Southwestern Black Bean Stuffed Tomatoes or one of my favorite summer recipes. This vegetarian dish is packed with flavor and perfectly utilizes the amazing taste of the summer tomato.
What you need to make Southwestern Black Bean Stuffed Tomatoes:
Time:
- 80 minutes
Produce:
- 12 medium tomatoes cored
- 1 red onion chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic pressed
- 1 bell pepper chopped
Dairy:
- 1 egg
Pantry:
- 1 15 oz can of black beans
- ¼ C pickled jalapenos diced
- 1 C shredded cheese (mexican mix)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ C Panko breadcrumbs (Plain)
Learn more about the amazingness of beans and lentils: Black Beans vs. Pinto Beans, Navy Beans vs. Great Northern Beans, What to do with leftover lentils (15+ ideas), What do Lentils Taste Like? and more Canned Black Bean Recipes.
Start by preheating the oven to 350F.
The Stuffing:
Sauté and salt (½ teaspoon salt) the finely chopped onions in a little bit of olive oil. Lower the heat to a low medium and add in the crushed garlic. Cook on low until the onions are translucent about 5 to 6 minutes.
Place the cooked onions and garlic, black beans, bell peppers, and spices into a medium size bowl. Mix in the breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, jalapenos, salt (1 teaspoon), and egg, and set the mixture aside.
The Tomatoes:
Next, prepare the tomatoes. First and foremost, get good tomatoes. I usually only make this recipe this summer when I know I can get fresh ripened tomatoes.
Do not refrigerate your fresh tomatoes!! It will ruin the flavor.
Be flexible about the size of your tomatoes. It is perfectly fine if some are smaller or larger.
Using a sharp paring knife, core the top of the tomato removing the stem and creating a well for the stuffing. You want the opening to be large enough to get a small spoon into while keeping the structure of the tomato intact.
Take a small spoon and gently scrape out the seeds and interior of the tomato. Don’t worry about getting everything out you just want to make enough room for the filling.
Next, scoop the stuffing mixture into the wells of the tomatoes. You could use spoons to do this, but the ceramic artist in me thinks it’s just easier to get your hands dirty.
Place the stuffed tomatoes on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350F.
Approximately 25 to 35 minutes. It depends on the size of the tomatoes. You want the stuffing to be slightly browned and the cheese fully melted without the tomato turning to mush.
The stuffed tomatoes are so packed with flavor that they hold up on their own as a main dish. You can serve them with rice or quinoa and they are also delicious over a bed of greens.
If you use slightly smaller tomatoes, they work wonderfully as an appetizer for a summer party.
More Stuffed Vegetables
If you enjoyed a recipe for Southwestern Black Bean Stuffed Tomatoes, there are many other similar dishes that you might also like. For example, lentil stuffed peppers are a vegetarian option that provides a similar texture and flavor profile. Polenta stuffed peppers offer a different twist, with a creamy and satisfying polenta filling. If you're looking for a southwestern flair, you might enjoy trying stuffed summer squash with a spicy black bean filling. For a heartier meal, Italian sausage stuffed portabella mushrooms and Italian sausage stuffed summer squash are delicious options. Each of these recipes provides a unique twist on the classic stuffed pepper, and there's something for every taste preference.
More recipes featuring black beans:
- Black Bean Soup
- Best Canned Black Beans Recipe
- Mexican Chopped Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
- Black Bean and Corn Salad with Honey and Line Dressing
If you’ve tried this Southwestern Black Bean Stuffed Tomatoes recipe or any other recipe on BalancingBowls, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Recipe
Southwestern Black Bean Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes cored
- 1 red onion chopped
- 4 gloves garlic pressed
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 15 oz can of black beans
- ¼ C pickled jalapenos diced
- 1 C shredded cheese mexican mix
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ C Panko breadcrumbs Plain
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
The Stuffing:
- Sauté and salt (½ teaspoon salt) the finely chopped onions in a little bit of olive oil.
- Lower the heat to a low medium and add in the crushed garlic.
- Cook on low until the onions are translucent about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Place the cooked onions and garlic, blackbeans, bell peppers, and spices in to a medium size bowl.
- Mix in the breadcrumbs, shredded cheese, jalapenos, salt (1 teaspoon) and egg and set the mixture aside.
The Tomatoes:
- Using a sharp paring knife, core the top of the tomato removing the stem creating a well for the the stuffing.
- Scoop the stuffing mixture in to the wells of the tomatoes.
- You could use spoons to do this, but the ceramic artist in me thinks it’s just easier to get your hands dirty.
- Place the stuffed tomatoes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350F.
- Bake for approximately 25 to 35 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Natalie says
These are surprisingly good! When I made them for my husband he thought there must be bacon in it, he thought they were so delicious he was surprised they were vegetarian.
Nolan says
A delicious vegetable side dish--great stuffing combination of beans cheeses and seasonings--easily prepared.
It was great prepare in advance when we had friends over for dinner. All the preparation was done--just ready to pop in the oven prior to serving dinner. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!!