Tomato is the food that goes well with almost everything. Italians use tomato as one of the main ingredients in their cuisine, alongside their recognizable flavors like olive oil, garlic, oregano, capers, balsamic vinegar, or Mozzarella cheese.
But tomatoes go well with other ingredients like different kinds of cheese (feta, Parmesan, Ricotta, etc.), olives, avocado, onions, peppers, cucumbers, eggs, mushrooms, basil, parsley, pasta, etc.
They are an important part of many sauces, as we can see in, for example, Mexican cuisine, and Mexicans can't live without the salsa sauce.
You must have heard about the stuffed tomatoes. They can be filled with ingredients like meat, onions, rice, cheese, etc. But tomatoes go perfectly with various kinds of cheese, as well.
Especially when you make them fresh alongside fresh herbs. Stuffed tomatoes can be cooked or baked, or even made fresh. Either way, they are delicious. But when you make them fresh, it takes less time and it is ready in a blink of an eye.
But, when it comes to cheese, tomatoes can be stuffed with different cheeses like feta cheese, fresh Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, and even fresh cottage cheese.
Or you can mix different types of cheese into one filling. This combination is a great appetizer or starter. It is light, it is colorful, and delicious.
Our recipe is a raw, no-cook, vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free dish made with fresh cherry tomatoes, the Ricotta cheese, and fresh herbs. Before we move to the recipe, first let's see why the tomatoes are so healthy.
Tomatoes - health benefits
Tomato is considered to be a superfood that provides many benefits to our bodies. Primarily, it has benefits for our skin, heart health (because it has fiber, potassium, choline, folate, and vitamin C), and maintaining a healthy weight.
Health benefits do not stop there, because it helps to maintain the blood pressure levels (because it has potassium), helps with the glucose levels when it comes to diabetes (those who have type-2 diabetes can benefit in a way of improved insulin levels, blood sugar, and lipids), and protects against cancer (because they are the source of antioxidants like vitamin C, which helps to fight the creation of free radicals).
Tomatoes are full of lycopene and lutein which are carotenoids that protect eyesight.
Fun fact: tomato is the fourth most popular fresh vegetable, just behind onion, lettuce, and potato. But they are also in the top ten when it comes to having pesticide residues, so make sure to wash your tomatoes very well.
When it comes to cherry tomatoes, they are a little bit different than the regular tomato. They have higher levels of beta-carotene compared to the regular tomato. And beta-carotene is linked to the prevention of prostate cancer and colon cancer, in particular.
In general, the tomato has a lot of minerals and vitamins like calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and phosphorus. But, also, it has a lot of nutrients like choline, lycopene, alpha-lipoic acid, beta-carotene, folic acid, and lutein.
If you are using beta-blockers, beware of the high potassium in tomato, since it can increase the levels of it in your blood. Be sure to eat tomatoes in moderation if you are taking the beta-blockers, but also if you are experiencing impaired kidney function or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are round and small tomatoes. They vary in size (can grow up to 1.6 inches) and in color (can be red, yellow, black, purple, or green). The first time the cherry tomato was mentioned was in 1623, in "Illustrated exposition of plants" written by the Swiss botanist Caspar Bauhin.
Cherry tomatoes are just one type of tomatoes (among Red Beefsteak, Green Beefsteak, Grape tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Heirloom tomatoes, Cocktail tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, Cherokee purple tomatoes, etc.). But cherry tomatoes themselves have different variations.
1. Tumbling Tom Red Cherry Tomato - great for windows or hanging baskets because it like trailing
2. Tumbling Tiger Cherry Tomato - cherry tomatoes in the shape of the plum
3. Black (Pearl) Cherry - these cherry tomatoes have intense flavor, purple to black skin with dark red insides
4. Golden Cherry Tomato - sweet, yellow to orange fruits
5. Sun Sugar Cherry Tomato - orange color fruits that are very sweet
6. Super Sweet 100 - very sweet fruits and each vine produces a lot of light red fruits
7. Italian Ice Cherry Tomato - these extremely unusual tomatoes are so beautiful, it makes you almost feel sorry to eat. The reason is their gorgeous cool-ivory color. They are sweet and it is almost unbelievable that they actually exist, but they do. And you should definitely try them
8. Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato - just like the name implies, they look like yellow pears. Besides that, they have a tangy flavor
9. Sun Gold Cherry Tomato - very sweet but at the same time, tart flavor. Their color is golden orange
10. Green Envy Cherry Tomato - it has sweet but at the same time, tangy flavor. As the name says, its color is emerald green
There are many others (just like with any other tomato type) like Honeybunch, Fantastico, Napa Grape, Bloody Butcher, Cherries Jubilee, and many more.
