Baked Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

Easy and delicious baked stuffed tomatoes made with creamy orzo and mushroom pasta and chunks of mozzarella cheese. Perfect little pasta filled parcels that you enjoy hot with salad or cold the next day for lunch! Plus I have a great way of cooking orzo pasta that you will love.

I love stuffed vegetables, especially tomatoes. When tomatoes are roasted or baked they turn so sweet and sticky and have such incredible flavour. Stuffing them just makes them into a complete meal and when you have so many options it's pretty hard to get bored of these sweet little stuffed tomatoes!

Stuffed Tomatoes - What's Inside?

I stuffed these babies with creamy orzo and mushroom pasta plus big chunks of mozzarella cheese because you've just got to have cheese. Orzo looks like big grains of rice but is actually pasta making it great for soups, stews and fillings for vegetables.

Instead of boiling the orzo in water like you would regular pasta I cook it similar to a risotto with stock. You can use vegetable or chicken stock but I prefer chicken stock for this particular recipe.

Cooking orzo this way is a complete meal in itself just double the recipe minus the tomatoes and enjoy as it is!

Other Filling Ideas

Here are some other great filling ideas for these stuffed tomatoes so you can keep going until all your summer tomatoes are used up!

• Ragu topped with a small spoon of bechamel and mozzarella
• Risotto (use leftovers or make a small batch especially for stuffing)
• My lentil meat free ragu would be a great option
• Mixed vegetables with mozzarella such as aubergine/eggplant, zucchini, onions or bell peppers

How To Make Baked Stuffed Tomatoes - Step By Step

Wash and dry the tomatoes then cut off the tops with a large knife. Do this carefully, not to damage the tops as they'll act as a lid when baking (photos 1 & 2).

Using the side of a metal spoon cut the edges that connect the middle core to the outside skin of the tomato then scoop out the flesh, juice and seeds into a bowl. Once done, cover the bowl with cling film and store in a fridge, find tips for using the leftover juice below (photo 3).

Sprinkle the hollowed out tomatoes with salt and sit them top side down on a plate to drain (photos 4 & 5).

Meanwhile make the orzo filling. Finely chop an onion and add to a pan with a little olive oil, saute until soft and translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook down for around 3 minutes until soft and reduced in size (photo 6 & 7).

Add the orzo pasta and stir to coat in the mushroom and onion mixture. Next add ¼ of the chicken stock and stir as if you're making a risotto until the liquid has absorbed. Continue to add the stock ¼ at a time until you've used it all up (photo 9).

Taste and add a good pinch of salt if needed, if the pasta is still under cooked then add more stock until soft. Once done add the parmesan and stir until melted and creamy (photo 10).

To assemble the tomatoes, fill each tomato half way with orzo then top with a few cubs or slices of mozzarella. Add another layer of orzo (they can be slightly mounted) then top with the remaining mozzarella. Place the tomato lids on top of each tomato then bake in the oven for 30 minutes (photos 11 & 12).

How To Use The Leftover Juice From The Tomatoes

Ok, don't throw away that delicious tomato pulp you removed from the tomatoes because it can be used to make the most delicious pasta sauce! Here's how to do it;

1. Put all the pulp into a blender and blend for a few seconds until it's all broken up and has a smooth consistency.
2. Put the blended juice through a sieve to get rid of any seeds (these can make the sauce bitter).
3. Saute minced garlic and 4 salted anchovy fillets to a pan until the anchovies have started to break down and garlic is fragrant.
4. Add the tomato juice with a good pinch of pepper and cook down for 10 minutes.
5. Add torn fresh basil and any salt if needed.
6. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, serve.

More Recipes Using Tomatoes You Might Like;

• Tomato pasta bake - pasta al forno
• Authentic Italian tomato sauce
• Sauteed tomato breakfast crostini
• Pasta Amatriciana - Bucatini, tomato, guanciale
• One-pot chicken with olives, tomatoes and lentils

If you’ve tried these Baked Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

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5 from 5 votes

Baked Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

Easy and delicious baked stuffed tomatoes made with creamy orzo and mushroom pasta and chunks of mozzarella cheese. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4 -6 servings

Calories 415kcal

Author Emily Kemp

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 beefsteak tomatoes
• ▢ ½ white/yellow onion , finely chopped
• ▢ 5 chestnut/crimini mushrooms , finely sliced
• ▢ 1 cup (200g) orzo pasta
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups (450ml) chicken stock plus extra if needed
• ▢ ¼ cup/ small handful freshly grated parmesan
• ▢ 1 ball mozzarella
• ▢ ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F)
• Wash and dry the tomatoes then cut off the tops with a large knife. Do this carefully, not to damage the tops as they'll act as a lid when baking.
• Using the side of a metal spoon cut the edges that connect the middle core to the outside skin of the tomato then scoop out the flesh, juice and seeds into a bowl. Once done, cover the bowl with cling film and store in a fridge, find tips for using the leftover juice below.
• Sprinkle the hollowed out tomatoes with salt and sit them top side down on a plate to drain.
• Meanwhile make the orzo filling. Finely chop the onion and add to a pan with a little olive oil, saute until soft and translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and garlic and cook down for around 3 minutes until soft and reduced in size.
• Add the orzo pasta and stir to coat in the mushroom and onion mixture. Next add ¼ of the chicken stock and stir as if you're making a risotto until the liquid has absorbed. Continue to add the stock ¼ at a time until you've used it all up
• Taste and add a good pinch of salt if needed, if the pasta is still under cooked then add more stock until soft. Once done add the parmesan and stir until melted and creamy
• To assemble the tomatoes, fill each tomato half way with orzo then top with a few cubs or slices of mozzarella. Add another layer of orzo (they can be slightly mounted) then top with the remaining mozzarella. Place the tomato lids on top of each tomato then bake in the oven for 30 minutes

Notes

How To Use The Leftover Juice From The Tomatoes

Ok, don't throw away that delicious tomato pulp you removed from the tomatoes because it can be used to make the most delicious pasta sauce! Here's how to do it;

1. Put all the pulp into a blender and blend for a few seconds until it's all broken up and has a smooth consistency.
2. Put the blended juice through a sieve to get rid of any seeds (these can make the sauce bitter).
3. Saute minced garlic and 4 salted anchovy fillets to a pan until the anchovies have started to break down and garlic is fragrant.
4. Add the tomato juice with a good pinch of pepper and cook down for 10 minutes. Add salt if needed.
5. Add torn fresh basil and any salt if needed.
6. Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, serve.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 415 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 24mg8%

Sodium 309mg13%

Potassium 1531mg44%

Carbohydrates 52g17%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 23g46%

Vitamin A 4375IU88%

Vitamin C 70.9mg86%

Calcium 346mg35%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 309mg | Potassium: 1531mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 4375IU | Vitamin C: 70.9mg | Calcium: 346mg | Iron: 2.3mg

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
• When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
• All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
• All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
• Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
• Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
• You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.

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