Imagine a Juicy Tomato Stuffed With Sausage — and That’s Dinner
Stuffed vegetables, 5 ways
Here’s the best of two worlds: flavorful fillings in gorgeous edible vessels. Different vegetables require slightly different stuffing techniques; some of the most common are listed here. But one general piece of advice: Resist the urge to overstuff.
To ensure that the vegetable will be tender and fully cooked, most require a bit of cooking — like boiling, steaming, or roasting, before filling. That way you decrease the final cooking time and prevent the stuffing from getting too dry. Because the vegetable will finish once it’s filled, the idea is to precook until you can just barely stick a fork in it. The only exceptions are when your stuffing includes raw meat or fish, or raw grains, which will take longer to cook, or when you’re using quick-cooking vegetables such as tomatoes or bell peppers.
I usually finish cooking stuffed vegetables in a fairly hot oven; the browning adds a bit of richness. But steaming, braising, frying, grilling, and broiling also work well.
Tomatoes Stuffed with Sausage and Rice
Makes: 4 servings
Time: 50 minutes with cooked rice
