Spinach & Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes
These look quite fancy, don’t they? Well, these quinoa and spinach stuffed tomatoes are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the stomach. They would pair wonderfully as a side or appetizer to avocado and basil pasta or any other Italian or pasta dish. Unlike many other stuffed tomatoes, these are cheese-free. They also have an incredibly rich flavor all on their own. This recipe is a great way to take care of extra quinoa hanging out in your fridge or spinach that is close to spoiling. Go ahead and show off your culinary skills with these tomatoes! It will be our little secret about how simple and easy these are to make!
We do not get very big tomatoes here in Penang so these are the largest I could find. With summer fast approaching, I’m sure you will be able to find larger ones in the US either at the grocery store or from your own garden.
8 large tomatoes
4 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
salt to taste
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently cut the tops off of the tomatoes with a knife and scoop out the insides with a small spoon. If you’re like me and don’t like to waste food, save the insides for another recipe. Flip the tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain some of the water and juice off. After a few minutes of draining, gently rub olive oil on both the inside and outside of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
While the tomatoes are baking, cook spinach and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until the spinach becomes wilted. Add quinoa and season with salt and Italian seasoning. Once the tomatoes are done baking, take them out of the oven and stuff them with the spinach and quinoa mixture with a spoon. Place the stuffed tomatoes back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes. After about 10 minutes, sprinkle tops of tomatoes with salt and serve. Enjoy!
This looks delicious. I always stuff peppers with quinoa but now I need to try tomatoes. Oh, and that avocado basil pasta is my absolute fave!
This recipe failed epically for me! My tomatoes turned to mush after not even 15 minutes in the oven! The stuffing was good but a little plain I think personally. Wonderful idea, it’s pretty good but I’m gonna substitute peppers for tomatoes next time.
Oh no! I’m so sorry! I’m not sure what happened
I hope the peppers come out better the next time!
My tomatoes broke too. Maybe less time or lower temp. The quinoa mixture is to die for though. I added finely chopped mushrooms and basil to the mix to make it a little heartier.