Stuffed Grilled Tomatoes

My garden isn’t being kind to me this summer. Maybe it’s because I don’t have the same enthusiasm I had last year when I faithfully tended it like I a newborn puppy. Or maybe their is some truth to the old wives tale that talking to your plants and giving them attention helps them thrive. Or maybe it’s just the crazy weather we’ve experienced this year. I like the last reason the best. I don’t want to be at fault. I can forget about the bushels of tomatoes from last year. I’m lucky to get a few handfuls so far, and enough at a time to make them worth stuffing. And worth it this was.

The filling is made with the goodness of Cannelini beans and flavored with feta, Parmesan, onion, garlic, lemon, and tons of fresh basil. I stuffed the hollowed out tomatoes with the delicious filling and briefly grilled them. The result is an intense tomato flavor countered by the creamy, fresh, bright taste from the stuffing. I ate these lovely beauties with tuna linguine and a big piece of rustic Italian bread. They rounded off the meal beautifully. How perfect these are for a barbecue or picnic!

Stuffed Tomatoes

(by Reeni)

Olive oil, for sauteing

1 medium Yellow Onion, sliced thin

Sea salt and fresh pepper

4 cloves Garlic, minced

8-9 medium size Tomatoes, cut lengthwise and insides scooped out

1 can Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup Feta, crumbled plus about 1/3 cup more for crumbling over tops

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated

1 tablespoon Lemon juice, fresh-squeezed, plus lemon wedges for serving

1/4 cup fresh Basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped

Seasoned bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

In a tablespoon or two of Olive oil saute the onion in a skillet over medium-low heat until soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper, add garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Let cool.

Season the insides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl mix together the Cannelini Beans, Feta, Parmesan, Lemon, basil, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out tomatoes right to the top. Sprinkle the tops with bread crumbs.

Grill in a vegetable basket over low heat about ten – twelve minutes with grill lid down. The tomatoes will begin to shrink and juices will start to run when they are ready.

Drizzle the tops with extra virgin olive oil. Put a sprinkle of feta on top of each. Serve with lemon wedges.

Print Recipe

Ready for Grilling!

Comments

Megan says:

08/23/2009 at

What a perfect side dish. They sound delicious. Hope your garden starts producing a little more for you! :)

Daily Spud says:

08/23/2009 at

I think you can lay a good chunk of the blame for garden performance on Mother Nature – I mean, we can control a lot of things but not the weather! Still, glad to see you're enjoying the tomatoes you've got. The best I can hope for on the tomato front is a few green ones as we don't exactly have the climate for proper ripening here and I don't have a greenhouse. Still, I'm sure I'll think of some things to do with whatever green ones I get :)

Jamie says:

08/22/2009 at

I love these kinds of recipes! Healthy, easy and delicious! Lucky you for having a garden at all and being able to eat your bounty. Scrumptious tomatoes!

Laura Martone says:

08/22/2009 at

Thanks for the wonderful recipe – I love stuffed tomatoes! I, too, am having a less-than-stellar garden season in northern Michigan, and I'm definitely blaming it on the weather.Incidentally, your blog is so awesome that I'm honoring it with a B-I-N-G-O Beautiful Blog Award. Congrats!

Sweet and Savory says:

08/22/2009 at

The tomatoes look as if I could take a bite from the photo. So good.Tomatoes are only good from the garden or someone else's garden when they have taste.You came up with the way to make them even beter.