Yemista me kima – Greek stuffed peppers with meat and rice Recipe
Yemista me kima are Greek peppers stuffed with a mixture of ground meat, rice, tomatoes and herbs, baked in their own sauce. They’re the meaty cousin of vegetarian stuffed vegetables that are often served in Greece in summer. The dish is similar to Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, but in a “no-wrapping” version with a strong aroma of oregano and mint.
This is a classic of Greek home cooking: juicy peppers filled with aromatic meat and rice, baked in a rich tomato sauce. The combination of oregano and mint gives the dish a distinctly Mediterranean character, while the method of baking everything together in one dish makes it both practical and full of flavor.
Chef's tips
Do not overfill the peppers – leaving about a quarter of the space free is crucial so the rice can expand without bursting the vegetables. If the tops of the peppers brown too quickly, cover them loosely with a piece of foil. For extra flavor, you can drizzle the peppers with a little olive oil just before the final baking stage without the foil.
How to serve
Serve warm or at room temperature, with Greek yogurt or tzatziki and fresh bread to soak up the sauce. A simple green salad or a tomato and cucumber salad with red onion and olives will complement the dish perfectly. It also works well as part of a larger Mediterranean-style spread with other meze.
Ingredients
- pepper medium, assorted colors - 8 piece
- ground beef and pork - 500 g
- rice short-grain or risotto rice, uncooked - 120 g
- tomatoes finely chopped or grated - 3 piece
- onion finely chopped - 1 piece
- garlic chopped - 3 clove
- parsley chopped - 2 tablespoon
- fresh mint chopped, optional - 1 tablespoon
- canned tomatoes chopped, for the sauce - 200 g
- water for the sauce - 200 ml
- olive oil - 4 tablespoon
- dried oregano - 1 teaspoon
- salt or to taste - 1.5 teaspoon
- black pepper - 0.5 teaspoon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Wash the peppers, cut off the top part with the stem like a “lid” and set aside. Remove the seeds and white membranes from the inside, taking care not to damage the walls.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3–5 minutes over medium heat, until softened and slightly translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 more minute.
- Add the ground meat, break it up with a spatula and fry for 6–8 minutes, until it turns brown and there are no raw pieces left.
- Add the rice, fresh tomatoes, parsley, mint, oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt and half of the pepper. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the rice absorbs some of the tomato juice. Remove from the heat – the rice will finish cooking in the oven.
- Arrange the peppers snugly in a baking dish. Fill them with the stuffing to about 3/4 of their height, leaving room for the rice to swell. Cover each pepper with the cut-off “lid”.
- In a bowl, mix the canned tomatoes, water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the remaining salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into the bottom of the dish around the peppers.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20–25 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the rice inside is cooked.
- After removing from the oven, let the peppers rest for 10–15 minutes – the filling will firm up slightly and they will be easier to serve.
Storage
Papryki przechowuj w lodówce w naczyniu przykrytym folią. Podgrzewaj w piekarniku pod przykryciem lub w mikrofalówce. Można mrozić pojedyncze sztuki do 2 miesięcy, najlepiej bez sosu lub z niewielką jego ilością.
