Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes: An Easy, Delightful Dish

Tuna stuffed tomatoes are legendary and they will blow you away by how good they taste. They’re easy to make and are perfect served as an appetizer or a light lunch.

Serves: 8 Time: 30 min Cookbook: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

Have you ever said, “I have too many tomatoes”? Yeah, us neither. That would be a good problem to have! These vine-ripened fruits are the heralds of late summer/early fall, and they happen to be one of the most versatile ingredients in the world. Beloved by most, there are endless ways to prepare and enjoy a tomato.

In this recipe, whole, fresh tomatoes are cut in two, juiced/seeded, and stuffed with another summer favorite – tuna. The dish is then roasted in the oven where sweet and savory flavors join together and form a perfect union. Delish.

Jump Ahead:

• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🍅 Ingredients Needed to Make Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
• 🍴 Equipment You’ll Need in the Kitchen
• 🥄 How to Make Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
• ♾️ Tuna Stuffed Tomato Variations
• ❓ Tuna Stuffed Tomato Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple: Tuna stuffed tomatoes are one of the simplest, easiest things to make. If you serve them cold, you can go from mixing to serving in minutes. Even baked, they’ll be on the table in under 30 minutes – and most of that is hands-off baking time.

Deeelish: These are so packed with flavor they blew us away. We were so surprised by how incredible a tuna stuffed tomato could taste. Before making them, we didn’t have incredibly high expectations. After we took one bite, however, we knew they had to go on the blog. They are amazing.

Versatile: If someone in your family doesn’t prefer tuna, you can change up the filling with a wide variety of stuffing ingredients like turkey, beef, and lamb.

Ingredients Needed to Make Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

• Tomatoes: These should be large, beefsteak tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes you can find at your local farmer’s market will be the best.
• Canned Tuna: Use tuna packed in water, not oil, for this recipe.
• Breadcrumbs: Panko bread crumbs work well, but you can also utilize homemade breadcrumbs if you have them on hand.
• Onion: White onion and red onion would both work well for the flavor profile.
• Green Bell Pepper: Any bell pepper is fine. Green bells have a slightly bitter taste that work well for this recipe, however the sweeter yellow, orange, or red will also work.
• Olive Oil: Extra virgin will always be best.
• Terragon or Oregano: Both of these spices work well for the flavor profile. Use whichever you have on hand.

Equipment Needed In the Kitchen

Rimmed Sheet Pan

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Mixing Bowls

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• Rimmed Sheet Pan: A rimmed sheet pan is large enough to hold 4-5 tomatoes or 8-10 halves.
• Medium Mixing Bowl: You’ll mix the tuna filling together, so a medium-sized bowl is perfect.

How to Make Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

This dish has a French history, and culinarians traditionally stuffed tomatoes with ingredients like sausage and ham. Then the meal migrated to America, where it took on distinct flavors such as tuna. It’s been a favorite ever since.

Prep the oven and pan

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, lightly drizzle some oil over the pan and spread it around to prevent sticking.

Note: Make sure your pan is large enough to hold 8 tomato halves without crowding.

Prep the tomatoes

Wash the tomatoes then cut in half. Using a spoon, scoop out most of the insides, while leaving a thick edge so the tomato doesn’t lose its shape. Set the insides in a bowl.

When each half is scooped out, sprinkle salt on the insides, then flip upside down on a paper towel. This allows the tomatoes to drain the excess juices. Leave this way for about 15 minutes.

Make the filling

While the tomatoes drain, proceed to make the filling.

First, squeeze the tomato pulp to remove as much juice as possible. Then, chop the pulp fine.

Drain the tuna and break it up into small pieces.

Combine the tuna, pulp, tarragon or oregano, pepper, onion, bread crumbs, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill each tomato with the stuffing but don’t pack it down.

Bake the tomatoes

Place each tomato half on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve straight out of the oven.

Tuna Stuffed Tomato Variations

You can stuff tomatoes with a variety of different fillings. Here are a few options to get you started.

Lamb Stuffed: Instead of the tuna, add the same amount of cooked, ground lamb along with the rest of the stuffing ingredients as the tuna recipe.

Beef Stuffed: In place of the tuna, add the same amount of cooked, ground beef, and add chopped jalapeno instead of bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, and a 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

Turkey Stuffed: Swap out tuna for the same amount of cooked, ground turkey, then add 2 tablespoons finely minced mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon chopped onion. Add a slice of swiss cheese over the top of each tomato half before baking.

Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes: Tips, Tricks, and FAQs

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