These little tomato appetizers using grape or cherry varieties can be stuffed plain and simple and transformed into a gourmet bite using our topping suggestions.
Not only are they easy to make and delicious they can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven or air fryer and ready in just a few minutes.
These are the easiest appetizer to make when hosting a dinner party or you need to bring something to that last-minute party invitation during the holidays.
We kept the recipe basic, using simple ingredients like mozzarella or provolone, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and spices so get your creative juices flowing and adapt away using some of our suggestions below.
We love easy recipes, especially around the holiday season or sporting event get-togethers, you may also like to try our Game Day Recipe Appetizers or 30 Favorite Appetizers and Side Dish Recipes.
I do have to say the bacon-topped cheese is the favorite combination in our family, there are so many choices below.
Scroll down to the recipe card at the end for a printable copy and don't forget to check out our other suggestions for alternative toppings.
Stuffed Tomato Step by Step:
- preheat the oven and prepare a baking pan to fit them standing up or use a mini muffin pan
- slice the tomatoes in half
- scoop out the seeds
- stuff and add toppings
- bake until the cheese melts around 5 minutes
Ingredients You Will Need (scroll down for exact measurements)
- grape tomatoes or cherry
- breadcrumbs
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
- grated Parmesan cheese
- balsamic vinegar
- granulate garlic powder
- mozzarella slices or provolone
- Optional: whipped cream cheese or another cheese you prefer, red pepper flakes for heat or cayenne pepper
Tips
- use the toppings as a guideline leftovers are perfect for each one
- the stuffing suggestions can be used with hollowed-out plum tomatoes for a side dish instead of appetizers
- do not overcook just bake until the cheese is melted
- use a small spoon to remove all the seeds
- make sure the tomatoes are standing upright when cooking
- use a cooking oil spray to keep them from sticking
- add decorative toothpicks for easy serving the tomato appetizers
Optional Toppings (only a 1/2 of a teaspoon is needed or less):
- Philly Steak Stuffed Tomatoes: finely minced cooked ribeye steak, sauteed minced onions, provolone cheese
- Pepperoni Pizza Stuffing: finely minced pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella or provolone
- Chicken Parm Stuffing: minced or ground cooked chicken, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese
- Crab Stuffing: crab meat, white wine, minced garlic, provolone
- Shrimp and Spinach: baby shrimp or scallops finely minced, white wine, chopped fresh spinach, minced garlic, and cream cheese mixed together then stuffed
- Hawaiian Style Stuffing: minced deli ham, pineapple, mixed with cream cheese and shredded swiss
- Pepper Poppers Stuffing: jalapeno pepper minced, cream cheese, white sharp shredded cheddar
- Italian Sausage Stuffing: cooked loose ground Italian sausage, finely minced roasted peppers, chopped olives, mozzarella, minced garlic topped with tomato sauce and panko breadcrumbs
- Lobster Lovers Stuffing: lobster minced, jack cheese, minced garlic, chopped parsley, white wine, cream cheese, panko bread crumbs
- Chicken Marsala Stuffing: diced cooked chicken, marsala wine, provolone shredded, granulated garlic powder, breadcrumbs
- Reuben Stuffing: chopped deli corned beef, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, finely minced sauerkraut
- Vegetarian Stuffing: riced cauliflower, or finely minced broccoli, minced garlic, finely chopped spinach, sundried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, romano cheese
- Southern Style Stuffing: ground breakfast-style cooked sausage of any kind, shredded Monterey cheese or cheddar, shredded hashbrowns, breadcrumbs
- Bacon: sprinkle the top with any kind of melting cheese you prefer(we use swiss, provolone, Havarti, or mozzarella) with crumbled cooked bacon, prosciutto, or finely minced ham (bacon bits can be substituted.
- Olives: minced olives top the cheese
Alternate Cooking Methods:
- Baking: preheat the oven to 400 degrees place on a parchment-lined baking pan, and add melted butter, or olive oil with shredded cheese of choice on top for around 3 to 4 minutes
- Air Fried: preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Add the stuffed tomatoes to a heat-proof dish butter flavored oil sprayed dish (or use butter), and spray tomato topping with cooking spray. Air fry until the cheese is melted around 2 to 3 minutes
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Stuffed Tomato Guidelines and More Tips
Remember you don't need much when it comes to toppings either sprinkle a small amount on top of the cheese or into the tomato.
