Summer Vegetable Stuffed Tomatoes
You can mix and match whatever vegetables you want to use; it is important to cook them first so the whole things doesn't become a watery mess. Amp up the heat with more chilies, eggplant would be great, too. If you don't have one ingredient, simply use what you have. And, I love goat cheese, but any soft melty cheese would do.
Servings: 4
Calories:
Ingredients
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 spritz nonstick cooking spray
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic very finely chopped
- 1 small summer squash chopped
- Scraped kernels from 1 ear fresh sweet corn
- 1 small sweet chile cored, seeded, and diced
- 1 hot chile cored, seeded, and diced, or to taste
- Handful okra thinly sliced
- 4 ounces soft goat cheese or cream cheese
- 4 tablespoons benne seeds
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. To form tomato shells, with a serrated knife, slice off the tops of the tomatoes and remove their cores. Using a melon baller or a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp of the tomatoes to create a shell, transferring the juices and pulp to a small bowl. Using your hands, squish the pulp and seeds until smooth but slightly chunky. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, to make the filling, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved tomato mixture and cook until it’s absorbed into the corn and the skillet is dry, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the cheese and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the tomato shells, cut-side up, in a small casserole dish. Spoon some of the filling into the prepared tomatoes. (You’ll probably have left over; it can be eaten separately as a side dish.) Sprinkle over the benne seeds. Bake until the tomatoes are heated through, about 10 minutes. Scatter over the chopped herbs and serve immediately.