Southwestern Stuffed Tomatoes are a fiesta of flavors.  These tasty baked stuffed tomatoes are filled to the brim with a delicious mixture of rice, black beans, pinto beans, bell peppers, and green chilies and then baked to perfection, and ultimately topped with spicy salsa, jalapenos, and avocados.  This Tex-Mex casserole is sure to please everyone in the family making it an ultimate Whole Food Plant Based dish, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Hi!  Robin here.

My love of Southwestern food is certainly no secret as evidenced by the number of Southwestern recipes that appear on our foodie site.  I just can’t help myself.  I am obsessed with spicy Southwestern food . . . well actually, who isn’t, right?  I mean, there are tons and tons of restaurants and fast food places all dedicated to this wonderful cuisine.  I simply can’t get enough of it.

Couch Huddles

Monkey and I have regular “couch huddles.”  You might be wondering what a “couch huddle” is; it’s not hard to figure out.  We sit on the couch with our notes and we start tossing out recipe ideas and concepts to see what we plan to cook for the following week: what is working, what recipes are in the works, and blog content.

Then we expand further on the ideas and concepts, discuss the recipe basics, and ultimately, we create a grocery list.  It is kind of a “Whiteboard” methodology without the actual whiteboard.  LOL   It works for us.

“Huddles”

The reason we call them “huddles” is to poke just a little bit of fun at my work place.  As most of you know, I work fulltime for a large corporation.  I have been there for 38 years.  I love my job.  I have an amazing boss, and the work I do is rewarding.  I am a Process Management Specialist.  I won’t go into a lot of detail about what that title entails.

If you have ever worked for a large corporation, then you know that management philosophies cycle around.  Companies buy into “the next best thing” and then suddenly, everyone needs to be trained and has to get onboard and follow the new approach.

Our latest and greatest philosophy is The Lean Daily Huddle, where a team/unit meets daily at a specified time to discuss issues and inform.  Monkey and I have “couch huddles.”  Just the two of us meeting on the couch to discuss our blog plans and to search for the meaning of life.

Huddle Discussions

Sometimes our “Couch Huddle” conversations go like this:

Me:  I have an idea for a new recipe that involves Baked Tomatoes.

Monkey:  That is a great idea! Wait… as long as it’s not Southwestern Baked Tomatoes.

Me:  It’s not Southwestern. Truly, it’s not. 

Monkey:  Good, tell me what you are thinking?  What are the ingredients?

Me:  Tomatoes, obviously. Onion, carrot, celery, rice, black beans, bell peppers . . .

Monkey: (interrupts) Wait, this is starting to sound Southwestern, is this a Southwestern recipe?

Me:  No, it’s . . .  Southern Italian.

Monkey:  Southern Italian?  Really Mom!  What are the spices?

Me:  Chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle  . . .

Monkey:  (interrupts) Mom!  This is totally a Southwestern dish!

Me:  Look into my eyes!  You are becoming sleepy, verrry sleepy.  You will agree to yet another Southwestern dish for the blog.

 When I count to 10 backwards, you will wake up feeling refreshed and love your Mom’s Southwestern Baked Tomato recipe concept!  10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Ameera here!

. . . and did I tell you how much I LOVE my Mom’s Southwestern Baked Tomatoes!  Actually, in all honesty, they are absolutely delicious.  My dad went crazy over them, and he hates baked tomatoes.  He could barely wait until we got them photographed.  He kept saying “Those look so good, can I have one now?”

This post contains affiliate links, and I may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Don’t forget the salsa

Seriously, the salsa really adds a whole “nuther” layer of deliciousness to this dish.  AND the chopped avocado, oh-my-goodness, takes it right over the top to flavor town!

We scarfed it down like it was our last meal on earth.  Sooooo incredibly satisfying and super tasty, you just gotta try it!

Products Used:

• Food Processor or Mini Chop
• 10x13x2 Casserole dish
• 8-quart ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similar large stock pot
• Lemon Zester with Channel Knife

Southwestern Stuffed Tomatoes

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: Southwestern

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Description

Southwestern Stuffed Tomatoes are a fiesta of flavors.  These tasty baked stuffed tomatoes are filled to the brim with a delicious mixture of rice, black beans, pinto beans, bell peppers, and green chilies and then baked to perfection, and ultimately topped with spicy salsa, jalapenos, and avocados.  This Tex-Mex casserole is sure to please everyone in the family making it an ultimate Whole Food Plant Based dish, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Stuffed Tomato Base Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, fine dice
• 1 celery stalk, fine dice
• 1 large carrot, fine dice
• 2 bell peppers – diced (we used the following: ½ red bell pepper, ½ yellow bell pepper, ½ orange bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper)
• 1 – 14.5 oz. can Petite Diced Tomatoes (no sodium) – pureed in a food processor
• 1 – 10 oz. can fire roasted whole green chilies (tame/mild), chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (+/- to taste) *
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (+/- to taste) *
• ½ to 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (+/- to taste) *
• ½ to 1 teaspoon cumin (+/- to taste) *
• 1/8 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried minced onions
• 1 – 2 teaspoons sea salt (+/- to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper (+/- to taste)

