Baked Tomatoes

A baked tomato piece held up by a black spatula. The remaining tomatoes can be seen in the background on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

These baked tomatoes with cheese are so easy and delicious that you'll find yourself craving them again and again. In this recipe, ripe red tomatoes are scooped, seasoned, and filled with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. They’re then baked and briefly broiled until the cheese is melted and perfectly golden.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword tomatoes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 12

Total Time 32

Servings

Calories 182kcal

Author Elizabeth Rodriguez

Ingredients

4 Medium Tomatoes thin slice of ends cut off, cut in half and seeds scooped
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
½ teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano plus a pinch to top each tomato
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese grated
1½ - 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Add the salt, garlic powder, oregano and black pepper to a small bowl. Stir to combine.
Slice a thin piece off the ends of each tomato. Try not to cut through the flesh.
Cut each tomato in half - in the middle, not end to end.
Use a small spoon to gently scoop out the seeds. Try to leave the flesh undisturbed.
Pat the tomatoes dry and place them (scooped side up) on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Arrange them so that they are not touching. Give each its own space.
Brush the tops and inside of the tomato with olive oil.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly inside and over the tomatoes.
Add ½ teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese to each half.
Add about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese to each.
Top each with a pinch of parmesan cheese and a pinch of dried oregano.
Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes until the cheese melts and the tomatoes soften.
Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler to low-broil to brown the cheese
Broil the tomatoes for 1½ - 2 minutes but keep an eye on them. Turn on the oven light and stay right next to it, peeking in often. The cheese will brown quickly and can go from lightly browned and beautiful to burnt in no time.
Serve the baked tomatoes as an appetizer or a side dish to your favorite meal.

Notes

Choose tomatoes that are ripe, but not too ripe so that they hold up to scooping and baking.

Nutrition