Meatless Monday: Stuffed Tomatoes

I'm kind of surprised that Mr. FoodWhore has embraced the whole meat-free meal idea. He even told me last night that it's okay if I want to cook more meatless meals each week! These stuffed tomatoes, based on a recipe from Frugal Fun and Fortune, will definitely be in our regular rotation. They were super easy, low-hassle, and made almost entirely from stuff I already had on hand, which is always a bonus.

Note: From this recipe, we each had two medium tomatoes. It was a bit much with a side and a salad also. I think next time I will only make three tomatoes for us to share.

Ingredients
4 medium (or 2 large) tomatoes
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup black beans, drained
1/4 cup corn, frozen is fine (no need to thaw first)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/3 cup white onion, diced
1/4 your favorite shredded cheese
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350*.

2. Using a small sharp knife, cut out the stem part of the top of the tomato; cutting a cone-shaped chunk out is easiest. Reserve these pieces.

3. Scoop out the seeds and inner pulp of the tomato. If there's good tomato flesh, save it. Toss the seeds. A melon baller works great for this, but a spoon should also do the trick. The tomato should have a good sized hole on top and be about 1/4" thick in order to retain its shape and hold the stuffing well.

4. Chop up any good pieces of tomato flesh that you reserved from the tomato and toss in a medium mixing bowl.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

6. Scoop a couple of spoonfuls of the filling into each tomato. Using a spoon, press down lightly to compact the filling and top off each tomato until the filling is gone.

7. Place the tomatoes on a greased cookie sheet or baking stone and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Note: What I love most about this recipe is that its super adaptable to a variety of tastes. If you don't like an ingredient, use another one. I'm looking forward to trying this with other combinations of ingredients, like: bell peppers, red onions, olives, mushrooms, chick peas, jalapenos, carrots, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, squash, feta, peas, artichoke hearts, and more!

Nutrtional Info: based on the above recipe and portions, two stuffed tomatoes contain approximately 225 calories.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore