Cheezy Coconut Flour Stuffed Tomatoes {Keto, Vegan, Oil-Free}

Positively scrumptious, cheezy coconut flour stuffed tomatoes that are easy to make with only 5 ingredients. Just 40 calories apiece, they are also keto, vegan, paleo and oil-free!

Tomatoes + Basil = Summer. So how about a new and utterly scrumptious option to celebrate the combination?

Namely, my recipe for Cheezy Stuffed Tomatoes. In addition to their delectability, they are super lean, healthy (i.e., eat them to your heart’s content) and compatible with almost any eating plan.

I have more stats for these baked beauties. They are:

*Made with 5 ingredients (plus salt & pepper to taste)
*Vegan
*Keto
*Paleo
*Oil-free
*Nut-free
*Grain-free
*40 calories per stuffed (medium-size) tomato
*Easy-Peasy

Here’s the very short list of what you need to make them: 4 medium, vine-ripened tomatoes, coconut flour (1 and 1/2 tablespoons) , nutritional yeast (1 and 1/2 tablespoons), basil, and garlic, plus salt and pepper to taste.

I know, coconut flour is a little bit unusual to use in a stuffed tomato recipe, but I wanted to use something other than the usual breadcrumbs. Coconut flour came to mind because I like to incorporate the pulp from the scooped-out tomatoes. What could absorb all of those wonderful juices and get golden brown, too? It turns out that coconut flour is an ideal ingredient for the job.

Before I return to the stuffing for these tomatoes, let’s get to the basic tomato prep. I used vine-ripened, medium-size tomatoes (each weighing approximately 4 ounces). Roma tomatoes are neither pulpy nor round enough, but a wide range of round, juicy, summer tomato options will work here.

If you have never scooped out a tomato, fear not! It is simple: slice off the tops, about 1/4-inch or so from the top. Using a small metal spoon, scoop out the insides, all the way to the walls on the sides and bottom (but leave the bottom intact, do not scoop through). Use a small paring knife to help with your scooping.

Save the pulp and chop any larger pieces. This will yield about 2/3 cup (150 mL) pulp. If you have much more than that, you can add a bit more of the stuffing ingredients, or discard the excess.

Transfer the pulp to a medium bowl and add the remaining ingredients. I used nutritional yeast to achieve the cheezy-taste. If you do not, or  cannot eat yeast, you can leave it out (you will need to add more coconut flour, about 2 to 3 teaspoons).

While I love tomatoes paired with basil, other herbs, spices and seasoning can be used to suit your preferences. Have fun experimenting!

Season the stuffing to taste with salt and pepper, and then stuff into the tomato cavities. If you like, add an extra sprinkle of chopped basil to the tops.

Place the tomatoes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, or small pan. Bake in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender and the stuffing is browned. Easy, right?

These are the gorgeous results:

These tomatoes are SO good! It is easy to love vegetables with recipes such as this.

Confession: I ate two of the 4 tomatoes at 10 in the morning, after taking photos, and had the remaining two tomatoes for lunch. Then I made another batch, as part of dinner, the next day. LOVE!

Happy eating, everyone, and enjoy the summer produce!