Stuffed vegetables of all sorts, be it zucchini, peppers or butternut squash have become a standby dish for me prepare whenever it is that I have a ridiculous amount leftover starchy ingredients like beans, quinoa or, in this case, rice. Not only does it breathe life into yesterday’s leftovers, but people really get a kick out individually portioned out food — even if they are vegetables.
I find day-old rice work best in this. Though if you must resort to making fresh rice (or quinoa for that matter), I would suggest dump your cooked rice onto a sheet pan to allow the residual steam to escape so that the filling doesn’t become a soggy mess.
Stuffed Tomatoes
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
6-8 beefsteak tomatoes (Fleischtomaten in German), tops removed with pulp, segments, and seeds removed.
3-4 tablespoons oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
8-10 sundried tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, about 1 tablespoon, minced
1½ teaspoon mushroom or vegetable bouillon
1 cup vegetable protein granules (Sojafleisch in German)
1 cup warm water
2 cups day-old rice
¼ cup fresh or frozen herbs
1 cup
Instructions
- Start by heating the oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat.
- Then add the onions and 1½ teaspoons of sea salt. Allow the onions to saute for 5-7 minutes.
- Then, add the sundried tomatoes and garlic. Cook for an additional minute.
- Next, add the mushroom (or vegetable) bouillon and the vegetable protein granules. Give it all a toss to toast the granules.
- Then, add the water to hydrate the granules and stir.
- Once all the liquid has absorbed, add the rice. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to separate the grains.
- Then, turn off the heat and toss in the herbs. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool slightly before filling the tomatoes (about 15 minutes)
- Preheat your oven to 175 c / 350 f degrees.
- Season the inside of each tomato with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.
- Stuff each tomato with some of the filling. Place the tomatoes in an oven-safe dish.
- Once the tomatoes are filled, bake them in the center of the oven for 30-40 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Consider making a tomato sauce with the unused tomato tops, seed, segments, and pulp.