These Mediterranean-inspired stuffed tomatoes were born from two recent meals that stuck with me. On a trip to Boulder, my friend Kirsten and I shared a selection of tapas and fell for a simple ramekin of baked tomatoes with feta, artichoke and kalamata olives. That combination lingered in my mind. A few weeks later at my mom’s birthday dinner I tried a pesto-and-cheese stuffed tomato that was tasty but too oily. I wanted the flavors without the excess grease.
To make my own version I used the tapas flavors from that Boulder spot and transformed the tomato into the vessel for the filling. I added quinoa to make the dish more substantial, went light on olive oil and chose feta because it’s flavorful and contains less fat than many other cheeses. The result is a fresh, colorful side that’s healthy and simple to prepare. Two tomatoes made a small dinner for me, but paired with a hearty green salad they’d be filling enough as a main for one or a lovely accompaniment for a gathering.
Mediterranean Stuffed Tomatoes with Quinoa
- Author: Kathryne Taylor
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
Baked tomatoes filled with quinoa, feta, artichokes and kalamata olives make an attractive, healthy side dish with bright Mediterranean flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked red or black quinoa
- 8 medium on-the-vine tomatoes
- ⅓ can quartered artichokes (about 4 ounces, or ½ cup), roughly chopped
- ½ cup full-fat feta, plus a few tablespoons extra for topping
- 15 kalamata olives, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
- Ground sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: rinse ⅓ cup uncooked quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer for about a minute. Combine the rinsed quinoa with ⅔ cup water in a small pot (roughly a 1:2 quinoa-to-water ratio). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 15–18 minutes. Remove from heat, let rest a few minutes, and fluff with a fork. This yields a little over 1 cup cooked quinoa.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Core the tomatoes: slice off about 1/8 inch from the top of each tomato. Run a small knife vertically around the core without cutting through the bottom, then gently pull the core out and clean the interior with the knife or your finger.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, feta, chopped artichokes, sliced olives, olive oil and garlic.
- Taste the mixture and add salt only if needed—feta and olives are already salty.
- Lightly oil a baking dish and brush the tops of the cored tomatoes with a bit of olive oil.
- Spoon the quinoa mixture into each tomato, packing it gently but not overfilling.
- Top each stuffed tomato with a little extra crumbled feta.
- Bake 15–20 minutes, until the feta starts to turn golden and the tomatoes are tender.
- Garnish each tomato with a small basil leaf before serving.
Notes
Inspired in part by a stuffed tomato recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Nutrition
The nutrition information is an estimate from an online calculator and not a substitute for professional advice.
- Category: Side Dish