Sarasota's Baked Tomatoes over a Fresh Spinach Salad

Fresh garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh spinach and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Fresh tastes, fresh flavor and very healthy!! I love to serve this with citrus grilled fish, chicken or pork tenderloin.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4-8
• Yields: 4-8 Individual Salads

Ingredients

• Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 4  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 1⁄2 olive oil
• 3  teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
•  salt
•  ground black pepper

• Tomatoes

• 4  large beefsteak tomatoes (cut each into 3-4 thick slices, NOTE, keep the extra tomato tops and bottoms, you can chop them up t)
• 12  slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2  Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
•  olive oil (to drizzle over the bread crumb mixture)

• Salad

• 1 (7 ounce) bag  Baby Spinach
• 1  small red onion, cut in half and thin sliced
• 1  lemon, cut in half (1/2 thin slice, the other side for the juice)

Directions

1. Dressing -- In a small bowl or measuring cup, just mix the vinegar, oil, mustard, seasoning, salt and pepper. Set to the side.
2. Tomatoes -- In a 13x9" pan, add just a couple tablespoons of the dressing in the bottom and set your tomato slices in it. Coat both sides well. Just let them hang out about 1 hour. You can put in the fridge, but I just keep them out at room temperature which is just fine.
3. Topping -- Just mix the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and slice your mozzarella for the topping on the tomatoes.
4. Baking -- on a cookie or baking sheet line it with foil or parchment paper and lay out your marinaded tomato slices. Heat the oven to 425 and bake 10 minutes on the middle shelf until soft but not over done. Remove and then top with a slice of the mozzarella and then a tablespoon or so of the bread crumbs and parmesan mixture and a drizzle of olive oil. Put back in the oven for about 5 minutes until the mozzarella begins to melt and the topping gets slightly brown.
5. Salad -- Just toss the salad in a bowl with the red onion, the juice of 1/2 lemon and some of the balsamic vinaigrette. NOTE: Depending on how much salad, you may have a little dressing left over. Just keep it for later, it is a great dressing.
6. Plating -- Serve up the salad lightly dressed on each plate and top with a couple of the tomato slices.
7. You can easily add some pan fried pancetta or bacon to the salad mix or even fresh cucumbers or mushrooms if you want. But I love just the spinach and tomatoes. ENJOY!