Stuffed Vegetables (Yemista Lahanika)
Yemista is a favourite dish all over Greece, with every village and every household having their own style. The filling is often made with minced meat, but here, when I cooked with Athina, we added mushrooms instead. Delicious served warm with feta and fresh bread, and just as good the next day.
Ingredients 16
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
2 green long peppers, tops cut off, seeds removed
7 tomatoes
2 zucchini (courgettes), one whole and one grated
2 red onion, 1 whole, 1 finely diced
60 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
220 g short-grain rice (arborio rice), arborio rice works well here
1 tbsp tomato paste, concentrated purée
1 carrot, peeled, grated
100 g mushroom, finely chopped
500 ml water
1⁄4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1⁄4 cup mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp dill, finely chopped
feta and bread, to serve
Your new home
for cooking
Turn your recipe chaos into a plan for the week.
Browse 1000+ inspiring creator recipes
Unlimited recipe import from social media, blogs and more
Generate shopping lists and meal plans in seconds with AI
Method 13
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Peel and cut the into wedges, and put aside in a bowl of water so they do not discolour.
Cut the tops off the , remove and discard any seeds, and place the peppers in a baking dish.
Cut the tops off the and the whole with a sharp knife. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the tomato and zucchini flesh into a bowl. Mash the tomato flesh slightly to create a sauce and finely dice the zucchini flesh, and set aside.
Add the and themselves to the large baking dish. Add the to the baking dish. Drain the and tuck them into the remaining spaces in the dish.
Pour the into a pan over a high heat. Sauté the diced in the olive oil until soft. Add the and continue sautéing for 2 minutes. Add the and stir well to coat each grain with the olive oil mixture. This seals the rice and prevents it from becoming slushy.
Add the tomato and zucchini flesh, along with the , and , and . Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 5–6 minutes. (The rest of the cooking will happen in the oven.)
At the last minute, add the , , and and stir well.
Using a tablespoon, fill the , , and in the baking dish with the rice mixture. Only fill each one three-quarters of the way as the rice will expand more while it is in the oven.
You will have some leftover filling: mix through an extra 1⁄2 cup of and pour over the in the baking dish.
Drizzle a generous amount of over the vegetables and a little more salt. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and place in the oven for about 50 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue cooking uncovered for a further 15–20 minutes until the are golden and cooked. Keep an eye on it while cooking; if it looks like it is getting too dry, you can add a little more .
Serve warm with feta and some fresh bread.
