Vegan Greek Yemista
Vegan Greek Yemista (Vegan Gemista) stuffed with rice, tomato sauce, olives, and zucchinis. Perfect for a winter’s night or light summer dish. Drizzle with olive oil or herb-infused oil for an added touch.
A traditional Greek dish gone vegan - warm and herby, topped with olives, and smothered in pasta sauce throughout, this is the perfect vegan Greek recipe for a cold winter’s night.
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Before We Get Started
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes
Ingredients
1 cup Basmati Rice (uncooked)
or rice of choice
3 Bell Peppers
3 Beefsteak Tomatoes
1 Yellow Onion (small)
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Zucchini
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Chili Flakes
1 cup Pasta Sauce
10 Kalamata Olives
10 Manzanilla Olives
Recipe
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Place a sieve over a metal bowl, and throw your uncooked rice inside. Run cold water over the rice, moving the rice about with your hands in the water. Continue running the water over the rice and agitating it until the water runs entirely clear. Drain.
This will take approx. 3-5 mins with constant agitating.
Throw the rice into a pot, and cover with an inch of water. Place a lid on the pot, and bring to a boil, then take the lid off, reduce to a simmer, and simmer until cooked through.
Read the instructions on your rice for timings, but take a bite of rice every once in a while because it might cook through sooner. Mine took ~7 mins.
Cut off the top of your bell peppers and tomatoes. Using a spoon, scoop out the innards, being careful not to break through the sides, leaving you with hollowed-out tomatoes and peppers. Slice a tiny bit off of the bottom, which will help the vegetables stand on the plate when they’re filled.
Don’t cut so far into the bottom of the vegetables that there is a hole in the bottom. This cut is just to provide a flat surface.
Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet or in a dish tray and drizzle some oil over them, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put them into the oven for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, take them out, flip them over, and place them back in for another 8 minutes.
While your bell peppers are in the oven and your rice is cooking, preheat a pan over medium-high heat with oil. Finely dice your onion and garlic, and dice your zucchini. Throw the onion and garlic into the pan with a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent and fragrant. Then, add your zucchini with another pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Once your rice is cooked, strain out the water and rice through a sieve and run the rice under cold water. Drain.
Add your chili flakes and oregano to the pan with the onion, garlic, and zucchini. Saute for 30 seconds before adding your rice to the pan, as well as your pasta sauce. Stir to incorporate, then taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed.
You will probably need another one or two good pinches of salt with the addition of the rice, but use your best judgement.
Dice your olives, and toss 3/4 of them into the rice, leaving the remaining quarter for putting on top.
Fill your peppers and tomatoes with your rice mixture, top with a bit more pasta sauce and the remaining olives, and place them into your baking dish. Put them into the oven for another 8-10 minutes.
Enjoy.
Spruce it Up
Add an herb-infused oil for a great kick of flavour.
Drizzle good quality olive oil over the yemista after they come out of the oven for added silkiness and flavour.
Toss in other veggies like summer squash or eggplant to change up the flavour.
Mix up your pasta sauce for variety.