Italian Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice (Pomodori di Riso)

These Italian stuffed tomatoes are an easy dish to make as a side or a vegetarian main. The rice is mixed with cheese and basil and cooks in the oven inside the tomatoes absorbing their juices. These stuffed tomatoes can be prepared ahead of time and baked just before dinner, perfect for a dinner party.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Top tips
• Substitution
• When to serve them
• Recipes you might also like
• 📋Italian Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice (Pomodori di Riso)

Stuffed tomatoes with rice are a great option for vegetarians, celiacs, and even vegans. There is cheese in the mix but it is not a key component of the recipe and can be substituted. They can be served as a main course with a salad on the side.

Ingredients

The rice to use is Carnaroli rice, which is the same type of rice used for risotto. The rice will be crunchy outside and soft and creamy inside, that is why the type of rice is very important.

The rice cooks in the oven as pilaf rice, but there is no need to add any additional liquid. The rice cooks with the water from the tomato juices, so make sure the tomatoes are juicy and that all the juice is kept inside the tomatoes or with the filling.

The best tomatoes to use are the large round tomatoes which are juicy and large enough to accommodate a good portion of the filling.

Ingredients for the filling

The filling is made with the following ingredients:

• 3 cups - 500 g Carnaroli rice
• 1 cup of mozzarella or Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup chopped basil leaves
• 1.5 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

While cooking the rice absorbs the flavor of the fresh tomatoes, the basil, and the extra virgin olive oil. Using good and fresh ingredients is very important for this recipe.

In this recipe, I use Provola cheese, but you can use mozzarella and even add some freshly grated parmesan cheese. The cheese will make the rice creamier, mantecato like in the risotto.

Instructions

Preparing the tomatoes

1. Put the tomatoes into a baking plate
2. Cut the tops but keep them aside
3. With a spoon scoop out the inside of the tomatoes. Leave inside the tomatoes any juices that remain.
4. Season the tomatoes with salt and some olive oil

Preparing the filling

1. In a separate bowl chop the inside of the tomatoes.
2. Season with olive oil and salt
3. Add the rice
4. Add the parmesan or the mozzarella cut in cubes
5. and add the chopped basil leaves
6. Mix all well

Making the stuffed tomatoes

1. Fill the inside of the tomatoes with the rice mix
2. Spread the remaining rice around the tomatoes
3. Sprinkle with olive oil
4. Put back the tomatoes tops and sprinkle with some more olive oil
5. Bake in the oven at 180 C - 350 F for 45 minutes until the rice is nicely browned

Top tips

• Use large juicy tomatoes
• You should use risotto rice Carnaroli or Arborio, basmati rice or sushi rice will not work in this recipe
• Make sure there is enough tomato juice in the mix as the rice needs liquid to cook
• Cheese is an option but it helps to make the filling creamier
• Put the tops of the tomatoes back as they keep the steam inside the tomatoes and make the rice moist

Substitution

You can substitute the rice with a mix of 3 grains rice, spelt and barley or use quinoa instead but you will have to adjust the cooking time

When to serve them

These Italian stuffed tomatoes with rice are perfect for dinner parties or when you have guests. You can prepare them in advance and bake them just before serving them.

I love risotto, but it is not practical for dinner parties as you need to stir it for 20 minutes while your guests are waiting for you at the table.

So here are more options for rice dishes you can prepare in advance and cook in the oven:

• Baked Rice Pilaf
• Vegetarian Rice Timbale with Grilled Eggplants Recipe
• Black Rice Recipe With Apple, Avocado And Carrots

For more recipes made with fresh summer tomatoes, you can check the recipes below.

They are a combination of recipes using all the typical Summer flavors of the Mediterranean countries.

Recipes you might also like

For more vegetarian recipes, check out the category: Vegetables

Also check the recipes below:

• Simple tomato sauce
• Fresh tomato sauce
• Salmorejo
• Greek salad
• Easy Ratatouille Recipe Baked
• Easy Tabbouleh Recipe

If you are making these Italian Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice (Pomodori di Riso), leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.