GEMISTA DECONSTRUCTED RICE: ROASTED BELL PEPPERS WITH GROUND BEEF AND RICE PILAF
Ingredients
- 2-3 bell peppers, cut into chunks
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups pureed canned tomatoes (any kind: whole, chopped…it
- doesn’t matter because you will puree them)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cups water
- Pinch of crushed red pepper
- flakes
- Salt (about 2 teaspoons)
- Black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh
- parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried dill or basil
- feta and lemons for garnish
Instructions
- I love eating Gemista also known as stuffed bell pepper and tomatoes. The flavor of the roasted veggies gets infused into the rice stuffing and creates magic! It is a delicious dish that takes pretty long to make (and it's definitely worth every minute) but sometimes time is my enemy.....
- So, here's a tasty and easy to prepare recipe that will satisfy that gemista craving. Also, with Thanksgiving coming up soon, this wood make a fabulous stuffing with the addition of toasted pine nuts and maybe a few raisins. Delicious!
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Place cut bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss around to coat and broil about 12 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
- In the meantime place the onions with the olive oil in a pot and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until soft and golden. Add chopped garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden. Be careful not to burn.
- Add ground beef and break it up while browning a bit. Add canned
- tomato puree, ¾ teaspoons salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook approximately 20 minutes.
- Add oregano and mix well.
- Once the bell peppers are roasted take them out of the oven and mix them into the pot gently with the ground beef.
- Add rice, 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to very low and cover the pot. Allow the rice to simmer covered for 15 minutes. Do not uncover the pot to check on the rice until the 15 minutes have not passed.
- Add chopped parsley and dill and mix.
- Serve with some feta and lemon wedges.
- Enjoy!
Just made this, it’s so delicious!! The whole family loved it. Gemista is one of my favorite comfort foods but takes so much time to make. I never thought to make it this way. All the flavor in way less time. I’ll be making your deconstructed version often!