Tuscan White Bean Stuffed Tomatoes
4 Servings
Total time: 1 hour 15 min
Adapted from Budget Bytes
A hearty and deeply satisfying recipe. The simple ingredients, rich flavors and robust textures make this dinner option fun to play with based on the ingredients you have on hand.
Ingredients
Ingredients
4 large “slicing” tomatoes
1 can cannellini or butter beans
1 carrot, peeled
½ yellow onion
2 sticks celery
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, diced small
½ Tbs rosemary
½ Tbsp thyme
½ Tbsp oregano
½ Tbsp basil
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup bread crumbs (sub GF bread crumbs)
½ cup shredded parasean and/or mozzarella - optional
Instructions
Hollow out 4 large tomatoes, keeping the tops and transferring the juicy seeds and inside flesh to a medium mixing bowl. Reserve everything!
Dice the carrot, yellow onion, and celery sticks into small pieces to make mirepoix (which is a combination of diced veggies used to flavor a recipe).
Pour 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil into a saucepan with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, herbs, and the diced carrots, onions, and celery.
Once cooked down, about 5 minutes or until veggies are softened and glossy, add the insides from the tomatoes, diced zucchini, garlic, and apple cider vinegar and simmer of on medium heat uncovered until a chunky filling forms and some of the juices cook down, about 10 min.
Add bread crumbs, and white cannellini beans. Add 4-8oz of water or tomato sauce if needed. Stir until combined. Cook for 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and fold in shredded cheese. Set aside.
Place hollowed out tomatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish. Fill each hollowed out tomato with the cheesy white bean filling and put their tomato “lids” on. Fill in around each tomato with any extra filling. Brush remaining olive oil on top of all 4 tomatoes and cover the entire baking dish lightly with tinfoil or a lid. Bake for 15 min at 375°F.
Remove lid or tinfoil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Broil on high for the last 3 minutes to get some color on top of the tomatoes, if needed.
Serve each tomato over pasta or rice, if desired.
Notes
You want large, firm, and ripe ”slicing” tomatoes for this recipe. Beefsteak and large heirloom tomatoes are also great options because they’re big and easy to stuff. Roma tomatoes could also work, but the oval shape makes stuffing a bit more challenging. For serving a crowd, I use smaller vine-ripened tomatoes so the filling goes further. Whichever variety you choose, make sure your tomatoes are firm and not mushy!
Dairy-free? Leave out the cheese. The white beans add to the dense texture and creaminess of the filling, so they’re great no matter what your dietary restrictions are.
You can make the filling up to 24 hours ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to stuff and bake your tomatoes. Cook the stuffed tomatoes for a couple of minutes longer to heat the filling through.
This recipe isn’t just for tomatoes! You can use the same filling to stuff large mushrooms or bell peppers
Leftover Tuscan white bean stuffed tomatoes will last up to 3-4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until heated through. I wouldn’t freeze this recipe as the tomatoes may become too watery after thawing. However, the filling freezes well.
