Stuffed tomatoes with rice and mushrooms

To prepare a delicious stuffed tomato recipe, you need a bit of patience and the right ingredients, but the result will be worth every effort. We start by preparing the tomatoes: cut off the top of each tomato, where the stem was, and use a spoon or a special knife to scoop out the flesh and seeds. After cleaning the tomatoes, sprinkle a little salt inside them and place them upside down on a paper towel to drain the excess water. This step is essential to prevent the filling from being too watery.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Peel and finely chop an onion and grate a carrot. In a pan, add a little oil and sauté the onion until it becomes translucent, then add the grated carrot and mix well. After a few minutes, add the rice. Continue to sauté the mixture until the rice becomes slightly golden. This process will add a special flavor to the dish. After the rice has started to brown, extinguish the heat with vegetable broth, letting the mixture simmer for 2-3 boils.

Now add the finely chopped tomato flesh and, optionally, a little juice from them, thus adjusting the consistency of the filling. If you have mushrooms, add them now, making sure they are well drained of oil if they were preserved. Let the mixture simmer for another 5 minutes, then season with salt and sprinkle with a little freshly chopped parsley. It is important for the filling to remain slightly juicy, so that it provides a rich taste and pleasant texture.

Stuff the tomatoes with the prepared mixture, being careful not to overload them. Place them in a pot. For the sauce, mix water, oil, salt, the flesh of the peeled and finely chopped tomatoes, and add a little garlic powder. Pour the obtained sauce over the tomatoes and let them simmer on high heat for a maximum of 10 minutes, so that the flavors combine.

Before placing them in the oven, sprinkle a little grated cheese on top of each tomato, which will form a golden and delicious crust. Then, put the pot in the oven for about 15 minutes on low heat, until the cheese melts and the tomatoes become tender. In the end, you will get a tasty dish with an inviting aroma, perfect for a summer meal or a special dinner. Enjoy your meal!