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These stuffed tomatoes with nduja work well as a pizza topping or as a tapas dish. It's a great way to use up cherry tomatoes which can get a bit boring just eating them on their own.
Serving the tomatoes in a small ceramic dish such as these available online will mean you can have a number of different looking dishes but served in a uniform manner. Alongside olives and pickles, these make any buffet event look professional.
My other small dish recipes such as my garlic mayo dip or my favourite tasty accompaniment which are the KFC halloumi fries go really well with these types of 'picky tea' meals.
Contents
Ingredients
Only three ingredients are involved in making this dish. Tomatoes, nduja and basil. Also a little olive oil if you want to get properly Mediterranean.
- Tomatoes
- Nduja paste
- Fresh basil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Putting this dish together is really easy. It takes only 5 minutes to pop together and can be pre-prepared and covered in cling film before going into the fridge ready for your event.
- Slice the tomatoes in half. Scoop out the middle and put in a blob of nduja paste
- Serve in a small dish with some basil and olive oil drizzled on top.
Use just enough nduja paste to fill the hollow tomato. Don't over fill it and try to keep it consistent and level for best effect.
Hint: To get a consistent amount, use the handle end of a teaspoon to place the nduja paste into the tomato half. This will give you more control and accuracy.
Substitutions
Nduja paste is made from the inside of either nduja sausage or a chorizo sausage. This of course means it is not vegetarian. If you want to get a similar style dish but with a vegetarian option, try using tahini paste (sesame) or a chickpea alternative.
- Sweeten it up - try this pistachio paste as a sweeter filling for the tomato.
- Vegetarian - You'll need to remove the nduja to make it vegetarian. Try tahini paste or maybe Philadelphia (or other soft cheese fillings).
Just think what works in a salad or with a salad and then see if you can get a paste or filling to put in the tomato.
Variations
So many options that can go with this.
- Herbs - You don't need to use basil. Other herbs like oregano work well with this.
- Seasoning - The tomato will work really well with a seasoning such as this Tajin Clasico Mexican with Lime sprinkle seasoning.
What to do with the middles of the tomato that is scooped out? Well that is up to you, but some suggestions are to add to a curry or a Bolognese sauce. Blitz them in a blender and you have a tomato puree.
Equipment
There is no specific equipment needed for this dish. Some useful items to have though are the ceramic or terracotta tapas dishes to serve the nduja tomatoes in.
Storage
These don't store for periods longer than 24 hours (after which the tomato will start to get soggy). Ideally you want to prepare this in the morning for an event in the afternoon/evening.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Keep the nduja stuffed tomatoes in your fridge covered in cling film for up to 24 hours. This will keep them fresh and ready to serve. They taste better from the fridge, so just serve as guests arrive.
FAQ
Most supermarkets are now stocking some version of nduja paste since it has become more popular in the UK. Where you can support local markets and cafes then please do. Try farmers markets for artisan varieties too.
I don't think they work as well, as the 'bowl' for the nduja is a tomato half. Having half of regular tomatoes worth of nduja will be too much. You could however quarter the tomatoes and add a blob of paste on to them.
Sort of. Nduja has a higher fat content and is more spreadable than salami. Salumi is a type of salami but is made from air dried meats (or those salted, smoked or left to age.)
It's not unhealthy. As with all food, as part of a balanced diet it is fine for most people. Too much of a good thing is unhealthy though, so all good things in moderation.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these ones which work well:
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with other tapas finger food:
The Recipe
Nduja Stuffed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 jar Nduja paste
- 1 portion Cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 sprig Fresh basil leaves
- 1 drizzle Olive oil
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes in half and then scoop out the squidgy inside bit. (Keep aside if you want to use this in another tomato based recipe).1 portion Cherry tomatoes
- Take a teaspoon and with the thin handle end scoop some nduja paste from the jar and into the tomato half. Repeat for the amount of tomatoes you want to do.For both tapas or pizza topping portion, I recommend 4 whole tomatoes per person/pizza.1 jar Nduja paste
- If serving as tapas, place these in a dish and drizzle with olive oil. Place a fresh basil leaf on top for decoration. Serve.1 sprig Fresh basil leaves, 1 drizzle Olive oil
Nutrition
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