Yia Yia’s stuffed peppers are tender peppers filled with a meat and rice mixture topped with Avgolemono sauce. A thick, lemony sauce that adds a brightness to these peppers.
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I’ve been to Greece 4 times already! I have the best travel partner there is..my Dad! Amongst the sites, the food there is something special. As seen below, my dad and I are in the throws of stuffing vegetables, also known as Gemista, in the Greek language.
LIST OF INGREDIENTS FOR YIA-YIA’S STUFFED PEPPERS
PRODUCE: Peppers, onions, garlic, parsley
Ground Hamburger
Tomato sauce
Rice
Water
Salt and Pepper
TYPES OF VEGETABLES TO STUFF
Tomatoes: Vine ripened, Roma, heirloom or any garden tomato
Zucchini: Medium to large
Yellow Squash: Medium to large
Zucchini blossoms: You can either grow these in your garden or go online and order them/
Peppers: Green, yellow, red and orange.
TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE VEGETABLES
Tomatoes: cut the tops of the tomatoes off, set aside and scoop out the pulp.
Zucchini/Yellow Squash: cut one end of the zucchini and carefully place the tip of a corer into the center and remove the flesh.
Zucchini blossoms: Gently clean and spread open.
Peppers: Cut the tops off and parboil the peppers for 5 minutes. This softens them up just a bit.
PREPARING THE PEPPERS
Ok, so back to Yia Yia’s stuffed peppers. You want to pick peppers that have a nice shape to them. For this reason, it makes standing the stuffed peppers much easier. But nothing is perfect so here’s a trick…you can skim the bottom of the pepper with a knife to make the bottom even without putting a hole in the bottom. Just be careful not to poke a hole.
Start by getting a big pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While that’s in the process remove the tops of the peppers and set them aside. Tap out any rogue seeds and remove any membrane that will prevent you from stuffing. Once the water is ready, carefully place each pepper into their water bath. You will need to get them completely submerged. Add in the tops and boil for 5 minutes. No longer please and carefully remove the peppers one at a time draining out the water of each pepper. Place on a plate to cool. Moving on……
RICE MIXTURE FOR YIA YIA’S STUFFED PEPPERS
Time to make the meat and rice mixture. Take your hamburger, grated onion, garlic, salt/pepper and parsley and cook in a skillet until the meat is no longer pink. Drain. Put back on the stove, to a simmer, and add your tomato sauce, water and uncooked rice. Stir until combined and cover. Simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. About 15 minutes. I always check on mine while its cooking to make sure the heat isn’t so high that the liquid is evaporating before cooking the rice.
To finish up I grab a shallow casserole dish to put Yia Yia’s stuffed peppers into. Stuff your peppers all the way and place its top back on. I swear, I can never….ever…find the right top (unless of course I have 4 different colored peppers) to its original owner! Here’s a fun secret though, curtesy of the Greeks! If you accidentally throw your tops out or don’t want to use them for whatever reason, you can take a peeled potato and cut it 1/4 inch thick to cover your peppers. Remember what I said before? It can be one ingredient that can change a dish.
Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve immediately. I like to add a Greek salad to this dish or spanakopita (spinach pie). I hope you enjoy stuffing your face! ~Christina
YIA YIA’S STUFFED PEPPERS
4
servings30
minutes45
minutesPeppers filled with a flavorful beef and rice mixture. Perfect for a rainy night. Serve with a salad. You’ll end up being stuffed…:)
Ingredients
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, grated
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 Tablespoons of chopped parsley (1 Tablespoon of dry parsley is fine too!)
1/4 Cup of uncooked rice, rinsed
1 Cup of water
1 small (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
4 peppers par boiled *Note
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Get a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Remove the tops of the peppers and discard of any seeds or membranes (as best you can).
- Carefully place the peppers in the water (I use tongs). Make sure the peppers become fully submerged. Don’t forget to add the tops in as well.
- Keep the peppers at a rolling boil for 5 minutes and then carefully remove the peppers, emptying the water out of the peppers as you remove them. *Note
- Place par boiled peppers on a plate to cool.
- While peppers are cooling, let’s start our filling!
- Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add in your hamburger, grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and parsley. Continue to break down your meat and cook until no longer pink. Drain the meat mixture. Reduce the heat to low/medium.
- Return the meat mixture to the skillet and add the uncooked rice, water and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Cover until liquid is mostly absorbed, about 10-15 minutes.
- Take your meat/rice mixture and fill your peppers to the top! Place their respective “tops” back on and bake for 45 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve hot!
Notes
- If you don’t like peppers you can go ahead and substitute with tomatoes or zucchini. Neither one of these would need to be par boiled, but you will need to scoop out the insides before filling.
- When par boiling the peppers don’t over do it. Anything more than 5 minutes will change the shape of the peppers. You want them to hold their shape so you can stuff them easily.
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