Whether it’s stuffed cabbage, stuffed zucchini or these stuffed tomatoes, food just tastes better when it comes in an edible package!
I’m always looking for new ways to switch up our dinner routine, and on a whim I decided to try making stuffed tomatoes. I filled my tomatoes with hearty mixture of sausage and rice, then topped them with crispy breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. A new favorite dinner recipe was born!
How do you make stuffed tomatoes?
I went looking for the biggest tomatoes I could find and ended up with half a dozen beefsteak tomatoes. You want the tomatoes to be firm so that they won’t fall apart when you hollow them out. I used a grapefruit spoon to easily scoop all the tomato flesh out. The tomatoes are stuffed with a mixture of rice, sausage, onions, garlic and of course, plenty of cheese. The tomatoes take a quick trip through the oven, then dinner is served!
Tips for stuffed tomatoes
The sausage and rice mixture can be prepared up to one day before you plan to make your tomatoes. You can use leftover rice or frozen pre-cooked rice to make the prep time even shorter. I use panko breadcrumbs in the topping, which is a coarse Asian breadcrumb. If you can’t find panko breadcrumbs, feel free to use Italian style breadcrumbs. I recommend using freshly grated cheese in this recipe. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated with stabilizers and doesn’t melt as smoothly as the freshly grated type. I use mild Italian sausage, but if you prefer spicy food, go for hot Italian sausage instead.
Stuffed Tomato Variations
There are so many different ways to change up the tomato filling to suit your tastes!
Protein: Try ground beef, bacon or diced cooked chicken instead of sausage. Grains: Use orzo pasta, quinoa or farro instead of rice. Cheese: Substitute fontina, gouda or white cheddar instead of mozzarella. Vegetables: You can add vegetables to the filling such as minced celery, bell peppers or even mushrooms.
These tomatoes are easy enough for a busy weeknight, but elegant enough for company. It’s a fun and unexpected dish that will have everyone asking for seconds!
More recipes you’ll love
Cheeseburger Pasta Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Sausage and Pepper Pasta Taco Pasta Chicken Parmesan Pasta
This post was originally published on April 5, 2015 and was updated on April 23, 2019 with new content.
