This is a superb, vegetarian dish by Maria Luisa Taglienti, dating back to 1955. I’m a committed carnivore and not a huge fan of cheese, but even I love this dish. And it’s not hard to make.
Ingredients for the tomatoes
- 4 large tomatoes, the firmer the better
- 1/4 cup of rice
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped continental parsley
- 1/3 cup diced cream cheese [Neuchatel or Philadelphia]
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper [white]
Method
Pre-head oven to moderate [just under 180C in a fan bake oven].
Cook the rice in salted water for 10 minutes. It should still be a little hard in the middle. Drain.
Mix the rice with 4 tablespoons of butter, the two cheeses, parsley, salt and pepper. This is your ‘stuffing’.
Take out the core of each tomato, including the seeds/pulp, [and set aside if making the optional sauce]. You should now have 4 ‘cups’.
Sprinkle the inside of each cup with salt and pepper, then stuff with the cheese mix.
Butter a baking dish and place the stuffed tomatoes inside with a knob of butter on top of each one.
Bake for approx. 25 minutes or until golden on top.
Optional green beans and simple tomato sauce
While the tomatoes are baking, lightly fry a small, chopped onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic. When golden and aromatic, add 1 sachet of tomato paste [approx. 1 tablespoon] and the pulp taken from the inside of the tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt, stir and cook on a low heat until the stuffed tomatoes are done.
While the sauce is simmering, top and tail a handful of green beans per person and steam until cooked but still firm.
To serve
Serve the stuffed tomatoes with the steamed green beans, the red sauce and crusty white bread. Enjoy!
Meeks
November 1st, 2016 at 8:30 pm
I made these tomatoes and they were so YUMMY! I varied the cheese because I didn’t have cream cheese on hand. Thanks for sharing ~ it’s always fun to try new recipes.
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November 1st, 2016 at 11:10 pm
Oh! You’ve made my day. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed them. And yes, I think you’re meant to use what you have but the cream cheese is nice if you ever happen to have some in the fridge. 😀
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October 20th, 2016 at 12:57 am
I’ve never made stuffed tomatoes, but this sounds amazing. The cream cheese is key. I know what’s for dinner tonight 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
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October 20th, 2016 at 9:33 am
Very welcome! It truly does taste amazing. 🙂
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October 18th, 2016 at 10:14 am
Sounds delicious!
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October 18th, 2016 at 10:44 am
They really are. This dish really changed my mind about non-meat meals.
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October 18th, 2016 at 12:30 am
Yum – but I’d substitute mozzarella for the cream cheese as it doesn’t agree with me.
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October 18th, 2016 at 7:21 am
Go for it! We’ve only tried it with the cream cheese but I can’t see any reason why mozzarella wouldn’t be just as good. If you do try it can you let me know how it turns out?
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