Greek Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipes

GREEK GEMISTA - STUFFED TOMATOES & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Remove all tomato stems.Using a sharp slice off the bottom side of the tomatoes, cut about 1/8 of an inch or even less if you can. Save the little cap on the side.
• Very carefully scoop out the flesh, making sure you do not rip the tomato skin. Place the tomato flesh in a separate bowl and set it aside. Sprinkle each tomato with a little sugar and sea salt and turn them upside down to release their juices while you clean the peppers.
• Using again the sharp knife slice the bottom of the bell peppers, cut about 1/4 inch this time. Save the little pepper cap on the side.
• Very carefully remove the bell pepper flesh, rinse each underwater if you have to remove any seeds; make sure it's all clean, and no seeds are left inside.
• As you finish scooping up and cleaning each vegetable place it in your large baking pan, open side up. Cover each tomato and pepper with their little caps.

GREEK STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium heavy pot, heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin oil. Saute the chopped onions until golden. Now add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, minced garlic (or garlic powder). Stir in the chickpeas and cook briefly.
• To the same pot, now add the parsley, rice (which had been soaked in water and drained), paprika, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add the water and bring to a high simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Then turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and no longer hard nor too chewy. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
• While the rice is cooking, heat a grill or indoor griddle or skillet over medium-high. Grill the bell peppers for 10-15 minutes, covered, and turning over as needed so that the peppers will soften and gain some color. Remove from heat and set aside to cool briefly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Assemble the bell peppers open-side up in a baking dish filled with 3/4 cup broth or water. Fill each of the bell peppers with the the cooked stuffing mixture of meat, rice and chickpeas.
• Cover the baking dish with foil (making sure the foil does not touch the stuffed peppers) and place the dish on the middle rack of your heated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley, if you like, and serve.
• To serve stuffed peppers as a main dish Greek-style, add Tztaziki sauce and Greek salad for sides.

TINA'S GREEK STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the orzo in the boiling water uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic in the hot oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Crumble the ground lamb into the mixture; season with the oregano, basil, and salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the lamb is completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir the orzo, spinach, tomatoes, tomato paste, and feta cheese into the lamb mixture until evenly incorporated.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Evenly rub the outside of the bell peppers and the tops with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of them standing upright. Fill the peppers with the lamb mixture and replace the tops.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers begin to brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS, GREEK STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and ground lamb; cook and stir until the onion is tender, and the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Stir in the rice, salt, black pepper, and mint; cook 5 minutes longer. Add the water and parsley. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the water has been completely absorbed by the rice, about 15 minutes. Stir the chicken broth and diced tomatoes together in an oven-proof dish that will just fit the peppers. Scoop the lamb mixture into the bell peppers, and place them into the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the peppers are tender and the tomatoes are bubbly, about 45 minutes.

GEMISTA RECIPE (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS WITH RICE)

Steps:

• 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 will be the base for the tomato sauce for the 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 the 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 with as little flesh as possible, but be careful not to poke through their skin. Season the empty vegetables with a pinch of salt and sugar and add a little butter on the bottom of each one.
• In a blender add the flesh of the tomatoes, 5-6 tbsps olive oil, the tomato paste, sugar, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
• . In a saucepan add some olive oil and sauté the onions, until translucent. Chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, unit it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. It doesn't need to cook throughout as it will continue cooking in the oven. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• If you prefer your gemista spiced up with some meat, try sizzling 250grams (8.8oz) of ground beef with the onions in the step above. Once the beef juices have been absorbed and the meat is done, chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, until it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• Peel and chop your potatoes in bite-sized chunks.
• . Spoon the filling inside the empty vegetables, filling them up by about 2/3rds of the way up. The filling will expand a bit when cooking! Add your potatoes, spreading them out in between the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Finally spoon the filling liquids from step 4 and your sauce from step 3 inside the vegetables until full and pour the remaining in the baking tray. Cover the vegetables with their lids and add 3 cups of water in your baking tray
• Cover the Gemista with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 180C / 350F 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!

GREEK STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Take a thin slice off the base of each bell pepper so they stand up. Slice off tops just below stems. Discard stems. Remove seeds and ribs.
• Chop pepper tops and place in a bowl. Add beans, feta, couscous, white part of scallions, garlic and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Fill peppers with mixture. Place upright in crockpot. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.
• Garnish with green part of scallions and serve with lemon wedges.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

GREEK STUFFED BELL PEPPERS AND TOMATOES (VEGETARIAN)

Steps:

• Bring 4 cups of water slowly to a boil.
• While the water is boiling mix the Greek spices (if not using the McCormick's then use the mint, oregano, and parsley), and black pepper.
• Mix in the uncooked rice.
• Add the diced onions.
• Once the water is boiling, and the dry ingredients have been mixed, add the mixture to the water and cook according to the package directions for the rice.
• While the rice is cooking cut the tops off of the peppers/tomatoes, just enough to get a spoon inside and clean out the seeds.
• When the rice has finished cooking remove it from the stove and mix in the petite diced tomatoes.
• Spoon the mixture into the peppers/tomatoes.
• Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes (or until they are tender).