Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Souffle
Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Souffle – An elegant (yet easy) recipe for fluffy, tender cheese souffle baked inside ripe tomatoes.
Rustic, delicious, elegant, and easy to prepare… Yes, it is absolutely possible to make a fabulous dish that checks all the boxes!
This Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Souffle recipe is inspired by a friend who was trying to find ways to use up her abundance of garden tomatoes. As it turn out, they make a marvelous vessel for stuffing and baking. The soft, moist baked tomato “bowl” holds its shape while also becoming wonderfully tender. So it is perfect to hold and steam eggs to fluffy souffle greatness.
Tomatoes Stuffed with Cheese Souffle
A proper cheese souffle has the texture of a VERY light pillow cheese omelet. The flavor is pleasantly mild, yet still incredibly rich. Just imagine how perfectly that pairs with tender tangy tomatoes!
These bright, luscious, sweet, and savory baked tomatoes present and taste super fancy. However, the recipe is quite simple to prepare, and from start to finish is made in under an hour.
Enjoy them warm from the oven as an impressive appetizer or side dish at dinner parties. These vegetarian stuffed tomatoes can even be served as a lighter main dish!
Ingredients You Need
- Tomatoes – vine-ripened are best
- Olive oil – or preferred neutral-flavored oil
- Eggs – separated + 2 additional egg whites
- Butter – unsalted
- All-purpose flour – or your fave GF-friendly alternative
- Half and half – essential for the rich, luscious souffle texture
- Sherry cooking wine – or red wine vinegar
- Smoked gouda cheese – shredded
- Parmesan cheese – shredded
- Dijon mustard – for just the right hint of tanginess
- Spices – garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper
- Cream of tartar – recommended to get the souffle light and fluffy
- Sliced prosciutto – optional, to garnish
How to Make Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Souffle
Step 1 – Prep the Tomatoes
If making the prosciutto garnish, cut each slice into four strips. Lay the prosciutto slivers on a baking sheet. Twist each piece if desired. Then broil for 1-2 minutes, until crispy. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and set out a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.
Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and liquid. Make sure to only take the very tops off and that you do not scoop too much… You want the walls of the tomato “bowl” to be nice and hearty.
Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish. Set the tomatoes in the dish, open side up, and gently press down to flatten out the bottoms. This helps to ensure that they don’t roll over as the souffles rise.
Step 2 – Make the Cheese Souffle Mixture
Next, separate the eggs. Be very careful that you do not get ANY yolk in the egg whites. Place the 4 whites in a medium bowl and add a pinch of cream of tartar. (This helps to stabilize the meringue, but is not absolutely necessary.) Use an electric mixer and a whip attachment to whip the egg whites into a firm meringue. Set aside.
Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and flour. Whisk into a roux, and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the half and half, 2 egg yolks, and sherry. Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened. Then mix in the cheeses, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne. Once all the ingredients are well incorporated and the cheese has melted, turn off the heat.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the meringue into the cheese mixture. Make sure it is well incorporated, but be careful not to deflate the meringue.
Step 3 – Stuff and Bake the Tomatoes
Now spoon the soufflé mixture into the tomatoes. Each should be generously filled, with a bit of the egg sitting above the top of the tomato.
Get the Complete (Printable) Tomatoes Stuffed with Cheese Souffle Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese souffles are bursting out of the tomatoes and golden on top.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy the tomatoes warm with a crispy prosciutto garnish on top, if you like. A few leaves of fresh basil on the side are also delightful!
They are wonderful to serve as an appetizer, either by themselves or with a simple green salad… The mellow flavors pair great with bold lettuces like arugula, spinach, and watercress.
As a side dish, souffle-stuffed baked tomatoes pair well with elegant mains like smoked prime rib with au jus, coulibiac of salmon, or pan-seared scallops.
Or make them the star of the meal and serve as a light(ish) vegetarian main dish!
Frequently Asked Questions
Round tomatoes have a tendency to dump over as the cheese soufflés rise. There are several ways to address this… A) Press the tomato bottoms flat before baking. B) Make a double batch and stuff more tomatoes in the pan. C) Find a pan that the tomatoes fit tightly into, possibly a 9 X 9-inch pan. D) You can even make foil rings to set each tomato in to hold them straight. However, I find, if you flatten the bottom well, this usually fixes the problem.
The alcohol does cook off when baked. However, if you’d still prefer an alcohol-free recipe simply swap the sherry with 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar.
Substitute all-purpose flour with your preferred gluten-free flour alternative.
It is not recommended that you stuff and bake the tomatoes ahead of time. This dish absolutely has the best tender and fluffy textures when served warm from the oven.
Looking for More Fabulous Sides and Starters?
- Real Sweet Potato Souffles
- Stacked Tomato Salad
- Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetable Polenta Stacks
- Chorizo and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
- Market Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Tomatoes Stuffed with Cheese Souffle
Ingredients
- 8 vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large eggs separated + 2 additional egg whites
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
- 1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch cream of tartar optional
- Optional Garnish: 2 slices prosciutto
Instructions
- If making the prosciutto garnish, cut each slice into flour strips. Lay the prosciutto slivers on a baking sheet. Twist each piece if desired. Then broil for 1-2 minutes, until crispy. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Set out a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.
- Cut off the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and liquid. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the baking dish. Set the tomatoes in the dish, open side up, and gently press down to flatten out the bottoms (so they don’t roll over as the souffles rise.)
- Separate the eggs, being careful not to get ANY yolk in the egg whites. Place the 4 whites in a medium bowl and add a pinch of cream of tartar. (This helps to stabilize the meringue, but is not absolutely necessary.) Use an electric mixer and a whip attachment to whip the egg whites into firm meringue. Set aside.
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and flour. Whisk into a roux, and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the half and half, 2 egg yolks, and sherry. Whisk until smooth and slightly thickened. Then mix in the cheeses, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and cayenne. Once all the ingredients are well incorporated and the cheese has melted, turn off the heat.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the meringue into the cheese mixture. Make sure it is well incorporated, but be careful not to deflate the meringue.
- Spoon the soufflé mixture into the tomatoes. Bake for 25 minutes, until the cheese soufflés are bursting out of the tomatoes and golden on top.
- Serve warm with a crispy prosciutto garnish on top.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
OMG, these stuffed tomatoes are SO DELICIOUS!! I don’t even want to say how many I ate. LOVED them!!
This looks so good! Thank you for the recipe!!
Pingback: Stuffed Tomatoes with Cheese Souffle Recipe – TURNTODAY
I NEEDED this today. Oh my goodness. So much! So light, and fluffy, yet rich, and so incredibly delicious! I could eat this for any meal/every meal. The perfect way to treat myself! Wow. I am already looking forward to eating this again!
My family was impressed with this! Can’t wait to make it again!
This is one of the best appetizers that I make to surprise my friends with an easy dish, that is very elegant at the same time!