Stuffed Tomatoes

Recipe from Williams Sonoma Pasta.

The first time I made this dinner was when I was in college.  When I was home for long breaks, I would take advantage of having my mom's kitchen to myself while my parents were hard at work.  I decided over my Christmas break that I wanted to have a new dish ready for when she walked in the door so she wouldn't have to worry about dinner that night.  I randomly selected this from one of her cookbooks for a few reasons: it was new and we never had this meal, it seemed easy enough to make, and there was almost no clean up.  I was nervous she wouldn't like it, but my to my surprise, her eyes lit up when she walked in the door.  The aroma coming from the kitchen was the most delightful smell after a long day of work.  It has since become one of our favorite meals to make.

This is a perfect recipe to serve with fresh pasta, however store bought will also do.  It makes for a fabulous dinner, but is just as delicious as a side dish - just leave out the pasta and serve the tomatoes on their own. 

6 vine ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 TBS oregano

salt

pepper

3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pound thick cut pasta, such as pappardelle or fettuccine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Rinse the tomatoes and slice in half so that you have a top and bottom.  Scoop out the seeds and arrange on the baking sheet cut side up.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Spoon the bread crumb mixture in the tomato halves.
4. Bake the tomatoes for 40 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the cooking instructions.
6. Toss the cooked pasta with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Arrange the tomatoes over the top of the pasta.  Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.