Stuffed peppers are a very popular dish, but we thought of using a ripe firm tomato this time.  Just a little change up.  We used ingredients, we had on hand, just for convenience.  The nice thing about this Stuffed Tomato Recipe is that you can add or delete ingredients to suit your particular tastes.  The biggest difference is using ground turkey instead of ground beef.   Besides that, turkey is a little less expensive.  A bit healthier, too.

Prep time is about 30 minutes and cook time is about one hour.

Ingredients:

• Six ounces of lean ground turkey
• 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice.  Instant brown works, as well
• 4 or 5 large ripe tomatoes with stems attached (they make a great presentation).  Make sure tomatoes are firm.
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons of EVOO(extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry Italian seasoning.  Most grocery stores have it in their spice racks.  Contains Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary and sage.
• 3/4 cup of sweet onion, minced.
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
• 1 cup of herbed Italian breadcrumbs.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat an 8-inch-square baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook ground turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling with a spoon, until brown and cooked through.  Place in mixing bowl

Add cooked rice to the bowl with the meat.

Slice enough off the top of each tomato to remove the core. Scoop out the tomato pulp using a teaspoon or melon baller. Finely chop 1/2 cup of the pulp and add to the bowl with the rice and meat. Season the inside of the tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and Italian seasoning.

Add peas, onion, 1/4 cup cheese, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to the rice mixture. Stir to combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the tomatoes and place the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup cheese, breadcrumbs, oil and garlic in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Bake the tomatoes until the crumbs are golden and the tomatoes are soft, 20 to 25 minutes.  Top with baked tomato tops with stems.

We hope you enjoy this variation of a great entry.

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