Whether baked or eaten raw and stuffed, Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur are delicious, a dish full of flavor, perfect served as an appetizer or as a complete first course.
You can use cherry tomatoes or small vine tomatoes, so if you serve them as an appetizer, one per person is enough; otherwise, as a first course, it’s better to serve 2 if they are vine tomatoes or 4 if they are cherry tomatoes.
To prepare Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur you need, besides the cherry tomatoes, bulgur of course, some zucchini, a few cloves of garlic, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and some seasoning.
We often serve them cold without baking, but if you prefer, once stuffed, bake them in a hot oven at 390°F for 15/18 minutes or in an air fryer, reducing the cooking time to 12 minutes and the temperature to 355°F.
Below you’ll find more ideas for stuffed tomatoes worth trying, and then we can go right under the photo to find out how to prepare these Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur!!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Autumn
Ingredients
- 8 cherry tomatoes (or 4 vine tomatoes)
- 2 zucchini
- 6.35 oz bulgur
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
How to Prepare Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur
Empty the cherry tomatoes: Wash the tomatoes, cut off the tops and set them aside, then hollow them out with a spoon.
Set aside the pulp you’ll need later, salt the inside of the tomatoes, and turn them upside down on a rack to let them drain.
Prepare the filling: Cook the bulgur for the time specified on the package (usually around 10 minutes) with double its volume of water.
So for 6.35 oz of bulgur, use 1.5 cups of water.
Chop the reserved tomato pulp along with the garlic clove and let them soften in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Trim the ends and chop the zucchini into small pieces, add them to the pan, and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Stuff the tomatoes: Dry the inside of the tomatoes and place them on a serving dish or a baking dish (if you intend to gratinate them).
In a bowl, mix the cooked and drained bulgur, cooked zucchini, and finely chopped parsley.
Season everything with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, mixing very well to enhance the flavor.
Stuff the tomatoes: fill the tomatoes with the stuffing, pressing gently, place the reserved tops back on, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and if you want to eat them cold, serve them immediately.
For gratinating: If preferred, you can gratinate them by baking in a hot oven at 390°F, static mode on the central rack, for 15/20 minutes.
In an air fryer: cook them for 12 minutes at 355°F.
Storage Tips and Variations for Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur
They can be stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container.
You can replace the zucchini with another vegetable of your choice, adding 1 carrot and half an onion, all finely chopped.
If using cherry tomatoes, serve 2 or 3 per person as an appetizer. With vine tomatoes, serve 1 per person.
If you don’t like bulgur, you can substitute it with couscous or quinoa.
