The TOMATOES STUFFED WITH RICE, TUNA AND OLIVES are a fresh and tasty summer dish, perfect as an appetizer or a main course. It is one of those dishes that, despite its simplicity, offers great satisfaction to the palate for the play of textures and flavors, and to the eye for the intense color that invites you to taste the dish.
The goodness of the dish lies in its freshness and harmony: the tomato that contains the filling is cooked yet still meaty and slightly acidic, while the rice, seasoned with tuna and olives, gives the most substantial and savory part of the recipe. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, of course, completes the work, which, as you can see, uses many ingredients of Mediterranean cuisine.
Preparing these stuffed tomatoes does not require much time or effort, provided you follow the step-by-step photo recipe below. In no time you will have a cheerful, flavorful dish perfect even for friends who don’t eat meat.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes (firm round tomatoes suitable for stuffing)
- 1/2 cup Carnaroli rice
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 oz tuna in oil
- 1 oz olives
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Food chopper
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Deep plate
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Cutting board
Steps
Wash and dry the round tomatoes for stuffing. Cut off the top (lid) of each tomato and hollow them out with a teaspoon, being careful not to pierce the skin. Put the tomato insides in a chopper and blend until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous purée.
In a bowl place the purée, the tomato paste, the rice (raw), the oregano, the drained tuna, the chopped olives (choose flavorful ones) and the salt. If you want a stronger taste, add half a clove of chopped garlic.
Mix everything, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour.
Lightly salt the inside of the tomatoes, fill them with the rice mixture, press it down gently and place the lid you removed back on each one, then transfer them to a large baking dish brushed with oil.
Drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F and cook for 50 minutes.
Remove your TOMATOES STUFFED WITH RICE, TUNA AND OLIVES from the oven, let them cool slightly and serve.
