Rice Stuffed Garden Tomatoes

Is your garden overflowing with tomatoes? Then this is the stuffed tomato comfort food you didn't know you needed!

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

1-2 tsps salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1/4 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp dry oregano

pinch of sugar

2 tsps minced garlic

6 tbsps olive oil

1/2 cup (approximately) tomato sauce

3/4 cup arborio rice

3 medium-large new potatoes, unpeeled and diced

Cut tops off the tomatoes about a quarter the way down and keep them for later. Remove the pulp. I found using this serrated grapefruit spoon for the job was perfect! Blend the pulp in a food processor and sprinkle salt in each tomato shell.

Then, to the pulp, add dry basil and oregano, broth, fresh basil, garlic and 2 tbsps olive oil along with 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of sugar. Blend on high then measure and add enough tomato sauce to make 2 cups. (You should need about 1/2 cup tomato sauce, but add more if you need to). Stir the rice in.

Oil a 13 X 9" baking dish. Toss diced potatoes with 2 tbsps olive oil and place them in the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt. Snuggle the tomatoes in between the potatoes, fill them with the filling and put their "hats" back on. 

Pour the remaining filling over the potatoes and drizzle everything with another 2 tbsps of olive oil.

Bake at 375°F for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes.

Serve warm with parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves to garnish.