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Egg Salad Stuffed Tomatoes

paula

I went to the grocery store to look for inspiration. I needed an idea for a simple finger food that would be a good sandwich substitute in a semi-formal setting. The first thing that got my attention was a large package of vibrant red on-the-vine tomatoes. They were smaller, but not too small. As I am not great at delicate, repetitive tasks beyond making a dozen of anything, the thought of stuffing cherry or grape tomatoes had absolutely no appeal. However, I needed finger foods, so anything larger would have been too big.

As I stood staring at the package of tomatoes, my husband came up (probably to see if I was ever going to move on) so I shared my dilemma: I thought these would be great to serve stuffed, but I wasn’t sure what stuffing to use. He reminded me of how much he enjoyed an egg salad stuffed tomato at a couple of weeks before. He had a large, split tomato on a bed of lettuce with a generous scoop of egg salad in the middle, but I thought the scaled back concept might actually work for the event.

I took a package of tomatoes home for a trial run. The result was a tasty, semi-elegant finger-friendly plate.

I decided to fill half with the egg salad and the other half with tuna salad. Both were easy and delicious.

The tomatoes were round enough that they rolled around on a flat surface. My eight-year-old came to the rescue with the perfect solution, a deviled egg dish. The tomatoes fit perfectly in the individual egg areas. I could even pick up the dish and walk around without the slightest tomato movement.

Oh yeah, maybe I should have already mentioned that my husband and my sister do not like my egg salad 🙁 They do not like the mustard and relish that I put in my egg salad. Therefore, I had my husband make the egg salad so he couldn’t complain.

I am sharing the ingredients for both versions of the egg salad (my additions are starred). I have provided general measurements for the condiments, but you should adjust to your taste. However, it is easier to stuff the tomatoes if the salad is a little loose, but not too runny.

Recipe: Egg Salad Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 24 +/- small, ripe but still firm tomatoes
  • 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
  • 3 – 4 Tbsp. Miracle Whip
  • salt, to taste
  • paprika, to taste
  • white (or black) pepper, to taste
  • 1 – 2 tsp. mustard*
  • 1 +/- Tbsp. sweet pickle relish*

Instructions:

  1. With a small knife (serrated or filet knife work great), cut a round opening in the stem end of the washed tomatoes and remove end core. Use an apple corer or a small spoon, to remove the pulp and seeds from the center of the tomatoes.
  2. Combine the eggs, salad dressing, mustard,* and relish* in a bowl. Starting with the smaller quantities and adding more to achieve desired consistency and taste.
  3. Add salt, paprika, and pepper to taste.
  4. Set in refrigerator until close to time to use.
  5. Using a small spoon, plastic zip bag with one corner cut off, or disposable pastry bag, fill each tomato with salad.
  6. TOMATOES SHOULD NOT BE REFRIGERATED AS IT CHANGES THEM FOR THE WORSE! THEY WILL BECOME WATERY, TASTELESS, ETC. THUS, IT IS BETTER NOT TO STUFF THE TOMATOES UNTIL CLOSE TO SERVICE…KEEPING THE NEED FOR REFRIGERATION TO A BARE MINIMUM.

Copyright © 2014.
Recipe by Paula, A Simple Home Cook.


Of course, you can stuff tomatoes with any of the salads: tuna, ham, chicken, pimento cheese, cucumber, roast beef, etc.

Enjoy!

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