• 4 medium tomatoes with firm, fleshy walls, 2 1/2 inches wide
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil chopped, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 slice bread (enough to make 1/4 cup breadcrumbs)
• 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Olive oil for drizzling

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Make the soft breadcrumbs:
To make the 1/4 cup soft breadcrumbs, remove the crust from 1 slice of bread (preferably stale), and
either pulse in a small food processor or shred with a fork until the bread resembles fine, sand-like crumbs.

Prepare the tomatoes:
Slice the tomatoes in half horizontally around the equator and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.
Be careful not to puncture the walls of the tomato, but if you do, the filling will plug the hole.
Place empty tomato halves in a casserole dish or oven-safe skillet, and season with salt and pepper.
Using your hands or a spoon, separate the seeds from the scooped out tomato flesh and transfer the
flesh to a cutting board. Discard the seeds and the tomato water. Chop the flesh and set aside for the stuffing.

Make the stuffing:
In a medium bowl, add the chopped tomato flesh, mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese,
basil, breadcrumbs, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to thoroughly combine.

Bake:
Using two spoons, fill the tomato halves with the stuffing. Sprinkle filled tomatoes with the remaining
parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until tomatoes are tender,
then broil on high for 1 minute until the filling begins to bubble and brown.

Serve:
Garnish with a few torn basil leaves and serve hot.