Gemista
γεμιστά
Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with herbed rice — oven vegetables that taste of summer if the produce does.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: γεμιστά.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

About
Gemista are hollowed tomatoes and peppers filled with rice, onion, herbs and often a little mince, baked in oil until the rice is tender and the vegetables collapse. Vegetarian is a real plate, not a compromise.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Cut lids, scoop tomato pulp and chop it. Soften onion in oil, add rice, pulp, herbs and salt. Cook 5 minutes.
15 minStep 2
Fill vegetables two-thirds. Stand in a tray, oil, a little water. Lids on. Bake at 180°C 60–70 minutes until the rice is done.
70 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.
Substitutions
Mint → Dill
A different pie-adjacent perfume.
Tips
- Potato wedges in the tray are the usual extra.
- Mince in the rice is a meat version. This one is the fasting-adjacent tray.
History & culture
August. Also a tray that is better room-temperature the next day.
Stuffed vegetables are eastern Mediterranean furniture. Tomato made this version.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Photo and cooking: Badseed via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gemista.jpg
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Gemista take?
1 hr 40 min all in — 30 min prep, 1 hr 10 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 trays. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Vegan.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Mint → Dill. A different pie-adjacent perfume.
Any tips from this recipe?
Potato wedges in the tray are the usual extra. Mince in the rice is a meat version. This one is the fasting-adjacent tray.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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