Stuffed tomatoes: a great appetizer, dinner, or lunch.

I tomatoes are a vegetable present in culinary tradition from north to south of the country. They are very rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene, have very few calories, and boast great diuretic and purifying properties. If cooked stuffed, it’s advisable to aim for medium to large sizes rather than small ones, having fun with the filling inside. Stuffed tomatoes are a recipe that can be proposed as either a first or a second course and, if desired, also as a substantial and succulent side dish. Of course, it's perfect for summer, but it can also be prepared in winter, for example with a filling based on meat or tuna or mozzarella and eggs.
Vegetarian or not, this is a tasty and creative dish, always colorful in appearance, delighting the eyes and palate of everyone.

Stuffed tomatoes, so much creativity and goodness in delicious recipes

Making stuffed tomatoes is super easy: once emptied of their pulp, the pulp is chopped and mixed with, for example, breadcrumbs, cheese of your choice, herbs, rice, or ground meat. With the mixture, the available tomatoes are stuffed, all with extreme simplicity. In less than an hour, a tantalizing dish will be brought to the table, perfect as an appetizer, as a side dish to meat or fish, perhaps to offer to friends at aperitif time or directly for dinner in company.

Tuna stuffed tomatoes, a recipe in few steps

Tuna stuffed tomatoes can be served as a fresh and light appetizer that does not require cooking. Thanks to the happy combination of tuna, anchovies, and capers, here lightened by creamy Greek yogurt, this type of stuffed tomatoes will be tasty and delightful. Let's see the recipe:
Ingredients

•    4 round tomatoes of equal size
•    200 g of tuna in oil
•    4 anchovies in salt
•    capers in salt
•    1 generous tablespoon of Greek yogurt
•    the juice of half a lemon
•    parsley
•    chives
•    salt 
•     basil

Wash the tomatoes and with a sharp knife, cut off the top cap of each. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes by gently hollowing them out. Salt them and turn them upside down so they lose their water, leaving them for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, gather the well-drained tuna, the desalted and deboned anchovies, a tablespoon of capers, Greek yogurt, a bunch of parsley, 5-6 strands of chives, and the lemon juice in a bowl. Briefly pulse in a blender until you obtain a dense, homogeneous cream that should be adjusted with salt and freshly ground pepper. Fill the tomatoes with the obtained mixture and decorate with a few basil leaves. Place the tuna stuffed tomatoes in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Rice stuffed tomatoes, a gluten-free dish to be consumed warm or cold

Rice stuffed tomatoes represent a dish that is completely gluten-free, suitable for celiacs as well, which, while being customizable with different ingredients, always yields exceptional results.
In the recipe provided here, a good chop of herbs and a clove of garlic has been added, a natural antibacterial that also enhances the Mediterranean appearance and flavor of this dish.
Ingredients

•    6 large round red tomatoes
•    250 g of Arborio rice
•    1 clove of garlic
•    1 bunch of parsley
•    2 sprigs of mint
•     basil
•    to taste extra virgin olive oil
•    to taste sea salt
•    to taste pepper
 
First, wash and dry the tomatoes. With a sharp knife, cut them about two-thirds of the way up to create caps. Set them aside. Using a teaspoon, hollow out the tomatoes, collecting the pulp directly in a bowl and being careful not to pierce the bottom. Now turn the tomatoes upside down and let them drain. Blend the tomato pulp and strain it with a fine mesh colander to remove the seeds. Alternatively, at this stage, you can use a vegetable mill. Chop the garlic, removed from the inner sprout, with the mint, basil, and parsley and add it to the blended tomato pulp. Add the raw rice after rinsing it under running water, and season with oil, salt, and pepper. Let it sit for an hour to flavor. Place the tomatoes inside a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Fill them with the prepared mixture using a spoon and cover them with their respective caps. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake in the pre-heated oven at 180°C for 50-55 minutes. Remove the rice stuffed tomatoes from the oven, serving them warm or at room temperature. There is no difference!

Oven-baked gratin tomatoes, great with old bread and leftover cheese

Oven-baked gratin tomatoes can create a second course or a delicious and light side dish. They are also a good way to use up leftover bread that has been lying around for days or some types of cheese, that are rather hard in texture, stored in the fridge for a while. In fact, in the very easy and economical recipe below, you will need quite a bit of breadcrumbs and grated cheese. So, let go of any guilt, and reclaim what can be salvaged!
Ingredients

•    6 large ripe cluster tomatoes
•    to taste extra virgin olive oil
•    8-10 tablespoons of grated bread
•    2 tablespoons of grated cheese
•    1 tablespoon of capers in vinegar
•    to taste dried oregano 
•    to taste black pepper
•    2-3 pinches of sea salt 
•    5-6 basil leaves

Wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut them in half, remove the seeds and a little pulp with a teaspoon, hollowing them out. Set aside a bit of the removed pulp for the stuffing. Once all the tomatoes are hollowed out, place them upside down on a plate for 20 minutes, to get rid of the excess water. After that, place them back up and sprinkle the inside with a pinch of fine salt. Take a heaping tablespoon of capers and place them on a cutting board, then finely chop them with a knife and add them to a bowl along with the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, fine salt, pepper, oregano, and half of the chopped tomato pulp. Finish everything with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix, obtaining a mixture similar to damp sand. Preheat the oven to 180°C with convection. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, place the halved tomatoes on top, and start filling them with a teaspoon. Press the breadcrumb mixture inside the hollowed tomato until reaching the top. Once all are filled, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and bake, after 10 minutes increase to 200°C. Finish baking until the tomatoes are wilted and wrinkled at the bottom but nicely colored and gratinated on the surface. Remove from the oven and garnish with a few fresh basil leaves. Enjoy the oven-baked gratin tomatoes either hot, at room temperature, or cold straight from the fridge. Bon appetit!

A side dish for the oven-baked stuffed tomatoes

In the same dish as the oven-baked stuffed tomatoes, it's always possible to add some potatoes cut into chunks, seasoned with oil, rosemary, salt, and a bit of the tomato pulp that you might have set aside. This way you'll obtain a unique dish or a second course with a side dish, depending on the filling that you choose for the tomatoes.

Cold stuffed tomatoes, fresh and refreshing

Cold stuffed tomatoes are certainly one of the most loved summer dishes but they are also appreciated in winter because they are also suitable as an entrée.
Here’s a cute little recipe:
Ingredients

•    4 medium-sized tomatoes
•    250 g of mozzarella    
•    to taste sea salt    
•    to taste pepper
•    mix of dried oregano and basil
•    to taste extra virgin olive oil

Place the mozzarella on a cutting board and cut it into cubes. Let it rest in a colander for about half an hour, so it loses the excess liquid. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes well and dry them properly. Remove the stem and cut off the top, saving the cap which can be used to close the stuffed tomatoes and serve them in an original way. Using a teaspoon, hollow out the inside and empty them of the pulp. Set the pulp aside. Salt the inner walls of the tomatoes and place them upside down on a plate: this way they will lose excess water. Cut the removed pulp into small cubes and collect them in a bowl. Season the pulp with oil, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and fresh chopped basil. Add the diced mozzarella. Mix well and use the resulting mixture to stuff the reserved tomatoes. Using a teaspoon, fill them to the brim. Transfer them to a serving tray and garnish as desired with a fresh mint leaf. Use the caps to close them like little lids. Store in the fridge until it's time to serve. You’re sure to impress!

Meat stuffed tomatoes, a tasty second course

Meat stuffed tomatoes are simple and quick to prepare. The filling is made with the pulp scooped out from the tomatoes, ground meat, an egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, herbs to taste, salt, and pepper. Everything is placed inside the tomatoes, which are then baked for about 40 minutes. You can choose your favorite type of ground meat: beef, a mix of beef and pork, or even ground white meat like chicken or turkey. If desired, you may add a clove of chopped garlic or fresh or dried chili pepper.
Ingredients

•    4 tomatoes 
•    200 g of mixed ground meat
•    50 g of Parmigiano Reggiano
•    50 g of breadcrumbs
•    1 egg
•    to taste sea salt 
•    to taste pepper
•    parsley
•    thyme

Remove the top cap of the tomatoes and set it aside. With a sharp knife, scoop out the inner pulp of the tomatoes and set it aside. Salt the tomatoes and turn them upside down for 10 minutes on a cutting board so they lose the excess water. In a bowl, combine the chopped tomato pulp, the ground meat, the breadcrumbs, the Parmesan, the salt, the pepper, and a chop of parsley and thyme. Mix until you obtain a smooth and compact mixture. If it is too soft, add a little more breadcrumbs. Pat the insides of the tomatoes with absorbent paper and fill them with the filling. Place them in a baking dish, drizzle with a little oil, and bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes.
For an extra kick, it wouldn’t hurt to add a clove of chopped garlic and fresh chili pepper as well.
Bon appétit!

Anna Cesaro

S&M