make it even more hearty and filling.

What to Serve with Greek Stuffed Vegetables

Gemista is a meal in itself. In Greece, Gemista is served with a hunk of crusty bread and some cheese like feta or kasseri.

You can also serve it with a delicious Greek salad and a glass of red wine.

Can Greek Stuffed Peppers be Made Ahead?

Yes! Greek Gemista can be prepared ahead of time. Chop the veggies, hollow out the peppers and tomatoes, prepare the filling, and stuff the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Remove from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to bake.

You may need to bake for 10 minutes longer straight from the fridge, but it's easy to do and a time saver if you are preparing Gemista for a weeknight meal.

Gemista - Greek Stuffed Vegetables

This Greek Gemista or Yemista recipe features veggie and rice stuffed peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini. These vegan stuffed vegetables are full of flavor with rice, and aromatic fresh herbs, and loaded with chopped veggies.

5 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Gemista, Greek Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes, Greek Stuffed Vegetables, Yemista

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 567kcal

Author: Eva

Ingredients

• 2 hot house tomatoes
• 2 zucchini
• 3 Japanese eggplants
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
• ½ cup long-grain rice
• 3 leeks slices
• 4 green onions diced
• 1 sweet onion diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• ½ cup mini bell peppers chopped 4
• 4 small bell peppers red, yellow, green, and orange
• 6 mushrooms chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup mint chopped
• ¼ cup parsley chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 jar prepared pasta sauce 24 - 32 oz or tomato passata
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 Russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 2" pieces

Instructions

• If using zucchini and Japanese eggplant, trim 2 inches off one end. Dice the trimmed part and reserve for the filling. Cut a small slit lengthwise down the center of the eggplant and place it on a baking pan along with the zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and roast the prepared zucchini and eggplant covered for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Par-boil the rice for 10 minutes in boiling water.
• Start by cutting the tops of the peppers and tomatoes and scoop out the insides to hollow out the veggies. Finely chop the tomato insides and place them into a bowl for the filing.
• Once all the veggies are chopped and your peppers and tomatoes are hollowed out, you can prepare the filling.
• In a large pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil, and saute the onions, leeks, and green onions until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add diced celery, chopped peppers, diced mushrooms, diced zucchini, eggplant, and chopped tomatoes. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute. Then, stir in the par-boiled rice and add the chopped mint, and parsley, and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
• In the skillet with the veggies, pour 2 cups tomato sauce (pasta sauce) and 1 cup vegetable broth. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the zucchini and eggplant from the oven and cool until you can handle them.
• Using a small knife cut the top of the zucchini like a boat shape so that you can hollow it out and stuff it. Hollow out both the zucchini and remove the seeds and insides of the eggplant.
• Place all the hollowed veggies into a baking dish and add the filling mixture. Scatter potatoes around the baking dish to fill any open space and help the peppers sit upright.
• Replace the tops of the tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Drizzle generously with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
• In a measuring cup, mix together 1 cup of tomato sauce (pasta sauce) with ½ cup of vegetable broth. Pour this mixture over the stuffed vegetables and potatoes.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake the Gemista for 1 hour at 400 degrees. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking for the veggies to get some color.

Nutrition

Calories: 567kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 1328mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 4734IU | Vitamin C: 165mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4mg

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