Loosen That Belt…

When you hear the word “stuffed,” what comes to mind? (Other than a food coma and a too-tight waistband…) Is it…

 

—   veggies, like bell peppers or chilies piled with rice, meat, and cheese?

—   Thanksgiving, with the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and stuffing?

—   pasta, like ravioli or tortellini crammed with cheeses and herbs?

—   pizza, with the dough folded over to hide extra melted cheese under the crust?

 

Somehow, I managed to combine both the first and last options in my brain in a Tasmanian-devil-like cyclone to come up with… Pizza-stuffed tomatoes!

 

It sounded like a perfectly good idea at the time, but most things that seem logical to me, others find about as clear as mud. So let me explain…

 

I didn’t want to take a slice of pizza, pulverize it in a blender, and shove it into a tomato. A pizza smoothie in a tomato cup does not sound appealing, even to crazy ol’ me. Instead, I made an inside-out pizza. I took all of the pizza ingredients, used the tomato as the “crust,” and baked an irresistibly funky dinner.

 

 

Hawaiian Pizza Stuffed Tomatoes

serves 2

Feel free to substitute your favorite pizza toppings instead! Serve with a fresh salad.

2 large globe or beefsteak tomatoes

3 tbsp tomato paste

½ tsp basil

½ tsp dried onion flakes

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 piece whole-wheat sandwich bread or English muffin

⅓ c. diced ham

⅓ c. diced pineapple

¼ c. finely grated mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.
2. Cut the tops off of the tomatoes, and carefully scrape out the pulp from the inside, leaving a generous ¼-inch border of skin and innards. Reserve 3-4 tsp of the pulp.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the tomato paste through black pepper. Add in 2-3 tsp of the reserved tomato pulp, adding more pulp for a more liquidy consistency.
4. Tear the bread product into tiny pieces, or shred in a food processor for 30-60 sec. Add bread, ham, ¼ c. of pineapple, and 3 tbsp of cheese to the tomato sauce, stirring until everything is well-coated. Spoon half of the mixture into one tomato shell, and top with ½ tbsp of cheese and half of remaining pineapple. Repeat with remaining tomato and tomato mixture.
5. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pineapple begins to brown a bit. Serve immediately.