Savory Baked Tomatoes with Ricotta

What do you need:  a delicious appetizer, a side dish, a main course?  These baked tomatoes can easily fill the bill for any of the three!

I like everything about tomatoes; the round plump shape, the sweet juicy taste and the ruby red color.  This warm dish unites tomatoes with the savory taste of spinach, garlic, ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses.  The tomatoes aren’t stuffed so that means you don’t need extra preparation time to scoop out the pulp and seeds.  The cheese topping sits proudly on top of the tomato halves for a quick tasty dish that looks pretty too after being baked.

This is the perfect dish for your bumper crop of tomatoes.  It’s a simple recipe for any meal of your choice ~ how about breakfast?  YUM!

On the left no Parmigiano-Reggiano yet/and with it  on the right~ ready for the oven

Baked Tomatoes with Ricotta

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes

6 tablespoons ricotta cheese

½ cup chopped fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon seasoned pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tomatoes in half crosswise.

Combine ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, thyme and pepper.

Top each tomato half with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture.

Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over top.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese turns golden.

These cheesy tomatoes are GREAT!!!

ENJOY!!! 

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes.