• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

HealthyHappyLife.com logo

  • about
  • RECIPES
  • LIFESTYLE
  • BLOGGING
  • VIDEO
  • SHOP
  • Cookbooks
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • My Books
  • Videos
  • About
  • holiday
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » This and That » Tempeh Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes. Gourmet Vegan.

    by Kathy Patalsky · updated: Sep 13, 2019 · published: Apr 25, 2009 · About 4 minutes to read this article. 5 Comments

    Tempeh Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes. Gourmet Vegan.

    Stuff it (with gourmet vegan flavor). Stuffed bell peppers, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed avocados, I love the technique of hollowing out a beautiful piece of produce and then re-using it as the ‘serving dish’ for a spectacular recipe. It makes for an impressive, gourmet presentation. Cut to my craving for stuffed tomatoes.

    Rule #1, it all starts with a beautiful tomato.

    Spicy pesto & Maple Crusted Tempeh. No cottage cheese here! I decided to stuff my tomatoes with my spicy vegan basil pesto and some quick sauteed maple tempeh. The juicy tomato compliments the thick rich pesto and nutty sweet tempeh perfectly. Light lunch or light bite approved. The recipe and more photos ahead…

    Prized Tomatoes. The key to a successful raw tomato recipe is good tomatoes. Select ripe, red (or orange, green or heirloom), high quality, (organic hopefully), juicy, fresh tomatoes. The flavor difference between ‘good’ versus ‘not-so-good’ tomatoes is huge! So be sure to start this recipe with some good tomatoes.

    My Stuffed Tomato Memories. Stuffed tomatoes remind me of California moms who liked to read diet trend magazines back in the late 1970’s. Why? Cottage cheese stuffed tomatoes were all the rage. They are classic vintage diet food. I recall my mother stuffing giant red tomatoes with heaping spoonfuls of low-fat cottage cheese, drizzling a bit of olive oil, black pepper and parsley. It always looked delicious, but I wasn’t a big tomato fan (or anything mushy fan) back then so I never indulged in her stuffed tomatoes. But nowadays, I love tomatoes. And so I decided to veganize the classic stuffed tomato…

    Tempeh Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes
    vegan, serves two

    2 beefsteak tomato tomatoes
    1 cup Kathy’s vegan pesto
    1 cup tempeh, sliced into thin strips
    1 tablespoon maple syrup
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 teaspoon black pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 lemon, juiced
    garnish: salt pepper, fresh basil

    Tomato Prep:
    Slice out the stem of the tomato.
    Slice into tomato at a deep angle on all sides until you are able pull the top off.
    Hollow out the tomato. Keep ¼ inch thick tomato rind still in tact.
    Use removed tomato flesh when making the pesto.
    Repeat for each tomato you are stuffing.

    Pesto:
    Make 1 cup of Kathy’s vegan Pest.
    Recipe here.
    *Add the tomato flesh to the pesto puree.
    *You can use walnuts of pine nuts in the pesto recipe.

    Tempeh:
    Turn heat on high.
    Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan.
    Add tempeh. Lay the tempeh strips in one layer in bottom of pan.
    Add in 3 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
    Let saute for 2 minutes.
    Flip tempeh. Bottom side should have browned up nicely. If not, cook this side a bit longer than the first.
    Add a bit more lemon juice and another dash of the remaining salt and pepper.
    When tempeh is done, set aside.

    Tomato Assembly:
    Spoon 1 heaping spoonful of pesto on the bottom of the tomatoes.
    Place one of the limper tempeh strips over the pesto in the bottom of the tomato.
    Add in a few more spoonfuls of pesto and arrange 4-5 tempeh strips sticking out of the tomato. Spoon another final bit of pesto. Garnish with fresh basil and leftover candied walnuts and/or pine nuts (whatever you used in the pesto.)
    Grind fresh black pepper on top.

    Place tops back on tomato if you wish, or leave them open.

    To eat: Slice tomato into wedges and eat in bites, or eat tempeh first and spoon out pesto.

    Plating tomato with crisp bread slices is a perfect way to eat this dish. Crusty bread-make your own tomato pesto tempeh finger sandwiches!

    Gourmet vegan dish. Love it and serve with confidence. It’s delicious.


    More recipes you may enjoy

    • Avocado Beet Pea Shoot Salad. Super Simple Recipe.
    • Sweet Beets: Healthy? Facts.
    • Jazzy Apple Ginger Juice. Fresh Pressed. Extra Ginger.
    • Cooking for Your Non Vegan Family: 4 Recipes.

    About Kathy Patalsky

    Hey there! I'm Kathy, lover of kitty cats, weekend baking, 90's movies, travel, beach fog and foamy lattes. Since 2007, I have been sharing my vegan recipes and photos. My goal is to make your cooking life a little easier, delicious - and plant-loaded - while sharing some LIFE and conversation along the way.

    Vegan Linzer Cookies

    5 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Pie

    Vegan Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

    Vegan Oatmeal Cookies, Lunchbox-Ready

    Primary Sidebar

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    newsletter:

    Trending

    my cookbooks

    my cookbooks

    Disqus Latest Comments

    1. s

      s: Absolutely one of the best things I've ever baked. Used dairy butter…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    2. JanetS

      JanetS: Neither of those non-grain flours will substitute for oats or wheat. As…

      Commented on: Cinnamon Toast Morning Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

    3. disqus_LfP7ofaP87

      disqus_LfP7ofaP87: Earth Balance brand HAS PALM OIL, as do most of the vegan…

      Commented on: Sticky Banana Bread Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

    about kathy

    kathy patalsky

    featured: peach coconut water smoothie

    browse recipes

    Breakfast  |  Entrees  |  Desserts  |  Smoothies  |  Sandwiches  |  Salads  |  Beverages  |  Soups |  Appetizers |  Snacks  |  Sauces  |  Sides   /  Cooking Videos  |  Round-Ups  |  Fan Favorites  |  Holiday  /  All the Recipes

    browse:

    • reviews
    • travel
    • vegan topics
    • people
    • videos
    • beauty
    • wellness
    • Mom Life

    my ttc + baby journey

    Footer

    BROWSE BY:

    Category:

    DATE:

    looking for something?

    contact   |   about   |   kathy’s cookbooks  |  press  |  findingvegan  |  meal plans  |  shop  |  vegan recipe index  |  privacy policy  | start a blog

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Services | Work with me