Quinoa Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
ingredients:
- 8 large tomatoes (somewhat firm)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
- 1 ½ cups cooked lentils, garbanzo or black beans
- ½ cup feta or goat cheese (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped basil or 1 tsp dried oregano/Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbs of pesto
- 2 – 4 cups fresh spinach (or more)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cook quinoa: combine ½ cup dry quinoa with 1 cup water and 2 dashes of sea salt and cover with a lid.
- As soon as water boils, reduce heat to the lowest possible simmer or turn heat completely off and keep covered with a lid.
- Let sit for 10 minutes until done.
- Slice top off of each tomato and gently scoop the seeds out
- Place in a glass or ceramic baking dish
- If they do not sit flat, slice a bit off the bottom
- In a skillet, sauté garlic and spinach until spinach wilts
- Move all the warm ingredients to a large bowl
- Add the beans, herbs, quinoa, cheese, pesto, sea salt and pepper
- Mix to combine
- Fill each tomato with the quinoa stuffing
- Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and top with a tiny bit of cheese
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until done
- Broil for the last 2-3 minutes to get a nice crispy brown layer on top
- Serve hot or at room temperature
Makes 8 servings
