Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

So many tomatoes coming in from the garden, that I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes

Baked heirloom tomatoes stuffed with a quinoa-spinach pine nut mixture and topped with Parmesan cheese

Ingredients

• 8 medium ripe tomatoes
• salt , to taste
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 3 cloves of garlic , minced
• 1/4 pine nuts toasted
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and fresh oregano
• salt , to taste
• freshly ground pepper , to taste
• parmesan cheese​
• lemon and red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Slice off 1/2 inch of the stem end of the tomatoes and hollow out the inside.
3. Slice just a small section off of the bottom of the tomatoes so that they will sit flat on a baking or cast iron pan
4. Sprinkle salt in the hollow portion of each tomato and place hollow side up in pan.
5. Set aside.
6. Place water and quinoa in a saucepan.
7. Bring to a boil; lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
8. Heat oil in a frying pan and add spinach.
9. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until just wilted.
10. Mix in the garlic and cook for a minute longer, and remove from stove.
11. Add cooked quinoa to spinach; then add parsley and oregano, mix well.
12. Taste for salt and pepper.
13. Evenly divide the filling among the tomatoes.
14. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
15. Remove foil, sprinkle tops with parmesan cheese
16. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
17. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.