Air Fryer Italian Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Recipe
These stuffed tomatoes feature Italian seasoning and cheese, and are cooked easily in your air fryer. It’s a great alternative to turning on the oven for an equally delicious result.
1Tbspchopped fresh basil(plus more for garnish if desired)
¼Cupgrated parmesan cheese
¼Cupsoft herb and garlic cheese, at room temperature(such as Boursin)
½Cupshredded mozzarella cheese
½Tbspolive oil(or more as needed)
Instructions
Using a serrated knife, cut the tops off each tomato, approximately ½” from the top
4-6 Medium slicing tomatoes
Carefully remove the filling from the tomato without damaging the walls of the tomato. First, cut a circle around the inside wall of the tomato using a sharp knife. Then, score the center crosswise. Pull the large pieces out with your fingers, then use a cutlery teaspoon to clean up the sides
Sprinkle the insides of the tomato cavity with 1 tsp salt (or more as needed depending on size of tomatoes), then turn them upside down on a paper towel lined plate to drain
2 Tsp Salt (or more as needed)
While tomatoes drain, heat a skillet on the stove over medium high heat
Add the sausage and cook until well browned. Do not drain
½ Pound sweet Italian sausage
To the browned sausage, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute more
1 Tsp minced garlic
In a mixing bowl, combine sausage and garlic, Italian seasoning, diced onion, fresh basil, ½ cup of the breadcrumbs, pepper, remaining 1 tsp salt, parmesan, Boursin, and mozzarella cheese. Make sure to smash in the Boursin and distribute well. The mixture should be damp (but not wet). Add a small amount of additional olive oil if needed to add more moisture
¾ Cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, ½ Tsp black pepper, 1 Tsp Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp dried minced onion, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, ¼ Cup grated parmesan cheese, ¼ Cup soft herb and garlic cheese, at room temperature, ½ Cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Take the remaining ¼ cup of breadcrumbs and combine it with the olive oil in another small bowl, tossing to coat evenly
½ Tbsp olive oil
Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (or 360°F depending on your air fryer’s available settings)
Fill your tomatoes with the stuffing mixture, making sure to pack it down slightly and mound it on top. I use my hands, and it takes 3 handfuls to stuff a medium tomato (of course this will vary based on both hand and tomato size)
Top the tomatoes with the reserved oiled breadcrumbs. Press down slightly to stick breadcrumbs to the tomato
Place the filled tomatoes in the preheated air fryer basket
Cook tomatoes on the air fry setting for 10-15 minutes at 350°F, until tops are golden brown, filling is heated through, and cheese is melted
Garnish with additional fresh basil before serving (optional)
Notes
You can use less if you have really large beefsteak tomatoes, or 8 smaller tomatoes if you like. With some patience, small Campari-sized tomatoes can be used as a poppable appetizer!
Panko can be swapped in for normal breadcrumbs (or gluten free breadcrumbs work fine as well)
You can use ground beef in place of the sausage or omit the meat entirely. If you omit meat, you’ll need to add 1 Tbsp or so of olive oil to the stuffing to replace missing fat
In place of Boursin, you can swap in ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, or sour cream
For a rice variation, add in about ½ cup of cooked Arborio rice, leftover risotto or even orzo pasta. You can omit the breadcrumbs inside if you do this
To make a vegetable variation, add 6 ounces of cooked spinach to your stuffing blend
Since they’re stuffed, there’s no need to flip during cooking for this recipe
I recommend tongs or a spatula to help you remove the hot tomatoes from the air fryer
If you like, you can add the tomato pulp you pulled out back into your filling for additional flavor and/or moisture. Discard the seeds, though
It is normal for the tomato skins to peel during cooking. They can be consumed, or peeled off easily before presentation if desired
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients, any substitutions, and exact quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
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