Growing up, a regular fixture on our table were yemista (rice stuffed vegetables). My grandma used to make them, my mum still makes them and I tell you, they have such a distinct aroma – I can always smell them even from outside the front door. That distinct smell of grains, olive oil and herbs….yum!!
Going to the green grocer recently I was thrilled to find smaller red capsicums there for the taking. They were the perfect size to stuff and also perfect to serve as a side to the steak on the menu for that evening! I didn’t have time to make a whole tray of mixed yemista (that is, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis along with capsicums), so I thought I would just cook the capsicums. Once I got home though, I realized I didn’t have any Arborio rice which is what I would normally put in my yemista. I’d been wanting to try a quinoa stuffed version and so took it as the opportunity to give it a go…and it was sensational!!
The quinoa cooked beautifully in the capsicum, without any need to cook it first. Combined simply in a single bowl with the other ingredients, it soaked up all the flavor of the herbs and olive oil and were mouth wateringly tasty!
This dish is not only a great accompaniment to some protein, it is beautiful, tasty and satisfying enough to hold its own. You can serve the stuffed capsicums solo for lunch as a complete vegetarian meal or even make a tray for meal prep purposes, or serve it at a shared platter style dinner party. Oh and also feel free to double the recipe if you need to , it completely works! With summer just around the corner, they are also simple to cook the day before you plan to eat them, just dollop some yoghurt on top, place a little feta on the side and enjoy them cold – they are just as good!
I really hope you try this recipe and as always, please feel free to comment below and tag me in your socials if you make it!
H xx
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions