Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes filled with Italian sausage, Parmesan, fresh basil, and more!

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes Aplenty?

Are you growing tomatoes and need some new ideas for enjoying your harvest? Or if you are just eyeing them up at the farmers market, then this recipe is for you! In fact, you can actually find good tomatoes at the grocery store this time of the year. I scored the tomatoes for this recipe at Cub Foods.

Lighter Meal Option

Mike and I finally made it to the Kingsfield Farmers Market this summer and stocked up on some heirloom carrots, golden and red beets, and herbed goat cheese. Stay tuned for future recipes starring these ingredients. We also shared a delicious savory bacon cheddar scone. Yummy.

Afterward, we swung over to Gigi’s, our favorite little neighborhood bistro for brunch. With those delicious food adventures under our belts (literally) we were in the mood to keep things on the lighter side for dinner that day. That made these Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes a perfect light meal for us.

Hearty Meal Option

Are you in the mood for a more hearty option? Great news. These tomatoes hold their shape when baked but easily transform into a chunky tomato/meat sauce when cut up. Toss some cooked Fettuccine, Capellini, or Spaghetti with a little olive oil, butter, Parmesan, and chopped basil. Top pasta with the Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes, cut up tomatoes, and toss gently with pasta.

You could also serve these tomatoes over a bed of white rice.

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes feature fresh tomatoes with an Italian sausage-bread crumb stuffing and Parmesan-walnut-basil topping.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Food Network Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 medium to large tomatoes
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 lb. bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning blend
• 1/2 small diced green or red pepper (or diced zucchini – see notes)
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1/2 c. diced sweet onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 c. fresh rustic bread cubes crusts removed (I used part of a small rustic baguette)
• 1/2 c. fresh basil
• 1/4 c. walnut pieces
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a serrated knife, slice off the top quarter of each tomato and discard.
• Scoop out the pulp from each tomato and put into food processor. Note – my tomatoes were a little firm in the middle so I ran a sharp paring knife around the inside prior to scooping them out. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pinch of cayenne to the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a baking dish large enough to hold the tomatoes.
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, Italian seasoning, celery, and bell pepper (if using zucchini, add it when garlic is added, celery. Cook onion and sausage, until it's almost browned, and onion is softened, about 5 minutes (crumbling sausage as it cooks. Then add garlic and zucchini, sauteing for a few more minutes. Cover and continue to cook on medium-low for a few more minutes until all vegetables are tender.
• Transfer the sausage mixture and bread cubes to the food processor and pulse lightly until chopped and combined. Pack the tomatoes with the sausage-bread mixture. Put the tomatoes in the baking dish on top of the sauce.
• Place the basil, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese in the food processor and pulse until well chopped. Sprinkle topping onto the tomatoes. Bake until stuffing is golden, about 20 minutes. Serve with the sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

You can swap out the red pepper for minced zucchini. Wait until the sausage, celery, and onions are mostly cooked. Then add the zucchini when you add the garlic.