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greek stuffed peppers (gemista)

greek stuffed peppers (gemista)

👨‍🍳 Chefy Tip: Toast the rice until it smells nutty, not burnt — 2 minutes over medium. Stir constantly. When you add the tomatoes, scrape the bottom of the pan hard with your spoon. That's the flavor fond building into the whole filling.

Serves
4
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost
Budget-Friendly
Calories
340
Carbs
58g
Protein
6g
Fat
10g

Flavor Profile

🫑 Sweet and caramelized from roasted bell pepper
🍅 Tangy and juicy from tomatoes in the filling
🌿 Bright and cooling from fresh mint and parsley
🧄 Savory depth from garlic and olive oil
🌾 Starchy and filling from herb-seasoned rice

Ingredients

🫑 4 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
🌾 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
🍅 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
🧅 1 medium onion, finely diced
🧄 3 cloves garlic, minced
🌿 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
🌿 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
🛢️ 3 tbsp olive oil
🧂 1 tsp sea salt
🌶️ 1/2 tsp black pepper
💧 1 cup vegetable broth

Instructions

01

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sauté onion in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

02

Add rice and toast 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, mint, parsley, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.

03

Place peppers upright in a baking dish and fill with rice mixture, leaving 1/2 inch at top. Pour broth into the dish, drizzle with remaining oil, and replace pepper tops.

04

Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 more minutes until peppers are tender and tops are golden.

🧬 Food Science

In Greece, gemista are traditionally made with a mix of peppers and tomatoes stuffed together, using the scooped-out tomato flesh in the filling. Bell peppers are exceptionally high in vitamin C — a red pepper contains three times more than an orange.

Pair It

🥂 A light Greek Moschofilero or sparkling water with lemon.
🍽️ Serve with a simple Greek salad and Kalamata olives.