My philosophy is...if you've got a surplus of something, create a new dish, which is exactly where these stuffed tomatoes came from. In the process of making a zucchini and chicken sausage casserole, I found myself with a lot of leftover orange zucchini. Naturally not wanting it to go to waste, I thought it could create a wonderful stuffing for the three ripe tomatoes I also happened to have lying around in the fridge. Improvising a pretty easy dish, it was success all around, including getting high marks on the healthy scale. I hope you get to try it at home and change it up in any way that suits you.
Fooditka's Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut in half and scooped out with a spoon (or your fingers)
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
1/2 large orange zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix the panko with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper.
Sautee the onions and garlic, being careful not to let it burn. Combine with the orange zucchini and cook for about 5-7 minutes until, soft and slightly golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
Place stuffing into the scooped out tomatoes and top with breadcrumbs. Place all of this in a ceramic dish that has been slightly oiled.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
At a loss for what to make for dinner the other night, I was racking my brain for something appetizing, easy and kind of healthy too. A veggie dish came to my head naturally, as I don't cook that much meat at home, and rather turn to a veggie alternative for my weeknight meals.
I decided to make a butternut squash gnocchi bake, as I saw some nice looking (and pre-cut) butternut squash at the supermarket, and the rest of the ingredients I already had on hand, which was great. And even though gnocchi is far from light, I went heavier on the squash and sauteed it real nice with sweet shallots. I then topped the whole thing with fresh chopped parsley and tangy gouda cheese. It was delightful and made for good leftovers.
Fooditka's Butternut Squash Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients (serves 2):
1 package of store bought gnocchi (or you can also do fresh if you have time)
2 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 shallot, chopped
2 tbs of chopped parsley
1/4 cup of shredded gouda cheese
1 1/2 tbs of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet until hot. Add shallot and sautee until it starts getting golden in color. Add the butternut squash, salt and pepper and sautee for about 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces get tender and browned on the outside.
In the meantime, make the gnocchi according to the directions on the package. When they're done and after the squash is cooked, combine the two in a lightly oiled baking dish and put the shredded cheese on top. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the top gets golden brown. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, and serve warm.
