Yemista Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

4.50 from 2 votes

Yemista Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

My Yemista Greek stuffed tomatoes and peppers are a comforting vegetarian dish I love to make with ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers, rice, and mint. The combination fills my kitchen with the smell of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs. This is a simple, wholesome recipe my family always looks forward to.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

4 large ripe tomatoes
4 large red, yellow, green, or orange peppers
¾ cup long grain Jasmine rice , see note
1 large sweet onion , finely chopped
4-6 leaves kale , finely chopped (optional, see note)
½ cup parsley , chopped
3 tablespoons mint , optional
½ cup pine nuts , see note
½ cup currants , optional
½ cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed (see note)
2 large potatoes , peeled and cut into two inches pieces
¼ teaspoon sea salt , plus a few pinches (see note)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper , plus a few pinches
¼ cup olive oil , or use ½ cup broth or water to keep oil free

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and peppers and remove the insides. Save all of the tops to cover them later, but discard the inside of the peppers and keep the inside of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the cavity of the tomatoes and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Chop the tomato pulp well, I like to use a food processor but you can use a knife if you prefer. Take out half and set aside for later.
Add the kale, parsley and mint (if using) into the processor. Chop again until everything is mixed well. You can also chop these on your cutting board.
In a pot, pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil (or 1/4 cup broth if not using oil) and sauté the chopped onions on medium heat. You may need to add more broth/water if not using oil.
When the onions look transparent, add the rice. Mix with the onion.
Add 1/3 cup broth (use 2/3 cup if using long grain brown rice), cover and simmer over low heat until the liquid is absorbed, about 5-7 minutes. This may take longer with brown rice.
Add the chopped tomato pulp that has been mixed with the kale, parsley, and mint. Add pine nuts, currants (if using), ¼ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Let it simmer until most of the liquids have evaporated, about 3 minutes. Taste and make sure the rice is half cooked, and add more broth if needed and cook longer if it is not half cooked.
In the meantime, peel the potatoes, cut them into 2 inch pieces, and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Arrange the tomatoes and peppers in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff them with the half cooked rice mixture until they are 3/4 of the way full. Cover them with the saved tops and brush the top with olive oil if using oil.
Arrange the potatoes between them. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tomato pulp over the potatoes. Drizzle with the leftover olive oil if using.
Make sure there is enough liquid from the chopped tomatoes to cover the bottom of the pan, add the leftover broth if needed.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, checking periodically to see if more liquid is needed, you don’t want the bottoms to burn. If you need to add broth, make sure you heat it first (you can use the microwave or pot on the stove). Taste as you go to check the rice, if the rice is cooked then pull them out of the oven. If using brown rice you may need to cook it longer.

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to partially pre-cook the rice. Raw rice won’t cook evenly inside the stuffed veggies, and using fully cooked rice can make the filling too soft or mushy. I always simmer the rice until it’s about halfway cooked before stuffing the peppers to get the perfect texture every time.
Prepping The Tomatoes: When removing the insides of the tomatoes, be careful not to scrape too much. If the walls are too thin, they can collapse while baking. But you’ll still need to scoop out enough to make space for the filling.

Use A Food Processor: I like to chop the tomato pulp in a food processor. It gives just the right texture with small, even chunks and releases enough juice for the filling. You can also toss in the kale and herbs for easy, uniform chopping.

Type Of Rice Matters: If you use long grain brown rice, you’ll need more broth when precooking and may need to keep adding as you go until the rice is cooked halfway. Long grain rice gives a sturdier, more al dente bite, while short grain rice tends to be softer and chewier.

Check On The Broth While Baking: I always check the peppers while they bake to make sure there’s still enough liquid in the pan. If you need to add more broth, make sure it’s warmed up first so it doesn’t slow down the cooking.

Let the Yemista Rest Before Serving: Once they’re done baking, I let the stuffed vegetables rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This helps everything settle so they don’t fall apart when you slice into them.

Nutrition