Cowboy Caviar and Bacon Stuffed Baked Tomatoes
Food photography and recipe creation by Abby Mosler. Find her on Instagram @sweetrindandsalt
Ingredients
4 – 5 large tomatoes (ripe but still firm)
6 large slices thick cut bacon
4 large green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one lemon
1 24 oz. jar Paisley Farm Cowboy Caviar, drained
¼ cup fresh minced parsley (tightly packed)
2 tbsp. torn fresh basil leaves
12 oz. marinated small fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half
2 – 3 tbsp. reserved marinade from the mozzarella
(NOTE: If you cannot find marinated mozzarella, regular or shredded will work great too! In this case, you can replace the reserved marinade with olive oil. If you use shredded cheese, you’ll need about 1 cup)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular breadcrumbs will also work)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh minced parsley
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the tops off the tomatoes and use a knife to cut around the inside, leaving approximately a ¼-inch wall of flesh around the inside of the tomato so it won’t collapse when baking. Remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Roughly chop the part of the tomato that was removed (discarding the core and seeds) and set aside.
- Invert the tomatoes onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Next, roughly chop the bacon and add to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy. When the bacon is done, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet. Add the green onions to the skillet and sauté until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Next, stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the lemon juice to the skillet to deglaze and carefully scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Add the cowboy caviar and reserved tomato flesh to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned; about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and toss the fresh parsley and basil with the cowboy caviar mixture. Add the cooked bacon, mozzarella, and reserved marinade or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
- Next, place the tomatoes right-side up in a baking dish. Evenly spoon the cowboy caviar mixture into the tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and fresh minced parsley. Sprinkle over the top of the tomatoes.
- Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes; or until the tomatoes begin to soften and the tops are golden brown.
