Yemista Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers
Serves 4
20 mins prep
60 mins cook
80 mins total
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.
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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.