Gemista

γεμιστά

Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with herbed rice — oven vegetables that taste of summer if the produce does.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: γεμιστά.

0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.

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Measurement system
Prep
30 min
Cook
1 hr 10 min
Total
1 hr 40 min
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
No chilli
Cost
Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
Source photograph of Gemista. Not official I Want Some Food pixel artwork.
Photo: Photo and cooking: Badseed via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

About

Gemista are hollowed tomatoes and peppers filled with rice, onion, herbs and often a little mince, baked in oil until the rice is tender and the vegetables collapse. Vegetarian is a real plate, not a compromise.

Ingredients

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

  1. Step 1

    Cut lids, scoop tomato pulp and chop it. Soften onion in oil, add rice, pulp, herbs and salt. Cook 5 minutes.

    15 min
  2. Step 2

    Fill vegetables two-thirds. Stand in a tray, oil, a little water. Lids on. Bake at 180°C 60–70 minutes until the rice is done.

    70 min

Adapt this recipe

The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.

Substitutions

  • Mint Dill

    A different pie-adjacent perfume.

Tips

  • Potato wedges in the tray are the usual extra.
  • Mince in the rice is a meat version. This one is the fasting-adjacent tray.

History & culture

August. Also a tray that is better room-temperature the next day.

Stuffed vegetables are eastern Mediterranean furniture. Tomato made this version.

Traditional

Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Photo and cooking: Badseed via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemista.jpg

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.

How long does Gemista take?

1 hr 40 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 10 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 trays. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Mixing bowl, Oven.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

What can I use instead?

Mint → Dill. A different pie-adjacent perfume.

Any tips from this recipe?

Potato wedges in the tray are the usual extra. Mince in the rice is a meat version. This one is the fasting-adjacent tray.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.

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