The tomato doesn't need to cook but you just want the filling to be warmed and the cheese melted so these take only a few minutes to broil, bake, or air fry.
If you're not fond of tomatoes use mushrooms as a substitute.
One more thing, my husband said these were so good, they needed to be bigger! I guess stuffing a larger tomato will be the next step!
Stuffed Tomato Appetizers
Yield: 25
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 MinTotal time: 12 Min
Stuffed grape or cherry tomatoes are super easy-to-make appetizers and we offer several topping options.
Ingredients
- 12 grape or cherry tomatoes ( 24 halves, just double the recipe for more people you're hosting)
- whole milk mozzarella slices cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of aged balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- granulated garlic powder for sprinkling on top just a little!
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian-flavored bread crumbs
- Optional: use whipped cream cheese instead of mozzarella or another cheese you prefer.red pepper flakes for heat or cayenne pepper for heat
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high heat on the lowest rack.
- Oil spray a mini muffin pan (or a small parchment-lined baking dish where they can stand up together and not fall over).
- Slice the tomatoes in half.
- Scoop out the seeds (with a small spoon) carefully and membrane in each half of the tomato and discard them.
- Add the cheese into each half until you completed them all.
- See notes for other topping options (we used crumbled bacon cooked on ours with provolone cheese slices in small pieces).
- Sprinkle the tops with Parmesan cheese, granulated garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and just a little of the breadcrumbs on each one.
- Mix the olive oil and balsamic in a small bowl, and spoon a little on each tomato.
- Broil for around 2 minutes until the cheese melts.
Notes
Just a small amount can be used to stuff the tomato or sprinkle on top of the cheese
Optional Toppings (only a 1/2 of a teaspoon is needed or less):
- Philly Steak Stuffed Tomatoes: finely minced cooked ribeye steak, sauteed minced onions, provolone cheese
- Pepperoni Pizza Stuffing: finely minced pepperoni, and shredded mozzarella or provolone
- Chicken Parm Stuffing: minced or ground cooked chicken, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese
- Crab Stuffing: crab meat, white wine, minced garlic, provolone
- Shrimp and Spinach: baby shrimp or scallops finely minced, white wine, chopped fresh spinach, minced garlic, and cream cheese mixed together then stuffed
- Hawaiian Style Stuffing: minced deli ham, pineapple, mixed with cream cheese and shredded swiss
- Pepper Poppers Stuffing: jalapeno pepper minced, cream cheese, white sharp shredded cheddar
- Italian Sausage Stuffing: cooked loose ground Italian sausage, finely minced roasted peppers, chopped olives, mozzarella, minced garlic topped with tomato sauce and panko breadcrumbs
- Lobster Lovers Stuffing: lobster minced, jack cheese, minced garlic, chopped parsley, white wine, cream cheese, panko bread crumbs
- Chicken Marsala Stuffing: diced cooked chicken, marsala wine, provolone shredded, granulated garlic powder, breadcrumbs
- Reuben Stuffing: chopped deli corned beef, thousand island dressing, swiss cheese, finely minced sauerkraut
- Vegetarian Stuffing: riced cauliflower, or finely minced broccoli, minced garlic, finely chopped spinach, sundried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, romano cheese
- Southern Style Stuffing: ground breakfast-style cooked sausage of any kind, shredded Monterey cheese or cheddar, shredded hashbrowns, breadcrumbs
- Bacon: sprinkle the top with any kind of melting cheese you prefer(we use swiss, provolone, Havarti, or mozzarella) with crumbled cooked bacon, prosciutto, or finely minced ham (bacon bits can be substituted.
- Olives: chop a medley of olives red, black, and green top the cheese with minced olives of choice
Alternate Cooking Methods
- Baking: preheat the oven to 400 degrees place on a parchment-lined baking pan, and add melted butter, or olive oil with shredded cheese of choice on top for around 3 to 4 minutes
- Air Fried: preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Add the stuffed tomatoes to a heat-proof dish butter flavored oil sprayed dish ( or use butter), and spray tomato topping with cooking spray. Air fry until the cheese is melted around 2 to 3 minutes.
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Try Some Other Recipes We Love
Tomato Basil Pasta
Healthy Baked Chicken and Topped with Vegetables
Slow Cooker Stewed Tomatoes
Tomato Paste Recipe and more Tips Using Fresh Tomatoes
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2016. It was edited and re-published in 2022.