Roasted stuffed tomatoes that are filled to the brim with a flavorful mixture of pesto quinoa and fresh spinach. Vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Tomatoes are another one of my favorite summer produce picks. I swear they taste sweeter and juicier during the warmer summer months! My dad eats them like apples. I haven’t tried that yet but I do try to work them into many of our meals.
When I was at Sam’s Club last week shopping with my mom, I saw the most beautiful fresh tomatoes and just had to stock up– big time.
They were so ripe, juicy, and the perfect shape for making stuffed tomatoes!
Stuffed tomatoes are very similar to stuffed peppers (which we love), except I think stuffed tomatoes have a sweeter flavor and a more delicate consistency that we really enjoy.
You might also enjoy this zesty taco stuffed tomato recipe too!
HOW TO FREEZE TOMATOES
Step 1 – Use a paring knife to score an X on the bottom of each tomato.
Step 2 – Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, just until the edges where you made the X start to peel up.
Step 3 – Immediately put the hot tomatoes into an ice bath. It will stop them from cooking and cool them down quickly so you can handle them.
Step 4 – Peel the skins off and remove the stem with a knife or strawberry huller.
Step 5 – Use a vacuum sealer to freeze the tomatoes in a flat, single layer. Don’t forget to label the bag and mark the date!
Whenever I find beautiful fresh produce that’s in season and a good price, I like to stock up and buy enough to last us for a few months for when that item is not in season. After bringing home my stash of tomatoes, I blanched and froze most of them so I can make fresh tomato sauce during the winter.
HEALTHY & PRACTICAL ITEMS THAT I LIKE TO BUY IN BULK FROM SAM’S CLUB:
- (F) Rice
- Honey
- Chips
- Crackers
- (F) Spinach
- (F) Berries
- Popcorn
- (F) Quinoa
- Dried seasonings
- (F) Cheese
- (F) Bread
- (F) Avocados
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut oil
- (F) Flour
- (F) Fresh produce
By choosing practical and healthy items to buy in bulk, you can improve your diet by cooking more affordable meals at home for your family. By cooking from scratch, you know exactly what’s going into your meals and what you’re feeding your family.
Something else I always do before I go grocery shopping is to check the Instant Savings Book (ISB) offers for great deals. It’s like having an automatic coupon. I know my food prices, so stocking up on items that are on sale at a great price is another way I supplement our food budget. By saving money this way you’re able to put that extra money towards a vacation or a special treat!
Sam’s Club offers everything you and your family needs to stay healthy:
- Free health screenings
- Optical
- Hearing
- OTC
- Food and drinks
HLMS JULY/AUGUST SUPERFOOD OF THE MONTH: SPINACH
I like to read through the Sam’s Club Healthy Living Made Simple online magazine to look for recipe inspiration and health and wellness tips.
Spinach is the July/August superfood of the month so they have a whole article all about spinach! Did you know that spinach is one of the only vegetables that actually increases in nutritional value once it has been cooked?!
I know, shocking! Right?
We love spinach and eat it any way we can get it. Raw, cooked, fresh, frozen…we like them all!
OUR FAVORITE SPINACH RECIPES:
- Cashew cream spinach artichoke dip
- Creamy cauliflower spinach pearl couscous
- Spinach & mushroom pizza
- Zucchini avocado spinach grilled cheese
- Coconut curry lentil spinach soup
- Butternut squash spinach pasta sauce
- (Dairy-free) Cashew cream spinach artichoke stuffed shells
- 30-Minute Garden veggie barley soup
- Spinach salad with goat cheese and baked salmon
- Green smoothies
- Spicy Thai sweet potato noodles
- Dairy-free spinach artichoke stuffed shells
- Creamy coconut lentil spinach chickpea soup
STUFFED TOMATOES: PESTO SPINACH QUINOA FILLING
I bought a big clamshell package of fresh spinach to add to the pesto quinoa filling that I made for the stuffed tomatoes. I only used half of it but we finished the rest in salads during the rest of the week.
Quick tip – If you ever have fresh spinach that you don’t think you’re going to finish before it goes bad, you can saute it with a little bit of olive oil, garlic powder, and onions. It will last a few more days or you can freeze it like that for a future meal.
The pesto spinach filling for the stuffed tomatoes is so delicious!
Confession: I may or may not have eaten a bowl of just the filling before I ate the stuffed tomatoes for dinner. I’ll never tell!
You can use fresh pesto or pre-made jarred pesto, either will work just fine and be absolutely delicious!
You get protein from the quinoa, nutrients from the fresh spinach, and all the fresh flavors of the pesto. The tomatoes are the perfect vessel for this dish, and roasting makes them super sweet and tender. I like to cook them just until the skin just starts to blister which gives it an extra layer of flavor.
Stuffed tomatoes is a very simple dish to prepare, but it’s loaded with healthy ingredients that the whole family will love. With just a few simple staple ingredients from Sam’s Club, you can make a gourmet meal that will satisfy everyone! We loved it and I can’t wait to make them again.
- 6 medium tomatoes, seeds and cores removed
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed & drained
- 6 Tbsp homemade pesto or store-bought pesto
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup raw cashews (or pine nuts)
- 1 garlic clove
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast
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Add all of the pesto ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy, set aside.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Cut off the top of the tomatoes. Use a spoon with a serrated edge to slip in and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Set aside.
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Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish and spread it around. Place tomatoes in the baking dish. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over the top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle salt & pepper on each tomato.
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Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside.
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In a large saute pan, cook the diced onion in 2 Tbsp olive oil, for 5-8 minutes or until translucent. Add the cooked quinoa, spinach, pesto, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix together, let cook just until spinach has wilted and everything is combined.
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Spoon filling into tomatoes and put the top back on.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until the skin starts to blister.
