Once again, I have been creatively using up the last batch of tomatoes from Janet and Bob’s prolific garden. As I mentioned yesterday Greek Calamari, we are already preparing for trip to Greece in May 2027. We have been watching all kinds of Greek tour videos, including videos about Greek food. Stuffed tomatoes keep coming up as a Greek staple. So I made them to go with my Greek calamari. 🙂
Greek stuffed tomatoes are part of Gemista (or Yemista), a historic Mediterranean category of oven-baked stuffed vegetables whose roots stretch back millennia. The practice of stuffing leaves (like grape or cabbage leaves) and hollowed-out vegetables with grains, herbs, and legumes dates back to ancient Greece and the wider Middle East. The use of rice as a primary grain stuffing became widespread during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, replacing earlier ancient grains like barley and wheat. These dishes are celebrated globally as a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, signaling the peak of summer from June to October when garden tomatoes and fresh vegetables are ripest.
Tomatoes are native to the Americas and were not introduced to mainland Greece until 1815, when they were first grown as rare ornamental “golden apples” in an Athenian monastery garden in Plaka. Traditional peasant communities were initially hesitant to eat them, but by 1827, the first Greek cookbook containing tomato recipes was published on the island of Syros. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the tomato became fully integrated into Greek agriculture and kitchens, giving birth to domates gemistes (stuffed tomatoes). The traditional recipes for Greek domates gemistes, or stuffed tomatoes, varies from region to region. Just like many favorite recipes, there is no such thing as just one recipe. 🙂
Stuffed Tomatoes
Normally big beefsteak tomatoes are used for this dish, but any kind of tomato will work. You can also stuff them with any kind of filling you like, from vegetarian to meat filled. Traditionally a combination of meat and rice is used, but it is really your choice. I used my leftover wild rice, my leftover nut topping and some hot sausage.
Preheat the oven to 375* F or 191* C
Spray a baking dish with cooking spray
4 large tomatoes, hollowed out
1 cup cooked rice
3 sausages, casings removed or ground sausage
1/4 onion, diced
2 tsp garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped olives
1 TBSP fresh thyme and oregano, chopped
2 TBSP chopped nuts, optional
shredded Mozzarella cheese and/or feta
olive oil for cooking
Get a skillet very hot and add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Cook for about a minute or two, or until the onions start to brown, then add the sausage and cook until the sausage is completely cooked.
Chop the insides of the tomatoes and add along with the fresh herbs and seasonings.
Once everything is completely cooked, fill the hollowed out tomato shells as full as you can. Top with the cheese and sprinkle the chopped nuts, or breadcrumbs if you prefer, and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft.
Enjoy next to your favorite entree or eat them on their own as a light snack. Either way, you are going to love them.
Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.
