ITALIAN SAUSAGE STUFFED TOMATOES
Juicy tomatoes stuffed with Italian sausage, veggies, herbs, and breadcrumbs—baked to perfection and topped with parmesan. Comforting, flavorful, and perfect for sharing.
Equipment
- 2 large saute pans
- Baking Dish ~ 9 x 9 inches
- Hand Blender
- Wooden Spoon
- (Optional) Ground Meat masher utensil
Ingredients
- 6-7 large slicing tomatoes
- 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, separated
- 1.3 pounds Italian Sausage - about 5 links
- 1 Onion, chopped small dice
- 1 Carrot, chopped small dice
- 1 Celery, chopped small dice
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon Thyme
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon Pepperoncino /Red Chili Flakes - Optional
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley, chopped fine
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped fine
- 8 ounce can Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs - + more for garnish
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated - + more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and discard those tops.
- Scoop out the flesh and seeds on the inside of the tomatoes, and put into a small container that is suitable for an immersion hand blender. Add 1T EVOO and puree with a hand blender to form a ‘coulis’ sauce and pour into the baking dish. Set aside.
- Remove the casings from the sausage links and place links in a large saute pan, Cook on medium-high heat until cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes. (The Ground Meat Masher utensil really can come in handy here!)
- Meanwhile, in a separate large saute pan, on medium-high heat, add the remaining 2T EVOO and heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add minced garlic and all herbs and spices (thyme, oregano, chili flakes, parsley, basil) and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato sauce.
- Once the sausage is cooked through, drain, and then add to the other saute pan with tomato sauce. Heat for 5 minutes altogether.
- Fill tomatoes with sausage mixture. You might have some extra filling, which you can serve alongside the stuffed tomatoes!
- Add bread crumbs on the top of all the tomatoes using about 2T of the breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bread crumbs are golden.
- Remove from the oven and top the tomatoes with parmesan cheese. Move tomatoes to a serving platter (or plates), and pour tomato coulis sauce into a small bowl for serving.
- Buon Appetito!
Notes
Serving & Garnish Tips:
- Serve the stuffed tomatoes with parmesan cheese, a sprinkle of breadcrumbs, tomato coulis sauce (and any of the extra filling if you so choose!)
- You can substitute for 5-6 bell peppers to stuff instead of the tomatoes; however, the inside seeds and flesh of the peppers can be discarded and you won’t have that tomato coulis for serving.
- Store any extra filling: keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; or freeze for a rainy day.