I was never a big tomato fan until the past year or so. Now I cannot get enough of them! My favorite are baked cherry tomatoes, but this recipe rivals them. I love this recipe for it’s simplicity. Just a few ingredients that you probably have in your fridge and you will get a delicious meal for the family. It is something different but not too different that the kiddos won’t try it!
I have found that this recipe needs just a few tweaks to make it even more yummy. Try it both ways and tell me what you like! My tip is to add olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture before putting inside the tomatoes. It will make the breadcrumbs a much better consistency. The first time I made this recipe I used panko instead of my own breadcrumbs – what a catastrophe! You need the larger size and the texture of real breadcrumbs for this recipe. Lastly, do NOT be shy with the cheese. I put cheese on just about everything and only an ounce of cheese was not going to cut it for me. Measure with your heart and then add a little extra, trust me it makes it that much better.
Ingredients
- 8 medium tomatoes
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 cup rough bread crumbs from a rustic loaf
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
- 1 ounce of grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
- Pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
Preparation
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a knife to core the tomatoes. Use any type of spoon to scoop out the center of each tomato. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and place in a baking dish.
- Mix together the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, cheese and red pepper. Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of bread-crumb mixture in the hollow of each tomato. Feel free to sprinkle a little more cheese on top (I meant it when I said I can never get enough cheese!)
- Bake 30 minutes, until bread-crumb mixture is nicely browned and tomatoes are soft. Let cool slightly before serving.
