HOW TO MAKE Delicious Greek Stuffed Bell Peppers – Gemista

Stuffed Bell Pepper with Feta

How to make delicious Greek stuffed bell peppers, also known as gemista in Greek, is a vibrant and flavourful dish that embodies the essence of Mediterranean cuisine. This traditional recipe is versatile, healthy, and can be adapted to suit vegans, vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. Here’s how to create this delightful dish using rice, fresh herbs, vegetables, and optional ground beef for an extra boost of protein. I only used bell peppers this time around but you can easily swap out some of the bell peppers for large tomatoes, zucchini or eggplants.

Funny story; growing up, my mom never put ground beef inside her stuffed vegetables. So, I grew up never realizing that some people eat theirs with meat. That is, until I got married and made gemista for dinner. My husband was ecstatic but proceeded to ask where’s the ground beef and I was so confused! He had never had them without ground beef! It was then that I realized that different families make their stuffed bell peppers in different ways! Now when I make these delicious Mediterranean stuffed bell peppers, I make half without meat and half with ground beef. That way everyone is happy :).

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  • 12 large bell peppers (I used red and orange but you can use any colour)
  • 3 cups of rice, rinsed (long-grain, jasmine or basmati)
  • 3 cups of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
  • 2 zucchinis, finely chopped
  • 2 onions, finely diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1-2 cups of olive oil
  • 2 bunches of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 bunch of fresh mint (you’ll be using the leaves only)
  • A generous amount of salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 lb of ground beef (optional)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)
  • 3 cups of water
  • 9″ x 13″ baking dish

Prepare the BELL PEPPERS  

Carefully slice the top of the peppers and set them aside. Don’t discard them, you can place the tops on top of the peppers after you have stuffed them with the rice mixture.

Clean out the seeds, either by scraping them into a bowl or under running water. I personally like to do this under running water because the seeds tend to stick to everything and it can get messy. Just make sure you have a way of catching all the seeds, either with a strainer or a kitchen sink strainer, so you don’t clog your drain.

Remove the soft tissue or ribbing that is inside the peppers and set that aside as well.

Do this for all the bell peppers and place the cleaned out peppers in your baking dish.

Cleaned out bell peppers

Prepare the filling

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (176°C).

Place a large pot over medium high heat and add 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil and your chopped onions. Sauté until translucent.

If you will be using ground beef to make your greek stuffed bell peppers, place a second pot or sauce pan over medium high heat with some olive oil, onion and ground beef and start browning the meat.

Finely chop the parsley, mint, garlic, the soft part from inside the pepper and zucchini. Place them in the large pot along with the onion that is sautéing. Add the rinsed rice, the tomato sauce, a generous amount of salt and pepper and 1 cup of the olive oil. Continue cooking everything for a few minutes.

Add the water and keep stirring every so often until the rice has expanded in volume and it is parboiled. And again, if you will be using meat in your greek stuffed bell peppers, check on the ground beef to make sure it is browning nicely.

If you will be adding cheese, you can do this at this point and stir everything a little bit more.

You can also mix the cooked ground beef into the rice mixture at this point. Or you can do what I do and stuff half of the bell peppers with the vegetarian rice mixture and half with the ground beef added in.

AssEMBLE THE GREEK STUFFED BELL PEPPERS AND BAKE

Fill each pepper with the rice mixture, pressing down gently to pack the filling. You want to fill them until almost the top.

Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish and put the tops back on the peppers.

If you have extra of the rice mixture, just place it directly into the baking pan, next to the stuffed bell peppers. Side note, this is actually my favourite part of the gemista (greek stuffed bell peppers). The rice is soft and crunchy at the same time! So good!

Drizzle the remaining olive oil over and into the peppers. Pour a little more water into the bottom of the dish, to ensure there is enough moisture in the oven during the baking process.

Bake uncovered for about 2 hours or until the peppers are tender and the tops are slightly charred.

Allow the peppers to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can serve some sliced feta on the side of your delicious greek stuffed bell peppers.

