Looking to shake up your dinner routine? Not only are these Stuffed Tomatoes delicious, but they make for a beautiful presentation as well. The filling is a mix of sautéed onions, garlic, ground lamb, cinnamon, and white rice (though any grain can be used) with wonderfully salty feta cheese.
Stuff the ground lamb mixture into hollowed out ripe tomatoes, then bake until the filling is warm. Top with fresh herbs (a mix of cilantro and parsley works beautifully), then serve alongside roasted vegetables or a big green salad. Dinner perfection!
If you love ground lamb as much as we do, be sure to try our Lamb Burger or these Lamb Meatballs next!
Ingredient Notes
- Large tomatoes: You’ll need 6-8 large ripe tomatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil: To sauté the onion and garlic in.
- Ground lamb: We love the flavor of lamb in this stuffed tomatoes recipe, but you can use ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork if you prefer.
- Onion: Cooked until softened and slightly sweet.
- Garlic: To add flavor to the lamb and rice filling.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds warmth to this dish. We love cinnamon with lamb!
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: To season everything!
- Fresh herbs: Cilantro and parsley are fantastic, but basil or oregano work too!
- Cooked white rice: Though you can use any grain you like!
- Red wine vinegar: The vinegar helps to balance the flavors of the filling.
- Feta cheese: A match made in heaven with lamb!
You’ll also need a medium skillet and a baking dish that’s at least 2″ deep.
How To Clean The Tomatoes
- Slice the top ½” off of each tomato. If you want, you can reserve the tops for serving.
- Use a spoon to scoop any pulp and seeds out into a bowl — it can be helpful to use a knife to help release them from the sides of the tomato. Discard or set aside for another use.
What can I do with leftover tomato pulp? Try pulsing it in a food processor with extra virgin olive oil and flaky sea salt. Serve over toasted baguette that’s been rubbed with a halved garlic clove for a super quick and simple pan con tomate!
Make The Filling
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, then add ground lamb. Season with Kosher salt, black pepper, and ground cinnamon. The cinnamon gives this stuffed tomato recipe it’s unique flavor, and we just love it!
Once the meat is browned, add cooked white rice (or any other grain you want), feta cheese, and chopped fresh herbs. We recommend parsley and cilantro. A splash of red wine vinegar helps to balance out the flavors.
Divide the ground lamb and rice mixture evenly between the hollowed out tomatoes in a baking dish, then bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, a bit more feta and parsley, then dig in!
The filling can be made 3-4 days in advance, but the tomatoes should be prepped just before stuffing, otherwise they’ll lose their shape and become soggy.
FAQs
This recipe is! There are no breadcrumbs and the remaining ingredients are all naturally gluten free.
We love lamb and feta cheese together. If you don’t like feta but want a similar flavor profile, we recommend omitting cheese altogether and adding chopped kalamata or black olives instead.
For a different overall flavor, you could replace feta cheese with grated Parmesan cheese or white cheddar.
Warm gently in a microwave for about 1-2 minutes, until the filling is heated. Alternatively, you can warm up in a 350F oven for about 8-10 minutes until hot.
Enjoy leftover stuffed tomatoes within 3-4 days. Keep in an airtight container in a fridge.
How To Serve
These stuffed tomatoes need nothing more than a big salad. If you want to stick with the same flavor profile, you could serve up our Greek salad.
Lemon roasted potatoes, grilled asparagus, or really any roasted vegetable would make a fantastic side!
Wine Pairing!
Red wine: To match the flavors in this stuffed tomato recipe, we’re recommending a Greek red wine, Xinomavro. It’s a medium-full bodied red with high tannins and high acidity. If you can’t find that locally, try a bottle of Syrah, which often goes very well with lamb.
White wine: If you prefer white wine, perhaps a Chardonnay. Something whose richness won’t overpower the flavor of the lamb.
Rosé: A dry Provence-style rosé would be fantastic!
Check out more of our lamb recipes here!
If you make this Stuffed Tomatoes recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe with Ground Lamb & Rice!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6-8 large tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 lb ground lamb
- ½ onion diced, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1½ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp parsley finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup white rice or other grain, cooked
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled, plus more for serving
- Flaky sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Clean the tomatoes. Preheat an oven to 350F, then drizzle 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large baking dish. Slice ½” off the top of each tomato, but reserve the tops. Use a spoon to scoop out the pulp and any seeds, then discard. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the baking dish, then sprinkle the insides with ½ tsp Kosher salt, reserving the rest.
- Cook the lamb. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, cook 1 minute more, then add 1 lb ground lamb. Season with remaining 1 tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, and ¼ tsp black pepper, then cook until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add rice. Stir in 1 cup cooked rice, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, and ½ cup feta cheese, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley, then mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Stuff the tomatoes. Place heaping spoonfuls of the filling inside each tomato so that it’s mounted on top. Bake for 20 minutes, then serve hot or room temperature with additional chopped parsley, feta cheese, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Notes
- Filling: The lamb and rice filling can be made 3-4 days in advance, but the tomatoes should be prepped just before stuffing, otherwise they’ll lose their shape and become soggy.
- Leftovers: Enjoy leftover stuffed tomatoes within 3-4 days. Keep in an airtight container in a fridge.
- Reheating: Warm in a microwave for 1-2 minutes until the filling is hot. Alternatively, you can reheat stuffed tomatoes in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes.
Let us know your thoughts!