This was one of my favorite dishes when I visited Greece!
The recipe I used is adapted from My Greek Dish.
Ingredients:
Per ~5-6 servings.
For the vegetables - you can pick and choose your favorites. I used:
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 eggplant
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- pinch of sugar
- ~2 tablespoons butter
For the tomato sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 6oz can of tomato paste
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- pinch of sugar
For the stuffing:
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- pinch of sugar
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- ~1/2 potato, peeled and chopped (optional)
Instructions:
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Slice the tops off your vegetables (keep the tops for somewhere safe for later!) and spoon out the interior. Reserve the interior of the tomatoes for the tomato sauce, dice the eggplant interior and save for the stuffing, and discard bell pepper interior.
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Season empty vegetable shells with salt, pepper, and sugar. Spread some butter on the bottom of the vegetables and place on a baking dish.
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For the tomato sauce - in a blender, add the scooped out tomatoes along with all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce. Blend until smooth and set aside.
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For the stuffing - on a large pan, heat your oil and add onion.
- Saute for a few minutes and then add garlic cloves. Saute for another minute and then add zucchini and eggplant interior. Saute for ~10-15 minutes, and then add the rice. Saute for a minute or two, and then add 3 cups of water and your tomato sauce. Mix to combine and let the liquid come to a boil. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, and then add your oregano and parsley. Taste test and add more salt/pepper/sugar/seasoning as needed. Remove from heat.
- Fill your vegetable shells ~2/3 full with stuffing and spoon the rest of the stuffing out on the base of the baking dish. Add another ~1.5-2 cups of water to the base of the baking dish and ensure that it is evenly spread across the dish. Scatter your potatoes throughout the base of the baking dish, if using.
- Cover your vegetables with their respective tops.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes.
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Let it cool for a few minutes and serve! I like to eat with feta, although it is not traditionally used.
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Enjoy!