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 – 15.5 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – 15.25 can corn (or 2 cups frozen – thawed)
• 3 cups cooked rice of choice
• 8 (large) to 12 (medium) Tomatoes, firm & ripe (to fill a 10”x13”x 2” baking dish) Our Baking dish only fit 7 but we would have prefer 8 large tomatoes

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced (a couple slices on each for extra heat)
• Salsa (We used Jardines Texas Salsa – WFPB compliant) *
• Avocadoes, chunks or slices
• Green onions – thinly sliced
• Cilantro – roughly chopped
• Hot sauce

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Select firm, ripe tomatoes. Take each tomato and slice the top off with a knife. Only take a tiny bit off the top.  Then using a knife core the tomato. Then carefully remove all the insides (seeds, pulp, and juice), only leaving a tomato shell.  We used a small lemon zester with the little hook claws. It worked great digging out the thicker tomato membranes (See notes).  You want to create a tomato cup to hold to bake the stuffing inside. When all the tomatoes are cleaned, sprinkle a tiny amount of sea salt and pepper inside each tomato and invert them onto a paper towel lined baking sheet until you are ready to stuff them.  This will draw out any excess moisture.
3. In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot, add the prepared veggies: onion, bell peppers, carrot, and celery. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes to soften the veggies.
4. Once the veggies are softened, add all the remaining Stuffed Tomato Base Ingredients. Lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, taste the stuffing base. This is the time to adjust the spice flavors.
6. After you have adjusted the spice flavors, simmer a few more minutes to allow the spices to marry and taste test again.
7. Once the based flavor is where you want it, add the beans and corn. Stir to combine, simmer for one minute, then remove from the stove top.
8. Add the cooked rice to the mixture.
9. Take each tomato cup and fill it with stuffing mixture and temporarily place it on the baking sheet. Once all the tomatoes are filled, if you have any left-over stuffing (I had about 4 to 5 cups left over), then place the left-over stuffing on the bottom of your casserole dish.  I used an oval 10x13x2 inch casserole dish. (see images)
10. Next, take each stuffed tomato and lay it on top of the layered stuffing mixture that you placed on the bottom of your casserole dish. Continue until all the stuffed tomatoes are in the casserole dish. You may need to nestle them into the bottom layered stuffing to help them stand up properly.  Note: If you do not have any left-over stuffing to add to the bottom of the dish, add a tiny bit of water to the bottom of the dish.
11. Tightly cover the casserole dish full of stuffed tomatoes with foil.
12. Place in a preheated oven and bake at 425 F for 35 minutes. Place a baking sheet on the rack below the casserole dish to catch any spill overs.
13. After 35 minutes, carefully remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Don’t worry if there is a lot of water on top of the casserole. The tomatoes release a lot of water. The water will be reabsorbed back into the casserole while in the oven, and will continue to reabsorb after you pull it out of the oven.
14. Turn off the oven and allow the casserole to sit in the hot oven for 5 minutes.
15. Remove the casserole from the oven. Place thinly sliced jalapeno pepper rings on top of each stuffed tomato.  (Be careful, the tomatoes are piping hot).  The jalapeno slices will cook while on top of the hot stuffed tomatoes.  Allow to sit undisturbed for 5-8 minutes.
16. To serve, place a stuff tomato on a plate and top with salsa. Add optional ingredients such as avocado chunks, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro.   Enjoy!

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Notes

*Tomatoes: You want to select firm tomatoes.  Be careful not to hollow out too much of the tomato as the tomato should easily stand on its own once you hollow it out.  You want to hollow it out as you want to stuff it.  The sides of the tomato should not be so thin that it collapses after you hollow it out.  AND you don’t want to leave too much of the tomato insides as then you won’t have enough room to stuff it.  In other words, hollow it completely out, remove all the seeds and all the juice so you are only left with a “tomato shell”.

*Spices:  You can control the spice level and heat level on this recipe.  We have included the minimum amounts for a mildly spicy stuffed tomato. However, if you really want a kick, use the higher level of spice or adjust to your own spice preferences.  We kept the recipe mild as we have members of our family who do not like spicy ingredients.

*Sea Salt:  You may need to add some sea salt. We added about 2 teaspoons as we felt the added some additional flavor

*Salsa:  We LOVE Jardines Texas Salsa. It is Whole Food Plant Based compliant and has amazing flavor.  Serving this dish topped with salsa is a MUST.  It takes this dish to flavor town!  You can use your own favorite salsa.  We love Jardines Texas Salsa because it really compliments this stuffed tomato recipe.

*Nutritional Information: Does not include toppings

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Serving
• Calories: 338.2
• Sugar: 12.1 g
• Sodium: 944.6 mg
• Fat: 2.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 67.8 g
• Fiber: 15.4 g
• Protein: 14.4 g

 Storage:  Cool to warm and refrigerate.

This post contains affiliate links, and I may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.