Ingredients

8 tomatoes

8 green bell peppers

1-2 eggplants (optional)

5 potatoes, cut into quartered

1 1/2 cup  olive oil 

1 red onions, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1  medium zucchini shredded

1 1/2 cup un -cooked short grain rice 

a small bunch of fresh mint, chopped or 1/2 cup 

2 tbsps tomato paste

2 tsps sugar

1/2 cup of Breadcrumbs

salt and freshly ground pepper ,olive oil and oregano    To prepare this delicious Greek stuffed tomatoes recipe, start by washing thoroughly your vegetables. Slice off the top of the tomatoes; using a spoon remove the flesh of the tomatoes and keep it in a bowl. The flesh of the tomatoes  not the seeds ,will be the base for the tomato sauce for the  Stuffed vegetables(Gemista.) Slice off the top of the eggplants and remove the flesh, using a spoon. Cut the flesh of the eggplants in small cubes and set aside, as you will use them later for the filling of theStuffed vegetables (Gemista).Slice off the top of the peppers and remove the seeds and white parts from the inside. Place the empty vegetables on a large baking tray. Try to leave the vegetables as thin as possible, leaving just a little of the flesh, but be careful not to poke through their skin. Season the empty vegetables with a pinch of salt and sugar and add a little olive oil on the bottom of each one.

Prepare the sauce for the stuffed vegetables (Gemista).In a blender add the flesh of the tomatoes, and mix to combine. Set aside.Prepare the filling for the stuffed vegetables( Gemista).In a saucepan add the olive oil and sauté the onions,  garlic and tomato past . add  the  tomatoes shredded zucchini and sauté add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, for 5 minutes Pour in 1 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. As soon as the liquid has been absorbed, the stuffing is ready. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh mint Assemble the Stuffed vegetables(Gemista) Spoon the filling inside the empty vegetables . Now start cutting the potatoes.  peel them and cut them into quarters, place in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon oregano, some salt and pepper Mix well (with your hands preferably). Add the potatoes to the pan, making sure to place around the tomatoes and peppers so they don’t slide in the tray. If there is any rice mixture left mix it with the quartered potatoes and add to to the pan. grated cheese of your choice and  bread crumbs and  extra olive oil on the covered vegetables.

Cover the Gemista with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 60-75 minutes. Halfway through cooking time remove the aluminium foil and bake, until nicely coloured.

The Gemista are equally delicious, served either warm or even straight out of the fridge. Just pair them with some salty feta cheese and enjoy!

 This recipe has no animal products, so perfect for vegetarians too! And if you don’t add the cheese it’s also a Vegan dish!! 

. By adding potatoes you actually have a whole meal !

There is olive oil in this dish and it is important that you use it, otherwise you won’t get this melt-in-your mouth sensation. Trust me.

This is also a comfort food for me, but as opposed to many comfort foods this one is healthy. At first glance you may think it’s a starchy dish, but once you take a look at this recipe you will notice that there are plenty of vegetables, to be exact, for each gemisto you eat you get almost 2 servings of vegetables. 

If you well like you can also add 

Raisins and pine nuts unbelievably tasty!! 

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