Vegan Yemistes (Rice-Stuffed Vegetables)
This traditional Greek dish features a variety of vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini, generously stuffed with a fragrant rice and herb mixture. Baked until tender and flavorful, it makes for a hearty and satisfying plant-based meal. Perfect for a warm Mediterranean evening.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 2 hr 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Per serving
- 543 kcal
Mise en place
Ingredients
vegetables
- 4 pcslarge tomato, tops cut off, pulp scooped out and reserved
- 2 pcsbell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
- 2 pcsmedium zucchini, halved lengthwise, pulp scooped out and reserved
filling
- 1 pcsyellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 clovegarlic, minced
- 0.75 cupshort-grain rice, rinsed
- 0.5 cupfresh parsley, chopped
- 0.25 cupfresh mint, chopped
- 0.25 cupfresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsptomato paste
- 0.75 cupvegetable broth
general
- 0.5 cupolive oil
seasoning
- 1 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspblack pepper
- 1 tspsugar
side
- 2 pcspotato, peeled and cut into wedges
Equipment
large baking dish · large pan · measuring cups · measuring spoons · cutting board · knife
The method
Step by step
- 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a large baking dish.
About 5 min
- 2
Prepare the vegetables: cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp, reserving it. Halve the bell peppers and remove seeds. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the pulp, reserving it. Finely chop the reserved tomato and zucchini pulp.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: Save the tomato tops to use as 'lids' for the stuffed tomatoes later.
- 3
Heat a quarter cup of the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
About 5 min
- 4
Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- 5
Stir in the chopped tomato and zucchini pulp, tomato paste, rinsed rice, parsley, mint, dill, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the liquid has evaporated.
About 7 min
- 6
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the vegetable broth.
About 1 min
- 7
Arrange the hollowed-out tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini in the prepared baking dish. Carefully spoon the rice mixture into each vegetable cavity, filling them generously but not over-packing.
About 8 min
Cook’s note: If you have extra filling, you can bake it alongside the vegetables.
- 8
Place the tomato tops back onto the stuffed tomatoes. Arrange the potato wedges around the stuffed vegetables in the baking dish.
About 2 min
- 9
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the stuffed vegetables and potatoes. Pour about half a cup of water into the bottom of the baking dish.
About 1 min
Cook’s note: This helps create steam and keeps the vegetables from drying out.
- 10
Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
About 1 hr
- 11
Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the rice is fully cooked and fluffy.
About 30 min
Cook’s note: The potatoes should also be golden and tender.
- 12
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: This allows the flavors to meld and the rice to settle.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 543.4kcal
- Protein
- 9.3g
- Carbs
- 65.9g
- Fat
- 28.9g
- Fibre
- 8.3g
- Sugar
- 15.6g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store leftover yemistes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a microwave or oven until warmed through.