Gemista before going into the oven
HOW TO MAKE Delicious Greek Stuffed Bell Peppers - Gemista
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HOW TO MAKE Delicious Greek Stuffed Bell Peppers – Gemista

Course: MainCuisine: Greek
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

1

hour 
Cooking time

2

hours 

Ingredients

  • 12 large bell peppers (I used red and orange but you can use any colour)

  • 3 cups of rice, rinsed (long-grain, jasmine or basmati)

  • 3 cups of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes

  • 2 zucchinis, finely chopped

  • 2 onions, finely diced

  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 1-2 cups of olive oil

  • 2 bunches of fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • 1 bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped (you’ll be using the leaves only)

  • A generous amount of salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 lb of ground beef (optional)

  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)

  • 3 cups of water

Directions

  • Carefully slice the top of the peppers and set them aside. Don’t discard them, you can place the tops on top of the peppers after you have stuffed them with the rice mixture.
  • Clean out the seeds, either by scraping them into a bowl or under running water. I personally like to do this under running water because the seeds tend to stick to everything and it can get messy. Just make sure you have a way of catching all the seeds, either with a strainer or a kitchen sink strainer, so you don’t clog your drain.
  • Remove the soft tissue or ribbing that is inside the peppers and set that aside as well.
    Do this for all the bell peppers and place the cleaned out peppers in your baking dish.
  • Preheating your oven to 350°F (176°C). Place a large pot over medium high heat and add 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil and your chopped onions. Sauté until translucent. If you will be using ground beef to make your greek stuffed bell peppers, place a second pot or sauce pan over medium high heat with some olive oil, onion and ground beef and start browning the meat.
  • Finely chop the parsley, mint, garlic, the soft part from inside the pepper and zucchini. Place them in the large pot along with the onion that is sautéing. Add the rinsed rice, the tomato sauce, a generous amount of salt and pepper and 1 cup of the olive oil. Continue cooking everything for a few minutes.
  • Add the water and keep stirring every so often until the rice has expanded in volume and it is parboiled. And again, if you will be using meat in your greek stuffed bell peppers, check on the ground beef to make sure it is browning nicely. If you will be adding cheese, you can do this at this point and stir everything a little bit more. You can also mix the cooked ground beef into the rice mixture at this point. Or you can do what I do and stuff half of the bell peppers with the vegetarian rice mixture and half with the ground beef added in.
  • Fill each pepper with the rice mixture, pressing down gently to pack the filling. You want to fill them until almost the top.
  • Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish and put the tops back on the peppers. If you have extra of the rice mixture, just place it directly into the baking pan, next to the stuffed bell peppers.
  • Drizzle the remaining olive oil over and into the peppers. Pour a little more water into the bottom of the dish, to ensure there is enough moisture in the oven during the baking process.
  • Bake uncovered for about 2 hours or until the peppers are tender and the tops are slightly charred.
  • Allow the peppers to cool for a few minutes before serving. You can serve some sliced feta on the side of your delicious greek stuffed bell peppers.

Notes

  • Feel free to experiment with different herbs and spices to tailor the dish to your taste. You can add different herbs such as dill or oregano. You can also crumble some feta cheese inside the rice mixture.
  • These gemista make for amazing leftovers. All the flavours from the aromatics and the olive oil really come together and make these greek stuffed bell peppers even more irresistible the next day. Simply store in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days.
  • If you would like to cut down on some of the time it takes to finely chop all your ingredients, you can simply place them in a food processor and chop them that way. Rinse out the food processor with some water and add it to your rice, as it’s cooking in the large pot, for some added flavour.

Gemista is not only a feast for the eyes but also a nourishing meal that brings a piece of Greece to your table. Enjoy this delightful dish with family and friends, and let the flavours transport you to sunny shores.

This recipe provides a basic structure for creating delicious stuffed bell peppers. Feel free to personalize it with your own cooking tips, experiences. If you liked this meditterranean recipe, you might also like this healthy, fresh and delicious bean salad.

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you do please leave a comment down below or share it with a friend.