If you've never tried Gemista, you're missing one of Greece's most beloved comfort foods. These Greek stuffed vegetables with rice and meat taste like summer in a Greek village! For the meatless version (vegetarian Gemista), please see this recipe for Greek stuffed peppers and tomatoes.
In this post, I'll show you how to make the traditional Greek Gemista recipe, just like we do back home. We'll use a mix of tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis and eggplant, stuff them with a deliciously spiced rice-and-meat filling, and bake everything low and slow until each bite is bursting with flavor. It's an easy dish to prep ahead, great for feeding a crowd, and even better the next day (if you're lucky enough to have leftovers).
👉 For an easier dish, you can use only bell peppers (whatever color you like) and make stuffed bell peppers with rice and ground beef .
Growing up in Crete, Greek stuffed vegetables with rice and meat was a staple on our summer table. Always made with vegetables from the garden and enough olive oil to make ladera proud. Over the years, I've developed my own version that stays true to tradition but adds a little extra depth: the grated flesh of all the vegetables for richness, spices for warmth, and some raisins and pine nuts for that extra something.
For more Greek recipes don't miss the Best Dolma (stuffed grape leaves with meat and rice), this easy and quick recipe for summer pasta with eggplant, tomatoes and feta and the most crispy Greek fried zucchini chips, just like the ones served in a Greek taverna.
📋 Ingredient notes
To make this recipe you'll need the following ingredients:
Ground meat: Generally, lean ground beef is used in Greek Yemista, but if you prefer you can also use pork or lamb.
Tomatoes: They should be ripe but firm enough to handle hollowing without breaking apart.
Bell peppers: Choose your favorite colors or one of each (red, green, yellow, orange, light green).
Zucchini: In this recipe it is only used for the filling, but you can also pick 1-2 large ones for stuffing. Use their flesh for the filling.
Rice: short grain rice such as Arborio, Carnaroli or the Greek Karolina should be used. In Greece we have another type called 'nyxaki' which is used for gemista.
Fresh herbs: Parsley and spearmint are traditionally used in this version with meat. I don't like dill in this recipe, but you can add some if you prefer. If you can't find spearmint, use mint instead.
Pine nuts: Optional, but use them if you can.
Raisins: Optional, but use them if you can. Sultana or golden raisins are used for this recipe.
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities, please see the recipe card ⬇️ at the end of this post.
👨🍳 Expert Tips
✅ Hollow out the vegetables using a melon baller or a dessert spoon. Hold each vegetable in one hand, and use the spoon to scrape the side that's resting against your palm. This gives you more control and helps prevent the vegetables from tearing.
✅ Taste the filling to check for salt. It really makes a difference!
✅ When cutting the lids off the vegetables, hold the knife almost vertically, with the tip pointing toward the center. This creates a higher cut, giving you room for more stuffing.
✅ Many recipes suggest covering the vegetables during baking. You lose flavor that way. Baking them uncovered allows the flesh to caramelize, adding depth and richness. Only cover them with aluminum foil if they start to brown too much before they're fully cooked.
✅ Choose vegetables of the same size to ensure even baking time.
🎥 Video
Watch how to make these Greek Gemista with meat:
🎵 Music on Video: Folk bed, Musician: Audionautix.com
📖 Recipe
Gemista: Greek stuffed vegetables with rice and meat
Ingredients
- ½ cup (60 gr) pine nuts ( optional)
- ⅔ cup (150 gr) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup (250 gr) short grain rice (soaked for 20' and drained. See note#1)
- 10.6 oz (300 gr) ground beef (lean)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
- ½ cup (120 gr) white wine
- 4 large tomatoes
- 4 large bell peppers (various colors)
- 2 eggplant
- 2 peppers (Bull's horn peppers, red or green)
- 1 zucchini
- 1 onion
- ½ bunch (30 gr) fresh parsley
- ½ bunch (30 gr) fresh spearmint (or mint)
- 4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ cup (60 gr) sultana raisins (or golden raisins, chopped, optional)
Instructions
- Before you start working, soak the rice in a large bowl with cold water for 20 minutes, then rinse and drain well.While the rice is soaking, transfer the pine nuts and 1-2 teaspoons of the olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant. Remove and set aside.👉 Pine nuts can burn easily, so stir continually and keep the heat to low/medium.
- In the same pot, transfer the ground beef and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sauté on high heat. Stir well with a wooden spoon to break any lumps (I've heard that a whisk can do a better job at breaking the lumps) then stir until the meat is golden brown.Reduce heat to medium and add the black pepper and the cumin. Stir for a minute, then deglaze with the white wine. Cook until the wine is evaporated, then remove the pot from the stove.👉 If you haven't drained the rice by now, it should be ready.
- Cut the top of each vegetable with a sharp knife.👉 Don't cut straight across horizontally. Instead, angle the knife toward the center. This helps you get the maximum volume out of each vegetable.Using a spoon or a melon baller, scoop out the insides of the bell peppers and the eggplant into the bowl of a food processor or food chopper. Scrape carefully to remove as much flesh as possible without damaging the outer shell.
- Process the flesh until finely chopped and transfer to a large measuring jug or bowl.Process the zucchini, the parsley, the mint and the onion until finely chopped and transfer to the measuring jug.
- Do the same with the tomatoes: Hollow them out and puree their flesh, then add the tomato pulp to the measuring jug.
- Measure the volume of the pureed vegetables. It should be 4 times the volume of the rice (before soaking). If it's less, add as much water as needed. (For 1.25 cups rice you'll need 5 cups of pureed vegetables)
- Transfer the pureed vegetables to the pot with the ground meat, and add the rice, the salt, the pine nuts, half of the remaining olive oil and the raisins. Mix well to combine.👉 This is a good time to preheat your oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
- Using a spoon, stuff the vegetables with the rice mixture, leaving about ½ inch (1 cm) of space at the top, as the rice will expand during baking.If you have any filling left, transfer it to a ramekin and cover with foil (or stuff one more pepper).
- Arrange the vegetables in your baking pan, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and bake uncovered for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Taste for doneness at 1 hour 15 minutes.Let them rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before serving (this allows the filling to absorb the juices evenly).👉 Only cover them with aluminum foil if they start to brown too much before they're fully cooked.
Notes
Nutrition
👉 If you tried this Greek Gemista Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Monika says
Thanks for putting this here. This dish always, ALWAYS makes me happy.
Makos says
Thanks for following Monika, I appreciate it a lot!