Ratatouille Stuffed Tomatoes
Fresh vine tomatoes stuffed with chopped grilled veggies and topped with Boursin cheese, then baked until the cheese is golden-brown and the tomatoes are al dente.
Equipment
- 1 large roasting pan
- 2 medium aluminum tins (if you plan to grill the veggies on the barbecue)
Ingredients
Ratatouille
- 1 large red onion (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges)
- 1 medium eggplant (stem removed, cut into 1/2-inch rounds)
- 1 large orange or red bell pepper (stem and seeds removed and cut into 3-inch pieces)
- 1 large zucchini (cut into 3-inch pieces and then quartered)
- 4 large Roma tomatoes (stem removed and cut into quarters)
- 1 cup Greek green olives (Mt. Athos are fantastic in this, but Castelvetrano also work well)
- 1 cup artichokes hearts (marinated work well for this)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. lemon pepper
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
Tomatoes
- 8 medium tomatoes (we use vine tomatoes for this)
- 3 oz. feta, goat, grated Parmesan, or Fontina cheese
Instructions
Ratatouille
- Heat oven to 400℉, or preheat grill to medium-high. Spray a roasting pan or aluminum baking pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix olive oil with all of the spices and herbs.
- Remove stem of eggplant and slice into 1/2-inch slices. Place them on a baking cooling rack or a tray. Lightly salt tops and bottoms of eggplant rounds and allows to “sweat” for about 15 minutes. Mop up any liquid you see on top and bottom of the eggplant with a paper towel.
- Prepare remaining veggies and toss with olive oil-seasoning mixture. Place veggies all in the roasting pan, or in the separate barbecue aluminum tins for cooking.
- Roast veggies for about 25-30 minutes in the oven, until veggies begin to caramelize and become fragrant. They should be tender, but still in tact for this recipe.Remove from oven and cool.
- If you plan to grill the veggies, place eggplant directly on the top rack of your grill, brush tops and bottoms with a little of the olive oil mixture and cook until tender and beginning to brown, flipping once during cooking. Remove from grill and set aside. Place the bell peppers and zucchini in one aluminum tin and the onions and tomatoes in another tin. Toss all of the veggies with the remaining olive oil mixture. Cook the peppers and zucchini on the top rack of the oven until tender and beginning to brown, turning once. Cook tomatoes and onions on the bottom rack of the grill, until cooked through and jammy, stirring often. Remove all veggies once cooked to a cutting board.
- Once cooled, chop veggies coarsely and mix well. Spoon mixture to fill each of the hollowed tomatoes. This can be done several hours ahead of time and stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Hollow out Tomatoes
- Cut off the tops of the tomatoes. Using a serrated knife or grapefruit spoon, remove the tomato pulp from the center, leaving a large cavity with the edges of the tomato about 1/4-inch thick.
Baking the Stuffed Tomatoes
- When ready to bake the stuffed tomatoes, you have a choice again to roast them in the oven or grill them. Preheat oven to 400 ℉ or heat grill to medium-high. Remove tomatoes from the refrigerator, place them in a baking dish, and top them with your favorite cheese, or no cheese if you prefer.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender, the ratatouille is heated through and the cheese is melted.
- Or, place the stuffed tomatoes in a tray and cook on the upper rack of the grill for about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve hot with a sprig of thyme or oregano as a garnish.
