Stuffed tomatoes recipe

Perfect portions of roasted tomatoes, each packed with a tasty couscous and feta filling.

Stuffed tomatoes are an under-valued dish but these are delicious, cheap and under 250 calories each. Serve them as a light lunch or a side dish at dinnertime. Children like them because they are so neat and compact - they can even help with the stuffing and adapt the flavours if they want to. Feel free to swap out the olives for some slices of grilled pepper from a jar instead, for instance. These stuffed tomatoes also make a brilliant starter if you're creating a special dinner. This recipe serves six, with guests getting one tomato each. It's an ideal size for a appetiser, and it's so pretty to serve everyone their own tomato. Plus you can make them up in advance, ready to bang in the oven just before your guests arrive.

Ingredients

• 6 large beef steak/slicing tomatoes
• 125g couscous
• 200g packet feta cheese, crumbled
• 2tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Zested rind and juice of ½ lemon
• 2-3tbsp chopped fresh mint
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 6tbsp sliced black olives, drained
• 6 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. Set the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cut the tops off the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds from the centre and discard. If any of the tomatoes roll over rather than standing upright, cut a sliver off the bottom. Place the tomatoes in a small roasting tin.
2. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over 200ml boiling water. Stir, then leave for about 5 mins, for the couscous to absorb the water. Stir the remaining ingredients into couscous and mix well. Spoon couscous mixture into the tomato cavities.
3. Drizzle a little olive oil over the couscous, then bake the tomatoes in centre of the oven for 20-25 mins or until they have started to soften and the filling is hot. Remove from the oven and serve tomatoes immediately.

Top tips for making stuffed tomatoes

For a little more flavour, you can add a chicken or vegetable stock cube to the water before pouring it over the raw couscous in Step 2.

Take care not to overcook the tomatoes or they’ll split, spilling the filling.

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