My favorite yemista recipe is this one. When the garden tomatoes are ripe for harvesting in August, it is the optimum time to make it. Tomatoes grown in a hothouse are simply inferior. Every time my mother prepared this, I believed I had passed over and was in heaven.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
Ingredients
- 8 large ripe tomatoes
- 4 large green bell peppers
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced, or to taste
- 2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ cups converted (parboiled) rice (such as Uncle Ben’s®)
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cut off tops of tomatoes, leaving a corner still attached to create a lid. Scoop out insides of tomatoes and transfer to a large bowl; squeeze juices out of tomatoes.
- Cut off tops of green peppers and reserve for later use; scoop out seeds and membranes.
- Arrange tomatoes and bell peppers in an 11×17-inch baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the melted butter until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add ground beef, soy sauce, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Cook until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Mix squeezed tomato insides and water into browned beef mixture; bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Add rice and bring to a boil; remove skillet from heat.
- Spoon beef-rice mixture into tomatoes; place tops onto filled tomatoes and arrange them into the baking dish with lid sides down.
- Stuff bell peppers with beef-rice mixture and top with reserved lids; lay bell peppers sideways in the baking dish. Pour olive oil over stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn bell peppers and continue baking until bell peppers and tomatoes are softened, about 30 more minutes.
- The size of the pan depends on the size of the peppers and tomatoes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 348 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 29 g |
| Cholesterol | 45 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 412 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 21 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Very well done, I enjoyed the dish and not a big Greek food person, but I loved this thank you, I am the kind of guy that would never change the recipe as that what it is and who is anyone to change it,if they do they should just keep shut,don’t like just say not for me anyway I loved it
The meat mixture is great, though I used Tobasco salt instead of regular. The rice needs to be cooked before stuffing and putting the tomatoes upside down is just messy. I’ll definitely do this again, but will try cauliflower rice. Excellent flavors.
This is good, but I don’t put soy sauce in mine. Soy is not a Greek ingredient. For a healthier version I substitute the beef organic ground chicken or turkey, or make them vegetarian with rice and toasted pine nuts. Also, use regular rice not the uncle Ben’s. I drizzle with olive oil and serve with feta (sheep’s milk real feta from Greece. Serve with Greek roasted potatoes and Greek salad. A family tradition.
I made a slight change with the last step. Instead of placing the lids on top, I made a light crust. A mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s how my Greek aunt used to make hers.
Freaking AMAZING!!
Delicious! When traveling in Greece, this was a favorite meal. Using really fabulous tomatoes is the key to this dish.
My mother in law’s recipe. I actually simmer the peppers in hot water not boiling for a minute or 2. I use the meatloaf package instead, of just beef. I find the mixed meat is much softer and tastier. I also use zucchini’s and add the insides of both the tomatoes and zucchini’s to the mix. I find dry mint adds a nice taste and smell.
Tasty! I didn’t have Season Salt but created it from scratch. I only made peppers plus added feta cheese at the bottom of the peppers and on top. When I baked them I cut off some of the bottoms so that I could stand them up and not have to turn them. My mom taught me that years ago. I’ll make it again and up the seasoning a bit.
I made this and is just like my moms and my yia yia`s, my moms mom. I only used tomatoes however cause my Mrs. dosen`t like peppers. I also added about 5 peeled and quartered potatoes and baked them with tomatoes in same pan. Just add a salad and you have a complete meal.
I made only a half recipe as there are only two of us. I precooked the rice in beef broth and used Cavenders Greek seasoning. Used a bit less meat but added some crumbled feta cheese to the cooled meat and rice mixture before stuffing the tomatoes and peppers. We both loved it!!
We could eat them all day, every day that’s how good they are.