Risotto Stuffed Tomatoes
I love this recipe for a light dinner or as a side to a grilled piece of meat. Roasting the tomatoes allows you to make this dish even when tomatoes are not in season since cooking them brings out their sweetness.
Tips:
Try using a bell pepper too.
Prep the dish ahead of time by stuffing the tomatoes and placing them in the refrigerator for up to a day. Just bake them off when you are ready to enjoy them.
Risotto Stuffed Tomatoes
Serves 4
PREP 15 minutes
COOK 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Arborio rice (or other short-grain white rice)
4 ripe but firm large tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan cook the arborio rice in plenty of salted water until the rice is al dente. You are boiling the rice as you would pasta, keeping it undercooked. Drain the rice and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Prepare the tomatoes by slicing off the tops of the tomatoes, set the tops aside, but don’t throw out. Carefully scoop out the seeds, pulp and juices from the tomatoes into a small bowl. Be careful not to pierce the bottom or sides of the tomato. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pulp and tomato juice.
Add the rice, minced garlic, basil, parsley, parmesan, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare a small oven proof pan like Pyrex by coating the bottom with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Salt the inside of each tomato generously. Fill each tomato with the rice mixture. Any rice that doesn't fit in the tomatoes can be placed on the bottom of the pan. It will get crispy and delicious!
Drizzle more olive oil on the tomatoes and place the tops back on each tomato. Bake the dish for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the tomatoes are heated through.
The tomatoes will be delicate when cooked so be careful when plating them so they don’t fall apart and ruin your presentation. Enjoy!