What is Ricotta cheese?
Ricotta cheese can be made from whey leftovers from making other cheeses from cow milk, water buffalo milk, goat, or sheep milk. This whey cheese is soft to semisoft. The word "Ricotta" actually means "recooked".
This cheese is usually made in curds, which are creamy-white and a little bit sweet, but it is easily perishable (unless it is made in aged variety). It is usually used in desserts like Italian cannoli or cheesecake. But it is also a common ingredient of savory dishes like pasta, pizza, ravioli, lasagne, etc.
What else can you make with cherry tomatoes and Ricotta?
Besides our recipe that uses fresh tomatoes and Ricotta cheese, you can use this combination in other dishes. Maybe the most popular one is pasta.
The simplest pasta recipe with cherry tomatoes and Ricotta cheese contains only six ingredients. But don't let that fool you, it is still delicious. To make this pasta you need - pasta, olive oil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, salt, and Ricotta cheese.
Boil the pasta in a pot of salted water (slightly undercooked because it is going to cook some more in the sauce). In the saucepan, sauté cherry tomatoes with a little bit of olive oil for about five minutes.
Then add the garlic until it becomes soft. Add half a cup of pasta water, add the pasta, sprinkle some salt, and cook some more. Mix in the Ricotta cheese and voila! You have a whole yummy meal.
Cherry tomatoes are vegetables that are used in all sorts of dishes. The good thing about them is that you can use them to make low-fat, gluten-free, vegetarian dishes. My recipe is just that, a healthy vegetarian snack that everyone can and will surely enjoy. Cherry tomatoes are full of healthy stuff, they are nutritious, low-calorie food, and they can be found everywhere in the world. On the other hand, cheese, in this case, the Ricotta cheese just goes perfectly with the tomatoes. Add chopped herbs like dill and basil and some cashew nuts and lemon juice and you will get a delicious snack. This tasty dish can be used at parties, in addition to the main dishes, or even on its own, as a snack.
1. Firstly, take the cherry tomatoes and wash them thoroughly
2. Secondly, cut the tops and bottoms of each tomato, so they can stand still when they are served
3. Thirdly, empty the tomatoes - remove the seeds
1. Chop the fresh basil, fresh dill, and cashew nuts
2. Then, squeeze the juice from the lemon
3. Take a bowl and mix the Ricotta cheese with the chopped basil, chopped dill, chopped nuts, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of lemon juice
4. And, then mix all the ingredients very well
After you mix the filling, use it to fill the tomatoes. Add enough of the filling into each tomato, so there is a cheese filling dome on the top. Place the stuffed tomatoes on the plate and sprinkle them all with a little bit of olive oil. This dish is a gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian dish and it is a great choice for parties and celebrations, as well as a part of everyday diet.
Ingredients
Directions
Cherry tomatoes are vegetables that are used in all sorts of dishes. The good thing about them is that you can use them to make low-fat, gluten-free, vegetarian dishes. My recipe is just that, a healthy vegetarian snack that everyone can and will surely enjoy. Cherry tomatoes are full of healthy stuff, they are nutritious, low-calorie food, and they can be found everywhere in the world. On the other hand, cheese, in this case, the Ricotta cheese just goes perfectly with the tomatoes. Add chopped herbs like dill and basil and some cashew nuts and lemon juice and you will get a delicious snack. This tasty dish can be used at parties, in addition to the main dishes, or even on its own, as a snack.
1. Firstly, take the cherry tomatoes and wash them thoroughly
2. Secondly, cut the tops and bottoms of each tomato, so they can stand still when they are served
3. Thirdly, empty the tomatoes - remove the seeds
1. Chop the fresh basil, fresh dill, and cashew nuts
2. Then, squeeze the juice from the lemon
3. Take a bowl and mix the Ricotta cheese with the chopped basil, chopped dill, chopped nuts, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of lemon juice
4. And, then mix all the ingredients very well
After you mix the filling, use it to fill the tomatoes. Add enough of the filling into each tomato, so there is a cheese filling dome on the top. Place the stuffed tomatoes on the plate and sprinkle them all with a little bit of olive oil. This dish is a gluten-free, low-carb, vegetarian dish and it is a great choice for parties and celebrations, as well as a part of everyday diet.