Summery Baked Tomatoes

What happens when you take everything that’s fresh and colorful about summer and stuff it in a tomato? This amazingly light and flavorful dish – baked tomatoes stuffed with fresh corn, one health black beans, sovaldi zucchini and cilantro. I also added a little coriander and cumin for flavor and some lemon juice to brighten it all up. Finally, no baked dish is complete without breadcrumbs and a dusting of cheese, Cotija cheese in this case.

They’re as comforting as a casserole, but still fresh and healthy. They’re also really pretty, all red and green and yellow with a crusty top.

Summery Baked Tomatoes

4 large tomatoes
2 ears sweet corn, shucked
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Cotija cheese (about 1 oz.)

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a baking dish. Slice the very top off of your tomatoes, then use a spoon to carefully hollow them out, making sure to save the inside for another dish (soup, sauce, etc).

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, zucchini, black beans, onion, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and spices until evenly combined. Carefully, spoon them into the tomatoes until over-stuffed. If you have extra filling, place in the dish around the tomatoes.

Top each of the tomatoes with breadcrumbs and generous grating of Cotija cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve with a side of crusty bread, pasta or rice.

Makes 4 servings.