Record harvest of tomatoes? Try this quick and easy recipe for grilled tomatoes over a gas or charcoal grill.
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Mid-July is roughly the time of year when tomatoes come into season in full force. I have five tomato plants in my garden that are now producing more tomatoes than we can think of ways to use them. (Gazpacho anyone?)
When you work with garden-fresh tomatoes, sometimes less is more because the products are so good to begin with.
Do you have a garden full of tomatoes?
How can you use up the bounty? Please let us know in the comments.
Need more tomato ideas? Try these recipes:
- Tomato galette with whole wheat parmesan crust
- Tomato and ricotta tart
- tomato cake
- Creamy tomato and white bean soup
- Bruschetta with tomatoes and basil
From the editors of Simply Recipes
grilled tomatoes
An easy way to thinly slice basil leaves is to roll them up like a cigar and then slice them crosswise into thin strips.
For grilling, we recommend Roma and beefsteak tomatoes.
ingredients
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2 firm, ripe tomatoes (not too ripe, otherwise they will fall apart when grilled), cut in half in the middle
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olive oil
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Kosher salt (or fleur de sel if you can get it)
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Freshly ground black pepper
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4 basil leavesthinly sliced
method
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Sow tomatoes:
Stand over a sink and use your fingers to gently loosen the watery pulp and seeds. (Although the seeds and pulp contain a lot of flavor, they’re lost when the tomatoes are grilled anyway.)
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Grill the tomatoes, cut-side down:
For direct grilling, preheat your grill to high heat. If possible, use a grill basket or a fine grill grate, this makes working with the tomatoes (or other vegetables that you grill) much easier.
Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Brush the cut surface of the tomatoes with olive oil. Brush the grill or grill pan with olive oil.
Place the tomatoes cut side down on the grill surface. Cover the grill and let it cook for about 4 minutes. (Check after 2 minutes.)
Use a metal spatula to lift the tomatoes off the grill for serving.
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Surcharge:
Place cut-side up on a serving platter. Drizzle some olive oil over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 43 | calories |
| 2g | Fat |
| 6g | carbohydrates |
| 1g | protein |
