Roman-Style Stuffed Tomato Recipe | The Perfect Summer Vegetable Dish

This classic, Roman stuffed tomato dish is perfect for summer. It’s light, refreshing, and always served cold. The tomatoes are filled with a savory, tomato sauce-infused rice that’s lighter than a risotto but just as satisfying on a hot day. It’s a recipe that definitely requires big, juicy, ripe tomatoes to pull off, so be sure to look for the best produce you can find.

Roman-Style Stuffed Tomato Recipe | The Perfect Summer Vegetable Dish

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POMODORI RIPIENI ALLA ROMANA RECIPE

Makes: 3 servings

Cook Time: 3 ½ hours, largely unattended

For this recipe, you will need:

• 3 large, ripe tomatoes

• Fresh mint, to taste

• Fresh parsley, to taste

• Fresh basil, to taste

• Fresh thyme, to taste

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• Salt

• Fresh black pepper

• 4 ½ tablespoons (70 g) arborio rice

• 1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

Slice the tops of the tomatoes off (don’t discard them). Scoop the seeds, insides and juices of the tomatoes out and place into a large bowl. Set the tomato “shells” aside for later.

If your tomatoes are very ripe and soft, crush the tomato insides with a fork into a pulp. If they’re a little bit harder, you can use a blender. Into the pulp, tear in some fresh mint, parsley, basil and thyme. Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil and salt/pepper to taste.

Stir the rice into the tomato mix and let it soak, covered, for 2 hours at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C).

Place the cubed potato into the bottom of a deep baking dish. The dish should be big enough to hold the tomatoes upright, but not much larger. Season the potato chunks with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the tomato juice that the rice has been soaking in. Stir all together.

Lightly salt the insides of the tomatoes and rub them—inside and out—with a little olive oil. Fill each tomato with soaked rice, leaving about a finger of free space on top for the rice to expand when baked. The rice should have enough tomato juice so that it can cook, but not enough that the tomatoes are filled with soup—see the photo below for reference. Nestle the stuffed tomatoes, upright, amongst the potatoes in the baking dish and replace the tomato tops.

Drizzle the remaining tomato juice (strain out any excess rice, if there is any) over the potatoes and tomatoes.

Bake the tomatoes for 50 minutes or until the rice is al dente. While they cook, stir the potatoes every now and then. Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature before serving.

Buon appetito!