Quinoa, eggplant, mushrooms lend heft to stuffed tomatoes

Does your meatless-Monday game need an overhaul?

As a meat-eater myself, I find that the trick to meatless-meal-making is to have a small repertoire of recipes that can work as a side dish or first course, or be eaten in larger quantities as a vegetarian main dish. This is the same strategy I use when hosting a vegetarian in my home.

Today’s Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes fits the bill perfectly. Serve one tomato as a tasty and toothsome side along some roasted chicken or sliced beef tenderloin, or double up for a vegetarian meal that will fill you up, even if you aren’t vegetarian. These tomatoes can be made in advance, so they are equally brilliant for both company dinners and weeknight family suppers.

Tomatoes, a culinary favorite source of lycopene, are stuffed with quinoa and sautéed eggplant and mushrooms, both hefty, meaty vegetables. But swap out the quinoa for brown rice and use whatever veggies you find in the crisper drawer, or even in your freezer. Baking tomatoes is an excellent strategy for using up the less-than-perfectly-sweet ones that winter can bring. A big bonus: Roasted tomatoes are simply gorgeous, appealing to our farm-totable sensibilities.

Though I don’t think you’ll miss the meat, if you must, feel free to add in a little cooked ground meat right into the filling. Either way, you’ll have a healthful and hearty dish that is a nice change from the classic stuffed pepper. And as for the pulpy, fleshy middle of the tomato that you’ll remove to stuff it: Don’t throw it out! Blend it up — juice and seeds and all — with a little garlic and onion and then mix it into your next tomato-based pasta sauce, or use it as part of your liquid next time you make rice.