These stuffed tomatoes are the brainchild of two recent dining experiences. While in Boulder, my friend Kirsten and I enjoyed tapas and happy hour at The Med (if you’re ever in Boulder, I insist that you do the same!). We ordered a smorgasbord of appetizers and went gaga over one in particular, which was just a ramekin of baked tomatoes, feta, artichoke and kalamata olives. That spread will become a post of its own soon enough, but the combination of ingredients inspired this pretty dish.

A few weeks later, I experienced my first stuffed tomato at my mom’s birthday dinner. After placing my order, my dad mentioned that my grandmother Mimi used to make stuffed tomatoes, which piqued my interest. I cut into the pesto and cheese stuffed tomato and oil exploded onto my plate—not the most appetizing effect. It was good, but I knew it could be better.

When it came to making my own stuffed tomatoes, I decided to use The Med’s tapas ingredients, but turned the tomato into the container. I added quinoa to make it a bit more substantial, went easy on the olive oil, and used feta, which is lower in fat than most cheeses, so it wouldn’t ooze grease. I ate two stuffed tomatoes for dinner but found myself hungry a few hours later, so I think these would be best as a side, or at least accompanied by a hearty green salad. These charming little sides would be great for an upcoming get together!