Tomatoes aren't just for salads, you can cook them in so many different ways. Try this recipe for stuffed tomatoes with mince, you’ll love it! It’s healthy and easy to make. Serve this as a side dish or eat it as a light main meal. Made with lean ground beef and left-over rice this is a cheap and healthy dish to make. Not only that, this stuffed tomato recipe can be made ahead of time.
Instructions
Start by
Cutting the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the flesh. Make the simple meat and rice filling. Stuff the filling into the tomato shells, then steam until the tomatoes soften.
Step By Step
For this recipe you will need 8 large and firm ripe tomatoes which is about 1.2 kg and 125 grams of lean ground beef or lamb. You will also need half a cup of cooked rice, the recipe calls for long grain rice, but you can use any left over plain cooked rice including brown rice, basmati or jasmine rice.
Step 1 - Scoop Out The Flesh
Cut a section from either the top or bottom of the tomatoes. I turned the tomatoes upside down and cut the bottom section, simply because I don’t like the way the top of the tomato looks when it is presented. Keep the cut section for later.
Use a metal spoon to scoop the flesh out from the tomatoes. Place the flesh into a bowl for later. If there are large pieces of core cut these into smaller pieces.
Step 2 - Making The Filling
Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onions for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more. Mix in the allspice powder, then the ground meat, use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat into tiny pieces. Cook until the meat changes from a pink to brown colour.
Then add the cooked rice, chopped parsley and beef stock. Simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes or till the mixture is quite dry. Stirring often to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Next, mix in the reserved tomato flesh and cook on high heat for a few more minutes to reduce the liquid in the pan. The mixture should look moist but not be too dry or too wet. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3 - Filling The Tomatoes
Use a spoon to generously and slightly over fill each tomato.
Making these for a dinner party?
These stuffed tomatoes with mince can be prepared to this stage up to two days in advance. Cover with food wrap and store in the fridge. When needed, steam to heat and cook the stuffed tomatoes.
Step 4 - Steaming The Stuffed Tomatoes With Mince
Use a shallow pan with a tight-fitting lid. Place the tomatoes into the pan and pour in one cup of hot water and 1 tablespoon oil, bring to the water to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked but still firm.
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Stuffed Tomatoes With Mince and Rice
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tomatoes firm (about 1.2 kg)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ cup white rice cooked long-grain
- 20 grams butter
- 75 grams onion roughly chopped (½ onion)
- 1 garlic clove finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon allspice powder
- 125 grams ground (minced) beef (or lamb mince)
- 15 grams parsley flat leaf
- 75 ml beef stock or water
- Salt
- Black pepper freshly ground
For steaming
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Scoop out and reserve the tomato flesh and seeds. Dice any big pieces of flesh. Put aside.
- Heat the butter in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, continue to fry until the onions are soft but not brown.
- Add the allspice and cumin powders. Stir in the mince, use a spatula to break the mince into smaller pieces, then mix in the rice, parsley and beef stock. Simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes or until the beef mince is cooked. The mixture should be almost dry.
- Stir in the reserved tomato flesh, cook for a few minutes more to reduce the liquid in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the filling into the tomato shells and replace the tomato tops.
- Place the filled tomatoes into a heavy based fry pan. Pour in 1 cup of hot water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.
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