Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes – Sometimes a perfectly prepared classic side dish, such as a Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes or Honey Roasted Carrots is all it takes to make a simple weeknight dinner seem special. And what better side dish than stuffed garden fresh tomatoes?! They take only a few ingredients, and just 30 minutes from start to finish.
If you’re looking for ways to pack in more plant-based nutrients throughout the day, all while enjoying delicious and crave-worthy foods, this is the recipe for you! Keep reading.
Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes
Clean eating meals should be something to look forward to, and should never feel like a sacrifice on flavor. This recipe for stuffed tomatoes below is one I had made last week to accompany our grilled mahi mahi. I served the dinner alongside a large green salad (try it with our Garden Salad Recipe), tossed in my new favorite real deal EVOO, “La Pietraia”. La Pietraia is a single estate, mechanically-pressed Tuscan extra virgin olive oil made from hand-picked olives. I bought pretty much every single ingredient in the meal from our local farmer’s market. This includes the locally-caught and incredibly fresh fish.
It was such an easy and truly effortless dinner to put together. Even so, my family raved about it for days. The only thing about the meal that was out of the ordinary were the exceedingly fresh ingredients.
Tips for the Perfect Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes
Starting with fresh, firm, vine-ripened tomatoes is the biggest secret to a successful outcome with any stuffed tomato recipe. If you start with fresh tomatoes and you avoid overcooking them, your stuffed tomatoes are pretty much guaranteed to turn out perfectly. You don’t even need to worry about measuring ingredients either! Leave it up to personal preference.
Of course you will want to make sure the rest of the ingredients you use are also top-notch. And by the way, if you are puzzled by my reference to using “real deal” EVOO above, be sure to read more about the olive oil corruption that is sweeping the country.
The corrupt olive oil industry is not just something foodies should be fretting about either. If you have health issues or an autoimmune disease like I do, then you really need to be on top of the olive oil fraud situation. If you are following an anti-inflammatory diet, then you’ve likely heard that cheap, processed oil is highly inflammatory. And yet, it is estimated that about 75% of olive oil labeled “extra virgin” that is currently imported from other countries is not really extra virgin. What is it instead? Cheap, pro-inflammatory vegetable oil.
What Oils Are Helathy
Oil itself is not unhealthy, instead, it’s the cheap, highly processed oils that are so problematic. Choosing healthy oils is vital for maintaining a clean, anti-inflammatory diet. Because of how important this topic is, we have numerous articles explaining the ins-and-outs of choosing the healthiest, most anti-inflammatory oils out there…
All About Omega 6 oils: One of the big reasons the average person consumes such an unhealthy ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fat and too much LA is because of their over-reliance on omega-6 rich processed vegetable oils.
Click here to learn all about omega 6 oils!
What are the Best Oils to Cook With: Not all oils are heat-stable and therefore, carcinogenic and very unhealthy when exposed to heat.
Learn all about the Best Oils to Cook With by clicking here!
Healthy Cooking Oils: The thing is high-quality healthy cooking oils are not as easy to come by as you might think. They are pretty much never found in processed foods, and they are even difficult to locate in higher-quality natural and organic packaged foods.
Click here to learn about our favorite healthy cooking oil brands!
Is Coconut Oil Healthy?: The coconut oil controversy is real! Since saturated fat has come under a great deal of scrutiny, I thought I’d just clear up any coconut confusion.
Click here to learn if coconut oil is healthy!
But back to the stuffed tomatoes….
To sum it up, make sure to use super fresh tomatoes, and to not overcook them, and you’ll be good to go! Let’s get into the recipe.
Kitchen Favorites
Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes
This Recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes takes 30 minutes from start to finish, and is loaded with phytonutrients!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 6 ripe organic tomatoes, 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter
- Unrefined sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 slices whole grain gluten free bread
- 3 finely chopped scallions, white and green parts
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 6 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese, shredded, or try our Vegan Cheese Recipe!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cores from the tomatoes, removing as little as possible.
- Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and use your hands to remove the seeds and the juice.
- Pat the inside of the tomatoes with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Arrange the tomatoes on the baking sheet, cut side up, and season the insides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place the bread slices in a food processor and pulse into bread crumbs. Transfer the bread crumbs to a medium-sized bowl and add the scallions, basil, garlic and oregano. Use your hands to gently toss the ingredients together. Drizzle with oil and mix once again.
- Use your hands to fill the tomato cavities with the bread crumb mixture.
- Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes.
- Add the cheese and bake for another 2 or 3 minutes.
- Remove tomatoes from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Last Step! If you loved our recipe, leave us a review below. This helps future recipe makers and ensures continued high-quality recipes for years to come!
P.S. Looking for More Everyday Healthy Dinner Recipes?
If you liked the recipe for Stuffed Tomatoes, be sure to check out a full month’s menu of delicious healthy dinner recipes (including weekly shopping lists!) in our Clean Cuisine Dinners digital cookbook.
Marlene Barker
Tuesday 19th of April 2016
Hi Ivy, Thanks for everything you do, I also have MS, I saw that you mentioned activating the Nrf2. Most people don't know what that means, but I have been taking Protandim I believe it has helped me with my MS along with eating healthy and exercise. check this out and let me know what you think. Lifevantage.com/living20again Thanks again, Marlene Barker
Ivy Larson
Sunday 1st of May 2016
Hi Marlene! Oh thank you SO much for sharing the Protandim info---I have recently learned about it and I am VERY interested in it. I have been listening to all the YouTube videos and reading the research. It sounds absolutely incredible. I am so glad to know you feel it is helping you. Thank you for sharing.