Greek Stuffed Peppers with Mince and Rice (also known as Gemista or Yemista) is a great option if you’re looking for a simple and nutritious greek food recipe. Great for dinners or a hearty lunch, it’ll become a family favorite.
If you’re after a vegan or vegetarian option, you can follow this recipe and just leave the meat out. It’s also a great recipe to add to your list of Greek Easter fasting foods.
In addition to this, you can use the same method to stuff potatoes, tomatoes and zucchinis.
Greek Stuffed Peppers (Gemista)
Course: Main12
servings25
minutes1
hour15
minutesIngredients
- Vegetables
12 Peppers (Capsicums)
3 x Carrot (Chopped)
3 x Onion (Chopped)
1 x Eggplant (Chopped)
1 x Zucchini (Chopped)
5 Tablespoons of Crushed Tomato
- Meat
2 x Bacon Slices (Chopped)
500g Pork Mince
1kg Beef Mince
- Grain
1 Cup Medium Grain White Rice
- Spices & Seasonings
Vegeta Vegetable Gourmet Stock
Paprika
Pepper
Salt
Nutmeg
Brown Sugar
- Herbs
Fresh Parsely
Fresh & Dry Mint
- Condiments
Olive Oil
50g Tomato Paste
Directions
- Frying Off The Bacon
- Chop your bacon rashes into small pieces and them into a small frying pan. Cook the bacon until they begin to brown. Once browned, turn off the stove and leave the small frying pan to the side.
- Cooking Your Vegetables
- In a large frying pan, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add your chopped vegetables to the pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally to ensure all your vegetables soften during the cooking process and don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- De-Coring & Cleaning Your Peppers
- As your vegetables are cooking, de-core your peppers. Cut a circle around the top of the stem to create a hole and use a spoon to clean the inside of the pepper. There should be no leftover seeds or bits of the core remaining inside the pepper.
- Add Your Spices, Herbs & Bacon
- Once your chopped vegetables have softened and they’ve started to get colour, add the bacon pieces to the mix, and stir.
- Add 2 tablespoons of paprika
- Add 1 tablespoon of black pepper
- Add 2 tablespoons of dried mint
- Add 2 tablespoons of Vegeta
- Add 1 tablespoon of nutmeg
- Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- Add crusted tomato and tomato paste
- Add one handful of fresh mint, one handful of fresh parsley, one
- Mix it altogether and turn the stove off.
- Browning Your Mince Meat
- In another large frying pan, add 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the pork and beef mince using your wooden spoon to break the mince into small pieces.
- Sprinkle Vegeta to the mince meat as it browns
- Combining Your Mince & Vegetables
- Once your mince is browned and cooked, turn off the stove and transfer the vegetable mixture to your mince meat mixture. Stir to combine both together well.
- Add your cup of uncooked rice and stir through.
- Filling Up Your Stuffed Peppers
- Grab a spoon and begin scooping the mixture into your peppers. Use the handle of the spoon to push and poke the mixture into the pepper so that you can fit more in. Continue to scoop and poke until you reach the top.
- Once all peppers are filled, transfer to a baking dish lined with baking paper.
- Brush Your Stuffed Peppers
- In a small frying pan add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 a tablespoon of paprika. Mix together and heat on the stove. Once slightly heated, turn the stove off and use a cooking brush to brush the outside of your peppers with your oil and paprika mixture.
- Cooking Your Stuffed Peppers
- Add your peppers to the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes or until peppers are browned.
- Once browned turn the peppers around, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes until ready.
Notes
- Choose smaller peppers than larger peppers as the smaller ones cook more evenly.
- Instead of de-coring the pepper, you can slice the entire top off and then use the top as a cap to place back onto the pepper before it goes into the oven.
- Every oven is different, so it’s important to keep an eye on your dish to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Commonly Asked Questions
What Are Greek Stuffed Peppers Called?
In Greece and within many Greek households around the world, Greek Stuffed Peppers are commonly called Piperies Gemistes. If we are referring to multiple stuffed vegetables and not just peppers, Greeks will shorten the term to Gemista. This term’s direct translation means “stuffed”. We then assume that the dish being prepared will include stuffed peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchinis.
Why are my stuffed peppers watery?
A wet stuffing is usually to blame for watery stuffed peppers.
When cooking all your chopped vegetables together, don’t add water. All your vegetables will release their water content during the cooking stage, so adding more water is not required.
When cooking your peppers in the oven, try to avoid adding water to the base of the oven dish. I cook my Greek Stuffed Peppers on a baking tray on top of baking paper. I use a combination of olive oil and paprika to coat the peppers. The peppers contain a lot of water content within their skin, so adding more water will cause your peppers to sweat.
Should I Cook The Rice Before Adding It To My Peppers?
If you want soggy stuffed peppers, then go for it! If you cook the rice before adding it into your peppers and then the oven, you will overcook the rice. Overcooked rice will create a soggy texture within your stuffed peppers.
A lot of people worry that their rice won’t cook properly in the oven. However, remember that your peppers hold plenty of water and your vegetable mixture has plenty of oil.
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