These Stuffed Tomatoes are filled with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs, then covered with mozzarella and baked. Transform ordinary tomatoes into an extraordinary dinner dish! Enjoy these easy, flavorful baked stuffed tomatoes on your dinner table tonight!
If it has the word “stuffed” in the name, it has to be good, right? You can make just about anything better if you fill it with cheese and garlic!
This isn’t your ordinary stuffed vegetable recipe, though. These are the BEST stuffed tomatoes with bread crumbs I’ve ever tasted, folks. They might even be the best baked tomatoes I’ve ever made.
SAVE THIS EASY-BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
If you love meals that combine cheesy comfort food with fresh ingredients, this stuffed tomato recipe is for you. Ripe juicy tomatoes are baked with a parmesan-bread crumb filling and seasoned with Italian herbs. This is the perfect creative way to use up any extra tomatoes in your garden!
Ingredients for Stuffed Tomatoes
- fresh tomatoes
- Parmesan and mozzarella cheese
- Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I like to use Panko breadcrumbs as well, but you could use any kind)
- minced onion
- garlic
- basil
- parsley
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Check the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions!
What kind of tomatoes are the best tomatoes for stuffing?
You can use any variety of round plump tomatoes for stuffed tomatoes. I prefer to use Beefsteak tomatoes which you’ll most often see in your grocery store. They can vary in size, but these gorgeous tomatoes have a great flavor, especially if you pick them fresh from your own garden!
If you want to go with a smaller version, Campari tomatoes have a natural sweetness that comes out even more when baked.
You can also use heirloom tomatoes. They vary in color and size and will add some excitement to your side dish.
Regardless of what type of ripe tomatoes you use, look for ones that are plump, round, and bright in color. Make sure the tomatoes are large enough to hold up to all that good stuffing, too!
How to make Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
- Place tomatoes on an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. Gently mix the ingredients until well combined.
- With a small paring knife, cut the tomato top off, then hollow out the inside of the tomatoes by removing the pulp and seeds with a spoon. (I have a grapefruit spoon with a jagged edge that worked perfectly for this.) Dice the pulp and add it to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Fill each tomato with the stuffing mixture and place them in the prepared casserole dish. Drizzle the top of each tomato with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Can you freeze stuffed tomatoes?
Yes, stuffed tomatoes are one of my favorite recipes to use for meal planning! You can freeze these either before or after they’re first baked. Place the stuffed tomatoes in an airtight freezer-safe container. Double-wrap them in plastic wrap to help preserve freshness!
Thaw them in the refrigerator before baking or bake them right from frozen. Just add a few minutes of extra baking time if you don’t let the tomatoes thaw first.
Note: Freezing will affect the texture of the tomatoes slightly. For the best flavor and texture, I prefer to bake and eat these on the same day.
Serving Suggestions for Baked Tomatoes
Stuffed Tomatoes is a simple recipe that makes a delicious side dish or appetizer.
- Serve them as an accompaniment to Chicken Mozzarella Pasta or this summery Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
- Make a loaf of Homemade Italian Bread to serve alongside your tomatoes for a hearty and satisfying meal!
- Turn this dish into a vegetarian main course by doubling the recipe!
- A great way to fill out this meatless meal is with sides like this Three Bean Salad or pasta.
Tips and tricks for tomatoes that have been stuffed
- Love garlic? Feel free to add another clove or two. If my garlic cloves are small, I will often double the garlic in this recipe.
- Freshly grated cheese is best here. It melts more smoothly than packaged shredded cheese! Plus, the taste is better.
- Have trouble scraping all the pulp out of your tomatoes? Try using a grapefruit spoon with a jagged edge. It works like a charm!
- Do not overbake. After 12 minutes the tomatoes will start to soften and may crack. When this happens, the cheesy breadcrumb filling starts to fall out. You want the tomatoes to be slightly soft, but still a bit firm.
More Easy Stuffed Recipes
Stuff all the things! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve stuffed items for your meals:
- Stuffed Green Peppers
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Mushroom & Onion Stuffed Zucchini
- Baked Stuffed Shells
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
For the Tomato Lover
If you can’t get enough fresh tomatoes, then try one of these delicious recipes that feature tomatoes as the star ingredient:
- Artichoke Tomato Chicken
- Tomato Bruschetta
- Roasted Tomato Tartlets
- Ranch Fried Green Tomatoes
- Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
This Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe comes from my initial 365 Days of Baking project! During that year, I rated everything I made on a scale of 1-4 rolling pins. According to Mr. 365, these deserved a 4 rolling pin (the best) rating, hands down. He still raves about them whenever they show up at the dinner table!
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Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 3 tablespoons plain panko bread crumbs
- 2 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2 tsp fresh basil leaves chopped
- 2 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese grated
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400ºF. Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, both bread crumbs, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Cut the tops off and hollow out the tomato by removing the pulp and seeds with a spoon. (I have a grapefruit spoon with a jagged edge that worked perfectly for this.)Dice the pulp and add it to the bread crumb mixture.
- Gently mix the ingredients until they are well combined. Fill each tomato with stuffing and place in prepared baking dish. Drizzle each tomato with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published 6/26//11 and was originally Day 146 of my original 365 Days of Baking. It was republished with updated pictures and format 9/13/21, and 6/3/2024.
Comments & Reviews
The Slow Roasted Italian says
Oh my! I am on such a tomato kick. These look incredible!
danasfoodforthought says
OOh this sounds so delicious! It’s light enough for the summer, but still filling and healthy! I would gladly make my own oatmeal for breakfast if someone would make me these for dinner!
Christine's Pantry says
Looks amazing! Yummy!
Spicie Foodie says
Oh yes all those delicious food blogs can be so distracting, in a good way though. Loving this stuffed tomatoes so thanks for sharing the recipe find. Thanks for having participated in June’s YBR:)
Lynne says
Thank you, Nancy! It’s been fun and I look forward to doing it again next month!
Adam says
This was a delicious flavour bomb and went down very well at a bring-n-share dinner! Definitely recommend! I added a bit of chilli flakes and topped with a little bit of panko crumbs. It was a good point to not overcook your tomatoes, initially I didn’t think 12min would be enough but the tomatoes are perfect after that time. They still have a little give (not moosh) and pop with flavour!
Lynne says
Adam, YAY!! That makes me so very happy to hear that, thank you!!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them and I love the addition of the chili flakes and panko bread crumbs. That’s perfect!
I may have to add that to the recipe, with your permission, of course. 😉
~ Lynne
Celestine Moti says
I really don’t know what to say about this recipe bcs it’s good
Lynne says
Thanks so much, Celestine!
Amy says
These are so delicious! My husband loved them as well. We are making them for the second time in 2 weeks tonight.