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Recovering from the Flu with Vegetarian Stuffed Tomatoes

Last week I was down with a flu that knocked me down so badly that I practically had visions of being at the pediatrician’s office with my mother when I was a little girl.

“There, there, Launie. You’ll be fine. Here’s some baby aspirin and cough syrup.”

It was that kind of a fever, along with more weird fever dreams than I care to try to remember.

One night, Corporal Klinger from M*A*S*H showed up on the show Alice as Flo’s body double yelling, “kiss my grits!” While Mel mopped the floor as he gnawed on a hamburger.

And don’t get me started about the mysteries I solved for the Los Angeles police department circa 1977 as I slept in my pajamas. (Yes, I had been placating myself by watching old episodes of Columbo when I was awake.)

While I was burrowed under two comforters, I was solving mysteries left, right, and down the middle in my sleep. Take that bad guy! I solved the mystery just by noticing a book of matches from a club on the Sunset Strip, simply because one match was missing a flint. Ha!

And when I was awake the cats beclowned themselves to amuse me, and then they’d cuddle next to me even though I was so congested my lungs sounded like a playing card in bicycle spokes.

Then, we’d all watch Columbo together while Jedd brought me cold water and tissues.

So, it was kind of a wholesome family flu.

And then one afternoon, I was hungry. Really hungry. I’d circled back to the “feed a cold” rather than “starve a fever,” point in my week. Which made me very happy.

So, I threw on a bathrobe, wandered into the kitchen and reached for the tomatoes in a bowl on the counter.

 

Rain, shine, sickness, health, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I’m a nut for stuffed tomatoes. I pile them high with parmesan, panko, lemon, fresh and dried oregano, and just enough salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to make me feel alive.

Or, a better type of sneezy.

Stay healthy, folks, and enjoy these delicious stuffed tomatoes!

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Recovering from the Flu with Vegetarian Stuffed Tomatoes

These cheesy and herby baked tomatoes are the perfect treat for getting through the other side of a winter flu!
Course Breakfast, lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Launie Kettler

Ingredients

  • 4 medium tomatoes
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 1/4 cup finely diced white or yellow onion
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons room temperature salted butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Line a medium rimmed sheet pan with parchment.
  • Cut the tops off of the tomatoes, and scoop out the tomatoflesh. (A serrated grapefruit spoon works perfectly for that.)
  • Roughly chop the flesh of the tomatoes.
  • Place the chopped tomato (along with the juices) in a mediumbowl.
  • Stir in the panko, parmesan, onion, oregano, parsley, freshoregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.
  • Taste and adjust for seasonings.
  • Divide mixture between the tomatoes, and place on the prepared sheet pan.
  • Dot each tomato with room temperature butter.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.
  • Eat in bed with your favorite animals while watching some1970’s detective shows.

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