I get really predictable when it comes to side dishes at dinner. If you show up at our house unannounced around dinner time, odds are decent that I’ll be wearing sweatpants, and we’ll be eating something with a side of roasted broccoli.
Maybe we’ll be eating roasted cauliflower, if I’m feeling adventurous.
For all the tasty side dishes I’ve made for the blog or added to Pinterest, I still keep coming back to the old standby of unadorned roasted vegetables.
Community supported agriculture (CSA) has saved me from my own routine in this respect. Every Tuesday night a box comes full of whole wheat bread, eggs, and an abundance of produce that sits on the counter like a ticking clock, begging to be used before it turns wilty and sad. Herbs and greens plus other items I never would have thought to buy (this week: taro root!) are certainly helping me to broaden the scope of what I cook and appreciate good, fresh, organic food in its purest form.
This week the big bunch of basil and cilantro that came in my CSA went straight into these stuffed tomatoes along with cooked quinoa and enough cheese to fill every bite with some.
I’m not giving up the roast broccoli or sweatpants any time soon, but there’s definitely room for more of these cheesy stuffed tomatoes at the dinner table.
Quinoa and Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, or other fresh herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking dish large enough to hold all of the tomatoes. Cut the top off of the tomatoes and gently scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Arrange the tomatoes, cut-side up in the baking dish.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, goat cheese, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Gently spoon the quinoa mixture evenly into the tomatoes.
- Bake until the tomatoes begin to soften and the quinoa filling turns golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the tomatoes and bake until the cheese melts, an additional 4-5 minutes.
Nutrition
Haha I’m totally the same only my broccoli is steamed and comes with some carrots and I’ll be in my PJ pants and ugg boots. These look like the perfect dish to spice things up!
haha your dinner routine sounds just like mine – I always change into PJs or sweats and our side dishes pretty much always consist of roasted veggies … usually a red onion, zucchini and squash to be exact. If I’m feeling fancy I’ll switch up the seasonings lol. These tomatoes are gorgeous!
Thank you – great idea. Have a wonderful day!
Love, love, love the quinoa/goat cheese mixture! Tomatoes make the best little bowls for summer salads too. This is great, Jess!
Jess I’m like you, I have a few fave side dishes that I repeat night after night. And roasted broccoli is one of them! Along with roasted brussel sprouts or cauliflower. And if I’m feeling sassy, it’s roasted cauliflower mixed with roasted broccoli. LOL!
I love stuffed summer tomatoes and I absolutely adore the beauty and delicious simplicity of quinoa, goats cheese and fresh herbs stuffed tomatoes. A perfect side dish. I think I’ll add this to my summer side dish list. Hope you’re well and enjoying summer! Karista
Haha! I laughed at the roasted broccoli because you used to always make that at 880 Baller and I learned it from you! This looks great!
Oooh LOVE!! I’ve been craving quinoa lately–a very strange departure from my normal cravings for cake 😉 Quinoa stuffed tomatoes sounds AMAZING!!! And haha–I actually just got a bunch of leftovers from the CSA my coworker got since she didn’t like half the vegetables! So I have two beautiful tomatoes that might be made into this tonight, yay!
Haha – I always crave cake, Erika, so a quinoa craving is something worth taking advantage of!
Sounds delicious Jess! I love goat cheese in general so I know I’ll love this stuffed tomato dish. Love your photos –pinning!
Yum yum yum. I love how light and summary these tomatoes are. Plus quinoa and goat cheese are always a good thing.
I love summer tomatoes. What about stuffing cherry tomatoes for appetizers? Love anything with goat cheese.
What a good idea, Debra! I had an appetizer recently with cherry tomatoes and halloumi grilled on skewers, but those cherry tomatoes would be so good stuffed with cheese!
I just made these! I had fresh parsley and basil, so that went in. I also sauteed some onion and garlic and put that in. Lastly, I put bocconcini on top instead of parmesan and broiled it.
End result? My husband and I loved it.
I know when he really likes food I make because he becomes much more affectionate than normal – and he quickly told me (after a few bites) that he was SO happy to be home. 🙂
Oh yum, Bellaisa – your adaptations sound fantastic! Thanks so much for the note.