Stuffed tomatoes are filled with a meat and rice filling, topped with cheese, and baked until tender and juicy!
These are a great meal and absolutely packed with flavor. Perfect served alongside a fresh salad and some crusty bread.
Stuffed tomatoes are a complete meal in themselves (although a nice side of garlic bread never hurts)!
What is in Stuffed Tomatoes?
We love to fill these stuffed tomatoes with rice and either ground beef or sausage. Sausage has more flavor so it’s usually my first choice.
The filling is similar to that of stuffed peppers – only baked into a tomato! We reserve the insides of the tomato and chop them up to cook along with the filling for extra flavor.
Ingredients and Variations
MEAT
This recipe is made with ground sausage, but feel free to use hamburger or even ground turkey! If subbing out the sausage, be sure to bump up the seasonings a bit as the sausage has spices and salt.
SEASONING
This version uses Italian seasoning, but feel free to season with fajita, Cajun seasoning, or even taco seasoning, and add cheddar cheese and jalapenos for a Tex-Mex treat!
FILLING
Cooked rice is added to the filling but you can use any kind of cooked grain from quinoa to barley. Stuffed tomatoes are a great way to use up leftovers, too! Stir in leftover roasted veggies or extra cheeses!
How to Make Stuffed Tomatoes
- Hollow out tomatoes and set upside down to drain while you prepare the filling. A small spoon or even a melon baller makes this task easy.
- Brown sausage with onion. Add seasoning, the insides of the tomatoes, wine, and tomato paste. Simmer until thickened.
- Stir in rice, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese and cook until heated through.
- Scoop filling into tomatoes. Top with cheese, and bake until the tops are golden brown and cheese is melted.
Tomato Tips
- Ensure the tomatoes are ripe yet firm (we love beefsteak tomatoes).
- Scrape out the insides (a melon baller works well for this) but leave as much of the shell intact as possible.
- Fill the tomatoes but don’t overstuff. Excess filling can be baked in the pan next to the tomatoes if desired.
- Do not overcook the tomatoes or they will split.
- Choose tomatoes that are of the same size so they bake at the same rate.
Leftovers
- Leftover stuffed tomatoes taste even better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to blend even more! Keep leftovers in a covered container and they’ll last in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
- To reheat, simply place them in the microwave until heated through. Readjust the seasonings, add extra toppings if desired, and serve!
Stuffed Everything!
- Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells – freezer friendly
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers – ready in under an hour
- Easy Stuffed Manicotti – with a cheesy filling
- Classic Stuffed Shells Recipe – easy comfort food
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole – a one-pot meal
Did your family enjoy this Stuffed Tomatoes recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 6 large ripe tomatoes about 3 pounds
- ¾ pound Italian sausage
- 1 onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 3½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Rinse tomatoes and cut the tops off.
- Using a spoon, scrape out the insides of the tomato. Chop the insides and the tops.
- Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet until no pink remains. Drain fat.
- Add tomato tops, white wine, tomato paste, salt, and Italian seasoning. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in rice and cook until heated through.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese for topping. Stir remaning mozzarella and parmesan into the rice mixture.
- Place tomatoes in a baking dish and gently fill with rice mixture (extra filling can be placed in the pan next to the tomatoes if desired . Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked and filling is heated through. Do not overcook.
Notes
- To use Uncooked Rice
Substitute 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice. Add 1 ½ cups beef broth to the rice (along with the cooked sausage mixture) and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Continue with recipe as directed. - Ensure the tomatoes are ripe yet firm (we love beefsteak tomatoes).
- Scrape out the insides (a melon baller works well for this) but leave as much of the shell intact as possible.
- Fill the tomatoes but don't overstuff. Excess filling can be baked in the pan next to the tomatoes if desired.
- Do not overcook the tomatoes or they will split.
- Choose tomatoes that are of the same size so they bake at the same rate.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
stuffed tomatoes I’ve tried this myself but it seems like I was not as good as you you are the best John Lerno Belgium
So glad you loved this version John!
Good Morning could you use lean ground beef in this recipe as I can’t have Italian sausage. Thank you as this looks delicious!! Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, it will change the flavor but I think it will still be delicious.
Hi holly
What’s the substitute for wine i can’t consume alcohol
You could use beef broth in place.