Baked Caramelized Parmesan Tomatoes

Luscious, warm, melt in your mouth tomatoes with cheese. Heaven. Simple to make and oh, so elegant. Serve these delectables with baked chicken, grilled duck, broiled lamb chops or just over pasta with a quick side salad.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 tomato half

Ingredients

• 6  large tomatoes
• 1  cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1  cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1⁄2 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1⁄2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 3  tablespoons oregano leaves, chopped fresh
• 6  garlic cloves, pressed
• 6  green onions, minced
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
•  kosher  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Butter a large baking dish, large enough to hold the tomato halves side by side without overlapping.
2. Slice the tomatoes in half, horizontally.
3. Scoop out the insides and place in a strainer.
4. Turn the tomato shells upside down on paper towels to drain.
5. Chop the flesh of the tomatoes and drain or squeeze most of the liquid out.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. In a large mixing bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, 3/4 Cup of the Parmesan, parsley, oregano, garlic, chopped tomatoes, and green onions.
8. Incorporate half of the olive oil into the mixture.
9. Salt and Pepper to taste, add more olive oil as needed, it should stick together but not be wet. You may need to use all of the olive oil or just some of it, all depends on how much liquid remains in the tomatoes.
10. Place the tomato shells in the baking dish and evenly distribute the mozzarella slices in the bottom of each then fill with the breadcrumb mixture.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
12. Remove from oven and top tomatoes with the remaining Parmesan and return to oven to bake for another 15 or 30 minutes, until the cheese creates a nice caramel crusty top.