Cilantro Stuffed Baked tomatoes

4 medium tomatoes
leaves from 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 c. soft bread crumbs
2 TBS. Romano or parmesan cheese
2 TBS. butter, melted
1 TBS. lemon juice
1/4 c. shredded cheese Monterey Jack or Mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each tomato. Using a spoon, delicately scoop out the middle of each tomato. (It's very easy to mess up and puncture the tomato) Discard pulp and seeds. Reserve the shells. In a medium bowl mix together the cilantro leaves bread crumbs Romano or Parmesan cheese melted butter and lemon juice. Spoon the cilantro mixture evenly into tomato shells. Top each tomato with the shredded cheese and place in a nonstick baking pan or sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 min or until the cheese begins to bubble and turn brown in spots.


I chop the cilantro by putting the washed leaves in a bowl and using my kitchen scissors to cut it up. It takes about 3 min. to get it to the right consistency for this recipe It's a LOT faster and cleaner then using a cutting board.