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Stuffed Tomatoes

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes – these stuffed tomatoes are filled with rice, sausage and cheese! Like a stuffed pepper, but tomatoes. So easy, so good, and ready quickly!

If you like stuffed peppers, you are going to love these! I have only shared a recipe for Taco Stuffed Peppers on here in the past, but this is more of a traditional filling that you stuff inside of those giant fresh tomatoes.

These stuffed tomatoes are filled with rice, Italian sausage, and plenty of cheese to make it a filling and tasty meal you can make any night of the week.

stuffed tomato on a white plate, cut open with rice and sausage

 

The one thing I don’t like about stuffed peppers is the time it takes to make them. Bell peppers take forever to bake if you want them to get soft enough to enjoy. But tomatoes cook much quicker! And there is just something delicious about a warm baked tomato.

Baking the tomatoes means that you don’t have to only use the peak of freshness in the middle of summer. Baking them, cooks them down and really brings out the sweetness. So even in February you can make these and they will be absolutely delicious!

looking down on baking tray with stuffed tomatoes

What You’ll Need

  • Beef Steak Tomatoes
  • Italian Sausage
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Cooked White Rice
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • Panko Breadcrumbs
  • Fresh Basil
  • Melted Butter
  • Salt & Pepper

This is a simple base recipe that you can mix up however you like. If you like things spicy, use Hot Italian Sausage. I like to use fresh basil, but if you aren’t a fan parsley works great. You can even mix up the cheese. Colby Jack is a great one to really bring out more flavors.

hollowed out tomatoes in baking dish

How To Make Stuffed Tomatoes

  1. Brown the sausage with the onions, breaking it apart for 7-8 minutes, until it is cooked through. Drain the grease away.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until you can start to smell it.
  3. Mix in the rice and cheese until everything is well blended. Taste the filling and add salt and pepper if necessary.
  4. While the sausage is cooking, cut the tops off of your tomatoes, and scoop out the insides.
  5. Fill each tomato with the rice mixture and place in a baking dish.
  6. In a small bowl mix together breadcrumbs, basil, salt, pepper, and melted butter.
  7. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over each tomato and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes start to split on and the top is lightly golden brown.
  8. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
stuffed tomatoes ready for the oven in baking dish

Recipe Tips

  • You can make the filling ahead of time! Cook the sausage and mix everything together. Store in an airtight container for 24 hours before filling your tomatoes and baking. You will need to increase your bake time by 5-10 minutes. Or you can heat the filling slightly before stuffing if you are short on time.
  • Feel free to mix up your cheese! Add Parmesan cheese if you want more flavor or use Colby Jack or whatever your favorite cheese is.
  • My family loves this spicy, so I always use Hot Italian Sausage in this recipe. It does add lots of extra flavor as well. So be sure to taste the filling mixture after you mix everything together to adjust for the salt and pepper based on the sausage that you used.
  • Don’t like sausage? You can use ground turkey, ground beef or even ground chicken in this recipe. I would add Italian seasoning as well, so you get more flavor. But use whatever protein you like!

What To Serve With Stuffed Tomatoes

They really are a full dish on their own, you have the big tomato for the vegetable and the filling is full of rice and sausage. But here are a few of my favorite side dishes that go really well with it.

stuffed tomatoes close up for pinterest

More Tasty Dinner Recipes

Yield: 4

Stuffed Tomatoes

close up baked stuffed tomato cut open to see rice and sausage

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes - these stuffed tomatoes are filled with rice, sausage and cheese! Like a stuffed pepper, but tomatoes. So easy, so good, and ready quickly!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large beefsteak tomatoes
  • 1/2 pound Italian Sausage
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
  2. In a large skillet over high heat, brown the sausage with the onions, breaking it apart for 7-8 minutes, until it is cooked through. Drain the grease away.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until you can start to smell it.
  4. Mix in the cooked rice and cheese until everything is well blended. Taste the filling and add salt and pepper if necessary.
  5. While the sausage is cooking, cut the tops off of your tomatoes, and scoop out the insides.
  6. Fill each tomato with the rice mixture and place in a baking dish.
  7. In a small bowl mix together breadcrumbs, melted butter, basil, salt and pepper until well combined.
  8. Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over each tomato and bake for 20-25 minute until the tomatoes start to split on and the top is lightly golden brown.
  9. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 437Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 62mgSodium 806mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 3gSugar 8gProtein 20g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Frank

Wednesday 8th of February 2023

So great- I am gonna stuff with cauliflower rice - you think it would work if I peeled the tomatoes first?

Erin S

Thursday 9th of February 2023

The tomatoes you bake them in? No you don't want to peel those. The already split when you bake them to get the filling hot, if you peeled them I think they would just completely fall apart as they baked.

Catalina

Monday 1st of August 2022

What a great summer dinner idea! These stuffed tomatoes would be perfect for an appetizer, too!

Sandra

Saturday 30th of July 2022

These stuffed tomatoes are so flavorful! Perfect for busy weeknights too because they're so easy to make!

Beth

Friday 29th of July 2022

These look absolutely amazing. I have never thought of stuffing tomatoes like peppers before. I can't wait to make these for the family!

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