Ripe summer tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of parmesan, rice, garlic, onions, and herbs and chunks of fresh mozzarella and topped off with a crispy layer of parmesan and panko bread crumbs.
Vegetarian Cheesy Stuffed Tomatoes with Balsamic Glazed Vegetables
This is one of those dishes that I want to eat all the time when tomatoes are in season. It's light and packed with the fresh summer flavors of tomatoes and herbs.
Plus.... like hidden treasure, there are chunks of melty fresh mozzarella cheese in there.
More popular vegetable based recipes:
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Black Bean Tomato Soup
- Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara
- Cauliflower and Chickpea Coconut Curry
- Israeli Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette and Roasted Nuts
Cheesy Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 8 large tomatoes, ripe but still firm
- 2 cups cooked rice
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup grated parmesan, divided
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread the oil around to coat the bottom. Set aside
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Scrape the onion and garlic into a large bowl.
- Cut the tops off the tomatoes and discard. Scoop out the inside of the tomatoes, reserving ¾ cup of the pulp and juice and discarding the rest. Set the hollowed out tomatoes inside the baking dish.
- Add the ¾ cup tomato pulp and juice to the bowl with the onions and garlic along with the cooked rice, chopped basil and parsley, salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, red pepper flakes, and ½ cup grated parmesan.
- Push about 1 ounce of fresh mozzarella cheese into the center of each stuffed tomato, burying it in the stuffing.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining ½ cup grated parmesan with the panko bread crumbs and remaining ½ teaspoon black pepper. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the tomatoes.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Turn on the broiler and let cook for another 1-2 minutes to brown the bread crumbs. Watch carefully - the bread crumbs will go from golden brown to burnt in a matter of seconds.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle the tops with another 1-2 teaspoon olive oil and serve.
Notes
A message for vegetarians about parmesan cheese: Most parmesan cheese contains animal rennet and is not vegetarian. This is also true of other cheeses, such as Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, and Gorgonzola, and some french cheeses. There are more and more plant-based vegan and vegetarian cheeses available every day. So, if eating vegetarian is important to you, look for those.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Roslia santamaria says
This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients 🙂
Anglinia Rose says
It look delicious. Healthy and tasty. I liked your post very much. Thanks for sharing.
RebeccaBlackwell says
Thank you Anglinia!
Rishi Sharma says
Awesome flavoured dish and stuffing way is much better i think.
Sunil Dogra says
Awesome recipe!! Thanks for sharing!
Rajinder Singh says
This looks amazing! Definitely, will try it.
Karly says
This looks amazing! Pinning!