Baked Tomatoes are simple, quick to make and bursting with fresh aromatic flavors – An easy side dish or appetizer that will please the entire family!
Baked Tomatoes are one of my favorite spring-weather recipes, a brilliantly simple vegetable side dish that’s so quick to make and totally delicious. I remember my mum serving these tomatoes along with assorted grilled meats on a typical hot day in Sicily. They are also a perfect accompaniment to burgers and grilled fish, but just as great on their own with a salad.
So, when Bertolli asked me to recreate one of their recipes using Bertolli Light, I couldn’t wait to try Gennaro Contaldo’s version of baked tomatoes. Very similar to my mum’s, his recipe is super easy and doesn’t require any cheese, making it very light and refreshing. The only change I made was including breadcrumbs, which add a nice crunchiness to the dish, but feel free to leave it out and keep it gluten-free.
Ready in less than 20 min, baked tomatoes are effortlessly easy to make and such a pretty dish to share with your family. Ripe tomatoes, fresh breadcrumbs made with italian ciabatta, and aromatic basil leaves mixed altogether and baked to perfection.
It’s all pretty simple, just the way I love my food. Infact the secret ingredient is definitely Bertolli Light spread, which gives a rich buttery taste with none of the guilt ( in fact contains 80% less saturated fat than butter).
To make these easy vegetarian baked tomatoes all you need is 5 simple ingredients: tomatoes, breadcrumbs, basil, garlic and Bertolli light olive oil spread.
In a bowl mix together all the ingredients besides the tomatoes, and season well with sea salt and black pepper.
Slice off the top of each tomatoes and place, skin-side down, on a baking tray. Remove some of their pulp and load these bad boys with the filling.
Bake in the oven for about 10 min, or until tomatoes are lightly soft and crispy on top. There you go, a light and healthy appetizer/side ready to be devoured with your favorite main!
For a great lunch option, serve those guys with a salad and grilled ciabatta bread. These tomatoes are super light, so you can safely indulge into a jumbo crostini brushed generously with indulgent Bertolli with Butter, then rubbed with fresh garlic cloves while still warm. Simple and absolutely tasty!
I hope you guys will give these awesome baked tomatoes a try! Don’t forget to leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it! Even better, snap a picture, tag it #thepetitecook and share it on Instagram – I can’t wait to see all your delicious food :).
Easy Baked Tomatoes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Baked Tomatoes are a simple and bursting with fresh aromatic flavours - An easy side dish or appetizer that will please the entire family!
Author: The Petite Cook
Recipe type: Side
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 150gr / 5oz fresh breadcrumbs, not too fine ( I made mine with italian-style ciabatta bread)
- 2 tbsp Bertolli Light spread, melted
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 4 beefsteak tomatoes
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Put the bread crumbs, basil, garlic, Bertolli Light spread in a mixing bowl. Mix well until the ingredients are combined and the bread crumbs are well coated with spread. Season with salt and pepper.
- Slice off the top of each tomato, scoop out some of the pulp and arrange on a baking tray or muffin tin.
- Fill the tomatoes with the breadcrumbs mixture.
- Bake for about 10-12 mins, or until tomatoes are soften and crispy on top.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with your favorite main or with a salad and toasted bread on the side. Enjoy!
This post is sponsored by Bertolli, and as usual all opinions are my own. I’ve been a HUGE fan of this brand for a long time, and can only recommend it to all of you! Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Petite Cook.