Stuffed tomatoes with ricotta cheese, herbs and quail eggs. Easily baked in the oven, these stuffed tomatoes are ideal as appetizer or a quick summer meal. They are vegetarian and can be gluten free (use GF breadcrumbs).
Tomato season’s rolling in, and I’ve got just the thing for you. These baked beauties take about half an hour, start to finish, and they’re spot-on as a starter or a light summer dinner.
The ricotta turns all creamy and dreamy, and the little quail eggs? Absolute winners – nutritious, dainty, and they just make the whole dish feel a bit fancy. Got a few extra tomatoes lying about? Stick them in and give this recipe a go. You can thank me later.
Bonus Recipe: Roasted Stuffed Peppers (with Feta Cheese and Eggs)
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Quail eggs – lovely, small-sized quail eggs are the perfect finish for today’s stuffed tomatoes.
- Ricotta, fresh
- Breadcrumbs – a simple tbsp. of breadcrumbs creates a nice crunchy feel. Feel free to skip or use GF version if needed.
- Olive oil, extra virgin – for filling
- Garlic powder – a much needed filling ingredient
- Thyme, dried – I prefer dried thyme here as it is much finely minced, but if you’d like use fresh. Also oregano works well for this recipe
- Salt – as always to taste. A pinch of salt is what is usually enough.
Recipe Tips
Pick tomatoes of similar size: Since the baking time is short (about 20 minutes), even-sized tomatoes will cook more evenly.
Choose the right eggs: Small eggs work best for medium-sized tomatoes. If you only have large hen’s eggs, beat one first and spoon a little on top of the ricotta instead. Or, skip the eggs entirely if you prefer.
Make a well in the ricotta: Create a small dip in the filling before adding the egg—this keeps it from spilling out.
Reuse the tomato tops: Place the cut-off tops back on for the first round of baking. Then remove them, add the eggs, and pop the tops back on as decoration when serving.
Don’t waste the flesh: Save the scooped-out tomato flesh to make a fresh salad or a quick tomato sauce. Nothing goes to waste!
Quail Eggs vs. Chicken Eggs
Quail eggs are tiny, delicate, and perfect for small dishes like baked tomatoes, while chicken eggs are much larger and more versatile for general cooking. Quail eggs cook faster and fit neatly into individual portions, whereas chicken eggs often need to be beaten or adjusted to fit smaller recipes. Both have similar flavors, but their size and presentation make quail eggs ideal for elegant, bite-sized dishes.
Stuffed Tomatoes with Ricotta cheese and Quail Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large tomatoes equal in size
- 5 quail eggs
- 200 g ricotta cheese fresh
- 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes and cut the top off. Leave the top for later. Scoop out the inside of the tomatoes (and use for a salad for example). Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl combine one quail egg (the rest are needed for stuffing later). ricotta cheese, olive oil, garlic powder, thyme, breadcrumbs and salt. Mix well and distribute the stuffing evenly within scooped tomatoes. Make sure to make a small well in the middle, where the eggs will be placed later on. Otherwise, they may leak on the sides.
- Place stuffed tomatoes on a baking dish. Cover with tomatoes tops. Cook on 360F/180C for about 10 minutes. Then remove from oven and add quail eggs (one egg per tomato). Bake (without the tomato tops) for additional 10 minutes or until eggs are fully cooked.
- Let cool and serve warm or cold.
Nutrition
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