Oven Roasted Tomatoes stuffed with feta cheese, olives, and pine nuts is a simple side-dish recipe that is quick, easy, and delicious.
Side dishes usually don’t get any respect. It seems like all the love is showered on entrees, and sides are just an afterthought or something you add only to fill the plate. But, Tomatoes with Feta Cheese, Olives, and Pine Nuts is different. This side dish is not only beautiful and colorful, but it is also healthy, full of complex flavors and textures, and amazingly delicious!
It’s easy to make, only takes a few ingredients which you probably already have, and comes together in a flash. This recipe calls for plum tomatoes, which are sturdy and hold up well, but since we are in the middle of summer and have an abundance of fresh vegetables you can use pretty much any kind you have available.
In addition to being the perfect side dish, it would make a great light vegetarian lunch dish.
What’s in it:
Plum tomatoes, kosher salt, and pepper, toasted pine nuts, crumbled tangy feta cheese, cream cheese, kalamata olives, dried oregano, and olive oil.
How to make it:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and seed them. (If you use another variety of tomato, especially round ones, cut them in half through the equator. Once the tomato is cut in half, take a small spoon and gently scrape or scoop out the tomato seeds and the center, leaving the red fleshy part intact.)
Sprinkle the cut tomatoes with salt and pepper.
Place the tomatoes cut side down on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the juice. Let them drain for about 30 minutes or so.
To toast the pine nuts, saute them in a skillet over low heat for three to four minutes, stirring frequently or until they are golden brown.
Mix the feta cheese, cream cheese, olives, pine nuts and chopped basil in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
Fill each tomato with about two tablespoons of the cheese mixture and place in a baking pan which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and garnish with the remaining chopped basil.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Enjoy!
More side-dish recipes:
Do you need more quick and easy side dish recipes? I’ve got you covered. Here are just a few of my favorites:
- Old-Fashioned Creamed Potatoes
- Southern Potato Salad
- Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
- Ultimate Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Southern Baked Pineapple Casserole
- Baked Mushroom Casserole
- Southern Fresh White Acre Peas
- Southern Corn Salad
Need more ideas, visit my side-dish category page.
★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Roasted Tomatoes with Feta Cheese, Olives and Pine Nuts
Ingredients
- 6 plum tomatoes cut into halves lengthwise and seeded
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1-1/2 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Cut the plum or Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and seed them. (If you use another variety of tomato, especially round ones, cut them in half through the equator. Once the tomato is cut in half, take a small spoon and gently scrape or scoop out the tomato seeds and the center leaving the red fleshy part intact.)
- Sprinkle the cut tomatoes with salt and pepper and place them cut side down on a wire rack set over a baking sheet to catch the juice. Let them drain for about 30 minutes or so.
- To toast the pine nuts, saute them in a skillet over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently or until they are golden brown.
- Mix the feta cheese, cream cheese, olives, pine nuts and chopped basil in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Fill each tomato with about 2 Tbsp of the cheese mixture and place in a baking pan, which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and garnish with the remaining chopped basil. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was inspired by one in Thyme to Celebrate, a Tallahassee Junior League Cookbook.
Made these as a side dish to a meatloaf, and they were really good. I did forget the olives and they were great. Wish I would have added them though. Used pepitas as I did not have pine nuts. Will be in our rotation, since it was a thumbs up from the hubby too!