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Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes with Pistachios are life changing!
Seriously! Make these flavorful, roasted, juicy cheese stuffed tomatoes once and you won’t be able to quit thinking about them…
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The Best Stuffed Tomatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes vs. Other Varieties
Not all tomatoes were created equally and this recipe does call for heirloom tomatoes. While you can substitute other varieties of tomatoes, they might not hold up or taste quite the same.
Heirloom tomatoes are genetically unmodified compared to their cousins you typically find in the grocery store. Other varieties of tomatoes have been chosen for appearance rather than flavor. Heirloom tomatoes on the other hand, have been specifically picked and grown for their texture and superior flavor. They also tend to have more meaty walls to help keep everything inside until you’re ready to eat them!
Preparing the tomatoes for stuffing
First prepare the tomatoes for stuffing by gently cutting off the tops and scooping out the interior. Try to be careful while doing this or you may break the tomatoes. You can reserve what you scoop out for a tomato sauce or discard.
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Nestle the hollowed out tomatoes in a baking dish and then season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the filling.
Pistachio Filling for the Stuffed Tomatoes
Measure out 1/3 – 1/2 cup whole pistachios and then finely dice them. I prefer to buy unshelled, roasted, salted pistachios to save myself some time, but feel free to use shelled pistachios if you have them on hand. If you are using un-roasted pistachios you will need to pop them in a 350 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes until golden, tossing periodically to keep them from burning.
The filling is rather simple and the amounts of ingredients will depend on the size of your tomatoes. It’s made of roasted pistachios, diced garlic, fresh dill, dried cranberries and pepper. (If you aren’t using the roasted, salted pistachios you may want to add a bit of salt to your mix too.)
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Combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl and get ready to stuff the tomatoes!
Stuffing the Tomatoes
Now spoon 1/2 of the filling equally into the four tomatoes. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Then top the filling with a layer of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Equally divide the remainder of the filling between the tomatoes and drizzle with a bit of olive oil again.[/et_pb_text][el_masonry_gallery image_ids=”1909,1912″ number_of_columns=”2″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][/el_masonry_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]
Finally top with the remaining mozzarella and sprinkle each with more parmesan cheese.
Baked Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes
Tent the stuffed tomatoes and bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the tomatoes are beginning to wrinkle at the top.
How to Serve These easy Stuffed Tomatoes?
These Baked Tomatoes are best served hot out of the oven so the cheese stays hot and melty. They are seriously juicy and once you cut into them they will run everywhere 🙂 Serve with extra grated parmesan on top!
Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes make a great easy appetizer or a fabulous summer side dish!
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These delicious tomatoes are a wonderful vegetarian dish and can be modified to be vegan without the cheese!
Try serving them alongside my Celery Soup or Roasted Potato and Asparagus Salad. Baked tomatoes also go wonderfully with grilled steak, pork chops or chicken or a simple cheesy pasta or buttered noodles!
How to Pair?
Wondering what wine to pair with Cheesy Baked Tomatoes?
White Wine
A dry Riesling or Pinot Grigio will pair beautifully with these baked tomatoes with pistachios!
Red Wine
Zinfandel or a Sangiovese are both a great choice for red wines that will compliment the baked tomatoes!
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Cheese Stuffed Tomato Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 med-large Heirloom Tomatoes hollowed out
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup Roasted Salted Pistachios, finely diced
- 2 - 3 large Cloves of Garlic finely diced
- 4 - 5 tablespoons Olive Oil divided
- 1 ounce Dried Cranberries diced
- 2 - 3 tablespoons Fresh Dill chopped
- 6 - 8 ounces Fresh Mozzarella Cheese cut into pieces
- 2 - 3 tablespoons Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper divided, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Gently cut the tops off of the tomatoes and scoop out the interior, making sure not to break through the walls of the tomato. Add the tomatoes to a baking dish, they can be snug. You can reserve the inside of the tomatoes for sauces.
- Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Set aside while you make the filling. *Note: The amount of filling you make will depend on your taste preference and the size of your tomatoes.
- Finely dice the pistachios and add them to a small bowl along with the garlic, dried cranberries, dill and the remaining 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Divide 1/2 of the filling equally between the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese on top of the pistachio filling and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
- Divide the remaining filling between the tomatoes and drizzle with more olive oil. Then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and finally more parmesan.
- Tent the tomatoes with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for an additional 25 – 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tops of the tomatoes are beginning to wrinkle.
- Serve hot with more parmesan cheese!
I just tried these the other day and they have such fun flavors. Lots of different textures as well. They are juicy and be easier to eat in a dish of their own. I’m hoping my heirloom tomatoes produce well!