HANDS-ON: 20 MIN. // TOTAL: 32 MIN. // SERVES 4
A ripe summer tomato is good by itself, but adding a little fresh basil and feta cheese makes it amazing. Use any cooked whole grain in the stuffing, but wait for a ripe tomato, or you’ll be disappointed with the results.
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
1/2 cup no-salt-added canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2 Cut the tops off the tomatoes and discard. Carefully scoop out the tomato pulp, leaving the shells intact and reserving 1/2 cup of the pulp. Finely chop the reserved pulp. Place the tomato shells in a small square baking dish.
3 Combine the chopped tomato pulp, rice, beans, basil, feta, oil, pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the tomato shells. Bake until thoroughly heated, about 12 minutes.
(SERVING SIZE: 1 TOMATO): CALORIES 132; FAT 4G (SAT 1G, UNSAT 3G); PROTEIN 5G; CARB 21G; FIBER 4G; SUGARS 4G (ADDED SUGARS 0G); SODIUM 142MG; CALC 7% DV; POTASSIUM 9% DV
DAIRY-FREE AND VEGAN OPTION: Prepare the recipe as directed, substituting 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives and 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts for the feta cheese.
tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed with potassium, folate, and vitamin C, but it’s their content of the phytochemical lycopene that propels them to the next nutritional level. Studies show lycopene reduces and suppresses inflammation, lowering the risk of some cancers—particularly prostate cancer—and cardiovascular incidents. Lycopene’s protection isn’t limited to fresh tomatoes. Minimally processed tomato products like canned tomatoes and tomato paste provide similar levels of the compound.