Cheesy Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

I went out and picked the last of my garden veggies yesterday. It's always a bittersweet time of the year when growing season is over. On one hand, I am looking forward to all of the amazing things fall brings, but once the garden is depleted, it means that summer fun is about to come to an end.

I'll miss walking out to my back yard to pick fresh veggies for dinner. I had a bounty of green pepper this year, and I usually like to make stuffed peppers for dinner with the excess. The problem here is Jason hates green peppers, so I've stepped away from using them as the center of a main dish in our dinner recipes. So, instead of making stuffed peppers for dinner last week, I thought I'd try something different and made pasta stuffed tomatoes. If you aren't into canning your tomatoes for fall and winter use, this is a great way to use up the last of your garden tomatoes at the end of the season.

This Cheesy Orzo Stuffed Tomato recipe is full of all the things the hubby loves, so I am happy to find a stuffed veggie recipe that is filling and satisfying.

Ingredients

1/2 cup orzo pasta
4 beefsteak tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil,chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp. Chop the pulp and tomato tops and place in a  medium bowl. Add the orzo, cheese, garlic, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine all ingredients.

Stuff the tomatoes with the orzo mixture. Place in pre-heated oven; drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

How are you using the last of your summer garden veggies?