Theresa's Mixed Nuts: Cheesy Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Cheesy Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

I went out and picked the last of my garden veggies yesterday. It's always a bittersweet time of the year when growing season is over. On one hand, I am looking forward to all of the amazing things fall brings, but once the garden is depleted, it means that summer fun is about to come to an end.

I'll miss walking out to my back yard to pick fresh veggies for dinner. I had a bounty of green pepper this year, and I usually like to make stuffed peppers for dinner with the excess. The problem here is Jason hates green peppers, so I've stepped away from using them as the center of a main dish in our dinner recipes. So, instead of making stuffed peppers for dinner last week, I thought I'd try something different and made pasta stuffed tomatoes. If you aren't into canning your tomatoes for fall and winter use, this is a great way to use up the last of your garden tomatoes at the end of the season.

This Cheesy Orzo Stuffed Tomato recipe is full of all the things the hubby loves, so I am happy to find a stuffed veggie recipe that is filling and satisfying.


Ingredients

1/2 cup orzo pasta
4 beefsteak tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil,chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp. Chop the pulp and tomato tops and place in a  medium bowl. Add the orzo, cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine all ingredients.

Stuff the tomatoes with the orzo mixture. Place in pre-heated oven; drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.


How are you using the last of your summer garden veggies?


22 comments:

  1. Well Jason me this, Jason me that... I hate green peppers myself :) but I do love the sweet red ones, and I stuff those with oats or whatever and bake them.
    Dahlink, that orzo pasta is exactly what you can use for that tarana recipe that I gave you a couple of times!

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    1. What the hell is wrong with you and Jason not liking green peppers? I planted double the amount of plants this year because I'll snack on those babies all day long. I do love the sweet reds and oranges and yellows too though.
      Yes, I do believe this would be great with the tarana recipe you shared with me. I was actually just thinking about that last week when I tried couscous for the first time. Jason told me my couscous needed more of a punch, so I made a note on my recipe card to go into my saved files and look up your suggestions. Funny how you pointed that out today! I'll be retrying my recipe next week with your tips ;)

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  2. Never know what a little experimenting can do. Good when it comes out tasty too.

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    1. Glad this experiment didn't go astray. Suck when that happens lol

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  3. This is such a great use of orzo. I think we'd love stuffed tomatoes like these. They're really pretty!

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  4. These are awesome, we love stuffed tomatoes because there are so many recipes of it that you can do. This one is perfect for using up your stack of fresh produce, without a doubt. I'm keeping the recipe!

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  5. Oh goodness your tomatoes are so big and juicy!!! Your garden must be very well taken care of. Wish I had green fingers to grow some of my own food haha

    P.S. Sorry haven't been around online as much but appreciate you still taking the time to connect and keep in touch xoxoxoxox

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  6. Saving your recipe! These stuffed tomatoes would be another family favorite. It is difficult to do meal planning and a new recipe that comes along is always welcome. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. This does sound great to me. I like red, orange and yellow peppers more so than the green ones. We still have a ton of tomatoes coming, beens, popcorn needs to dry up before we pick it, loads of kale and cabbage.

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  8. I don't cook with Orzo as much as I would like. I find that the texture can be a little tricky sometimes, I love how you utilized this in stuffed tomatoes.

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  9. That looks so colorful and delicious. My boys don't eat tomatoes so i couldn't get away with this for dinner unless they are not home :-)

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  10. Good thing we had so many tomatoes coming from my grandma's mini organic garden. I am so excited to try this.

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  11. I love tomatoes and of course cheese. I have to make this!

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  12. My son loves tomatoes! I bet he'll love this dish as well. :)

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  13. My goodness, this looks absolutely delicious & mouth watering. I have never tried such stuffed tomatoes before and I love how you have done it to get the best out of it. The ingredients makes it the best combo to go for right away!

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  14. This dish looks yummy. I am always looking for new recipes to try with orzo. I like this and I am going to try it out.

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  15. I'm just the opposite, I love green peppers and I'm meh on tomatoes. I'll eat them chopped up tiny though and like them (raw or baked) so I bet I'd really enjoy them stuffed.

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  16. My tomatoes did great this year. I had so many that I had no idea what to do with them. I am going to try them your way.

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Thanks for your comments! I appreciate every one of them :) Except promotional posts with added links. Those will be deleted.

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