Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur and Cheese
To make tomatoes stuffed with bulgur and cheese, soak bulgur in hot water for 15 minutes, then mix it with chopped tomato pulp, onion, garlic, olives, thyme and oregano. Spoon the filling into hollowed tomatoes, top each with feta, replace the lids, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 200C for 30 minutes.
This is a recipe I made last summer with the big tomato harvest from my garden, but I completely forgot to share it here on the blog as well. Stuffed tomatoes are one of my favorite types of stuffed veggies for a number of reasons, and this version, with nutty bulgur and salty feta, is the one I keep coming back to all summer long.
Bulgur is my favorite grain because it is both a healthy, filling food and it tastes great. It cooks quickly and easily absorbs the flavors of whatever it is cooked with, which makes it ideal for a stuffing that needs to carry the herbs, garlic and tomato juices around it.
Key ingredients
Tomatoes are the vessel here, so they matter more than usual. Choose 8 large, firm tomatoes with thick walls. Soft or overripe tomatoes collapse in the oven and weep too much liquid, leaving you with a slumped, watery dish. A flat-bottomed tomato that can stand up on its own makes filling and baking much easier.
Bulgur wheat is made from parboiled wheat that has been dried and cracked into small granules. It has a nutty flavor and a chewy texture, and because it is pre-cooked, soaking it in hot water for 15 minutes is enough to hydrate it. There is no need to boil it on the stove for this recipe.
Feta cheese brings the salty, tangy contrast that lifts the whole dish. A slice melts softly into the filling as the tomato bakes. Look for a block of feta in brine rather than pre-crumbled, since it holds together better when sliced and has a creamier texture.
Onion and garlic go in raw and cook through inside the tomato as it bakes. Mincing the garlic finely and chopping the onion small means they soften completely in the 30 minutes of baking, so you do not bite into anything sharp or crunchy.
Olives, thyme and oregano are what give this its Mediterranean character. The olives add little bursts of brine, while the dried herbs season the bulgur from the inside out. This is essentially a stuffing in the spirit of Greek cuisine, where tomatoes, herbs and feta naturally belong together.
Tips for getting it right
Do not throw away the tomato pulp you scoop out. Chopping it and mixing it back into the filling is what keeps the bulgur moist and packs in extra tomato flavor. This is the most common mistake with stuffed tomatoes, people discard the insides and end up with a dry stuffing.
Soak the bulgur in hot water and let it sit the full 15 minutes before mixing. You want the grains hydrated but still with a slight bite, since they will continue to soften in the oven as they soak up the tomato juices.
Season the filling and taste it before stuffing. Feta is already salty, so go easy on added salt and adjust once you know how salty your cheese is. Keep the tomato “lid” you cut off and place it back on top, it protects the filling from drying out and looks lovely on the plate.
You know the tomatoes are ready when the skins have softened and started to wrinkle slightly and the filling is hot through, around 30 minutes at 200C. If your tomatoes are very large, give them a few extra minutes.
How to adapt it
In this recipe I used bulgur wheat together with feta cheese as the stuffing for tomatoes, but you can use any type of leftover herbs or vegetables and stuff them into whatever vegetable you have on hand. The bulgur filling works just as well inside bell peppers, zucchini or stuffed portobello mushrooms.
To make it vegan, swap the feta for a plant-based feta or simply leave it out and add a little extra olive oil. You can also bulk up the filling with a handful of cooked chickpeas or lentils. If you love this style of stuffed vegetable, the same bulgur base is what I use in my bulgur pilaf, and it sits firmly in the tradition of Middle Eastern cooking where bulgur often stands in for rice.
Storage and make-ahead
These keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, which is why I really hope this recipe will inspire you to make stuffed vegetables more often, they are so good and perfect for meal prep as well. Reheat them gently in the oven at a moderate temperature so the tomatoes do not turn to mush, or enjoy them at room temperature, which is how I often prefer them in summer.
You can also prep the filling a day ahead and keep it in the fridge, then stuff and bake the tomatoes when you are ready to serve. I like to serve these as a light main with bread, or as a side dish alongside a bigger spread. If you decide to try these tomatoes stuffed with bulgur and cheese, do not forget to leave me a comment down below to tell me how it went.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Tomatoes Stuffed with Bulgur and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 large tomatoes firm
- 150 g bulgur
- 300 ml hot water
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 onion
- 20 g olives sliced
- 100 g feta cheese sliced
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour the hot water over it. Let it soak for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the tops off each tomato and scoop out the pulp.
- Chop the pulp and put it into a separate bowl.
- Chop the onion, mince the garlic cloves, and add them to the tomato pulp bowl.
- Season with the thyme and oregano. Once the bulgur is hydrated, add it to the bowl along with salt and pepper to taste, then mix well.
- Place the tomatoes in an oven pan.
- Fill each tomato with the bulgur mixture, place one slice of feta cheese on top, and set the tomato “lid” back on each one.
- Drizzle them with olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 200C for 30 minutes.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not need to boil it. Bulgur is parboiled during processing, so soaking it in hot water for 15 minutes is enough to hydrate it for this recipe. It then finishes softening inside the tomatoes as they bake and absorb the surrounding juices.
Choose 8 large, firm tomatoes with thick walls and a flat base so they can stand upright. Firm tomatoes hold their shape in the oven, while soft or overripe ones collapse and release too much liquid, leaving a watery, slumped dish.
Yes. Swap the feta for a plant-based feta, or leave the cheese out entirely and add a little extra olive oil for richness. You can also stir in cooked chickpeas or lentils to keep the filling satisfying without the dairy.
Watery results usually come from tomatoes that are too ripe or from not draining the scooped pulp. Use firm tomatoes and mix the chopped pulp into the filling so the bulgur can absorb that moisture. Baking at 200C also helps drive off excess liquid.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven at a moderate temperature so the tomatoes keep their shape rather than turning to mush. They are also delicious served at room temperature, especially in summer.
Yes. The bulgur filling can be made up to a day in advance and kept covered in the fridge. Stuff and bake the tomatoes when you are ready to serve, which makes this a convenient dish for meal prep and entertaining.
