Italian Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes

I love me a big, juicy hamburger.

Try as hard as I might, eating “healthy” is just plain hard. I want to eat all the things! Unfortunately, my body does not want me to eat everything I lay eyes on. And so, I’m in the position that I am in today…trying to make better food choices. Notice – I didn’t say DIET. That is truly a four-letter word in my book. Plus, diets are almost always broken. I’m not trying to create a new person with my food choices – just make better choices occasionally.

As much as I love chicken and ground turkey, I’m tired of them. I’m even tired of salmon, and I love salmon! So in my search for healthy dinner recipes, I came across a tuna recipe. Now, I’m not big on tuna. But, I figured for one meal, I could try something new.

The recipe I tried was a stinker. Absolutely terrible. The fish had zero flavor and it just looked like mush. So I created my own recipe.

This recipe is an Italian tuna stuffed tomato. It’s juicy, flavorful, has different textures in it, and is low in calories. It’s also quick to throw together so you can make a good choice for dinner before you have time to jump in the car to get fast food.

Ready for a healthy tuna recipe? Let’s get to it!

6 medium tomatoes
1 can (15.5 ounces white beans, drained and rinsed)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cans (5 ounces each light tuna in oil, drained and flaked)
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the top quart of tomatoes, and scoop out the core and seeds. Season the tomato cups with salt and pepper.
Chop ¼ cup of the tomato core. Discard the remaining seeds and cores.
In a bowl, slightly mash about half the beans, then stir in chopped tomato, ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Gently fold in tune and remaining beans. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer tomato shells to a baking dish, and fill each with the tuna mixture, dividing evenly and mounding slightly.
In a bowl, stir together the remaining ½ cup breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Top the tomato shells with the breadcrumb mixture. Loosely cover with foil and bake until softened lightly, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.