Italian Stuffed Tomato Recipe Michele Romano Style
Unbelievable! Bursting with flavor, this Italian stuffed tomato recipe must be tried to be believed. Every bite is a low fat delight!
A side dish idea that I took from one of my Grandmothers old Italian cookbooks, revised the recipe and made it my very own. Every bite really is a low fat delight! I am serious, the juiciness of the baked tomato and the slight spiciness of the Italian capicola is the perfect match to please your senses.
I prepared them as a side dish, but I could have made a meal of them. These stuffed tomatoes are so tasty, heart warming and surprisingly filling!
Note: This stuffed tomato recipe is based on four tomatoes but can be double or altered for 6 or 8 tomatoes.
Michele Romano Recipes
Stuffed Tomato Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10 slices of Italian capicola, diced (or you could use Italian salami or prosciutto.)
- 1/2 cup purple onion, diced
- 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped fine
- 1 – 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fine seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 cup plus another 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash and slice top of tomato leaving stem on top for looks (like a hat.)
- Carefully, using a small paring knife cut around the inside wall of tomato to loosen the meat.
- Gently scoop the inside of the tomato leaving about 1 inche of juice and tomato in the very bottom. (I always save the scooped out tomato for another dish)
- Using a frying pan, saute diced capicola, onions, green pepper, oregano, salt and pepper together until onions and pepper are becoming soft.
- Place meat mixture in a medium sized bowl.
- Add Parmesan or Romano cheese, 1/4 cup mozzerarella cheese, breadcrumbs and egg, mix well.
- Place tomatoes in muffin tin.
- Place tomato tops in extra muffin tin cups.
- Gently fill tomatoes with stuffing.
- Top each tomato with grated mozzarella or cheese of choice.
- Drizzle extra virgin oil lightly over each tomato and a bit over the tops.
- Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Cheese on top should be golden.
Note: Remove tomato tops after 8-10 minutes only. Set aside for later. If you see my photo, the tops with stems looks nice when serving guests.
Prep Time: 25 min.
Cook Time: 25 min.
Serves: 4
Live Long and Mangia!
Health Benefits
Tomatoes Studies have found that eating tomatoes regularly can cut down the risk of prostate cancer in men. Tomatoes are packed full of vitamins including A,C, and E. They also contain flavonoids (natural anti-inflammatories), mineral salts and potassium. Much of the attention focused on tomatoes has been due to the antioxidant lycopene, which helps to mop up damaging free radicals in the body that can harm our cells.