Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Orzo
Italy
Known as an Italian recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.
Ingredients 11 ingredients
- 1/2 pounds Orzo
- 6 large Tomatoes; firm, ripe
- Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons Dried oregano; rubbed
- 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese; cubed
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 medium Onion; finely chopped
- 1 quart Chicken broth; packed
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese; freshly grated
Possible health benefits
General information, not medical advice.
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Tomato
High in protein · 1.2 g per 100 g, 21% of the energy from protein
- Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass.
- Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass.
- Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
Source of vitamin C · 23 mg per 100 g, 29% of the reference intake per 100 g
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage.
11 more authorised claims
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of gums.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of teeth.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal psychological function.
- Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
- Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
- Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
- Vitamin C contributes to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E.
- Vitamin C increases iron absorption.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. NIH fact sheet
Nutrients per 100 g of “Tomatoes, green, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.
Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).
Cook safely
Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.
- Oven and hot trays. Use dry oven gloves for trays and dishes: a hot tray looks just like a cold one. Open the oven door away from your face and let the first rush of heat out.
- Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
- Blending hot liquid. Let it cool a little first, fill the blender no more than a third, and hold the lid down with a folded towel. Start on the lowest speed. A stick blender in the pan is safer.
- Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.
Method
Chef Wood
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- Remove the center pulp and seeds from the tomatoes, hollowing them out well. Lightly sprinkle into each tomato a little sugar, salt, pepper and oregano; place four cubes of mozzarella in each tomato.
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion in it until soft; stir in the orzo, stirring well so each grain of pasta is coated. Pour in 2 cups of the chicken broth, stir well, and simmer until it is absorbed, adding more broth gradually until the orzo is about three quarters cooked; firmer than al dente (I cooked mine longer--don't like pasta that firm). Taste it as you go and cook until it's as firm as you like. Blend in the Parmesan, stirring it in well.
- Spoon the orzo mixture into the hollowed tomatoes, filling them. Place the filled tomatoes in a casserole or baking dish with 1/2 cup of hot broth in the bottom of the dish.
- Bake, covered, for 15 minutes; remove the cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
Plating
Cookware for this recipe
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Frying pan
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Casserole pot
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Saucepan
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Baking dish
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Blender
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Chef's knife
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Cutting board
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Grater
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Wooden spoon