Remember that sensory overload that was my gushing testimonial to Swiss Chard? I wanted to make this affection(/affliction) concrete(/solid). And to achieve such a task I present you with a sweet and savory summer perfection known as Swiss Chard Stuffed Tomatoes (with prosciutto and pine nuts)!
Tomatoes are a summer favorite (year-round, what the hell!) of mine – they really show their true colors in the late, hot days of August. I will not miss the coming opportunity to publish my praise. One of the best ways to highlight both the tomato and swiss chard is most definitely via the art of stuffing. There is a sincere comfort factor that cushions and protects the already brimming flavors of the recipe – something about something being stuffed.
Someone once told me something about something being stuffed (I just thought that would be a fun sentence and it was).
Here the tomatoes are initially cored and their insides are removed (gingerly or with force depending on your mood?). I would like to take a brief moment to explain that you should keep their (guts, innards) aside and not automatically discard of them. There are some ever so sweet options for efficiently wasting not – and your taste buds will propagate love!
After the tomatoes have been prepared – pine nuts are toasted, prosciutto is sauteed, swiss chard is wilted and your garden is singing with your kitchen who is singing with you.
The end result is a filling that could potentially make your tomatoes blush (but you would never know, now would you?).
After you’ve significantly made all of your tomatoes blush, you usher them into a heated oven. The only thing left is to impatiently pace (if you’re me) and parade (if you’re the dog) around the kitchen until the timer is in chorus with us all.
I must attest to the end result.
- 10 small-medium vine ripened tomatoes (mine averaged about 3 ounces each)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ½ cup finely chopped prosciutto
- 1 bunch of swiss chard, leaves torn and stems chopped
- ½ cup shredded provolone
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs (if desired)
- 1 tbl finely chopped summer savory
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and oil the bottom of an oven-proof baking dish (suitable for 10 tomatoes).
- Core and remove the insides of the tomatoes (save them for other uses!)
- Toast the pine nuts in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes; remove to the side
- In the same saute pan, over medium-high heat, cook the chopped prosciutto 2-3 minutes until slightly rendered (depending on your cut). Set aside.
- Add swiss chard to saute pan - if your prosciutto didn't yield much fat add a small amount of olive oil to aid in wilting the leaves, 2-3 minutes.
- In a large bowl combine pine nuts, prosciutto, swiss chard leaves, provolone, panko, savory, and red pepper flakes. This will be your mixture for the tomatoes.
- Divide mixture (I ended up with somewhere around 12 ounces) amongst the tomatoes on the oven-proof baking dish.
- Bake tomatoes for 25 minutes.
Oh man, these look so delicious. I love a stuffed tomato, and your stuffing looks and sounds so good! Can’t wait to give these a try as soon as my tomatoes start ripening in the garden.
Hi Coley and thank you! Tomatoes really super signify the deep part of the summer to me and the results are just as endless! I love how versatile they are and how diverse they can be – a really beautiful fruit. And the ones that ripen from the garden? The absolute best taste in the world.