Bison-Stuffed Tomatoes with Garlic & Scallions {Recipe Redux}

Cambodian stuffed tomatoes

“What IS that?” you say. Well. Let me tell you.

With the craziness this fall, I’ve cooked as many times as I can count on one hand — if that hand was wearing a mitten. And when I say “cook,” I mean “drag out a cookbook and actually combine ingredients in a new or semi-new fashion.” (It’s like a new language, I swear. For example, when I say “celery,” I mean “foul weed that could kill a man (or Super RD) from ten paces.”)

What a shame, dear reader, because there are so many wonderful dishes to make in the wide, wide world. That’s why I’m so grateful for The Recipe Redux. Once a month, I set aside time to enjoy an hour or two in the kitchen to tackle those kitchen challenges that bring out the creativity I miss.

It’s the end of the year and we’ll taking a moment to reflect: ReDux has been around for 42 months! (Can you believe some of you have ReDux-ed 42 recipes?) To celebrate, we’re playing a little party game this month: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 42 or 142. We can’t wait to see the books you’re cooking from these days – and how you make that recipe healthier.

My first instinct was to dive into one of my most influential cookbooks, The Little House Cookbook. Then I found that the author had devoted page 42 to a description of dairy foods in the late 1800’s and page 142 had a recipe for lard and crackings. Yes, lard.

Instead, I opened a cookbook Peter bought for me after our return from Cambodia (what? You didn’t know we went to Cambodia? Wait ’til I tell you THAT story. Probably sometime next year.) The Elephant Walk contains a recipe for my favorite Cambodian recipe: loc lac. This simple marinated beef dish highlights the simple, fresh flavors that make Cambodian cuisine so special. Naturally, I wanted to try another.

Cambodian stuffed tomatoes

The Elephant Walk had no recipe on page 42, so I chose the recipe on page 142: braised tomatoes stuffed with pork. I decided to use lean bison in place of pork because bison has plenty of iron and protein while also being very lean. Also, I may or may not have had no pork on hand. I’ll never admit it either way. I cut down on the salt and oil and used plenty of scallions for color and flavor — I cleverly added sliced scallion greens to the final dish to haphazardly add a bit of class to a stuffed tomato that’s about to give up.

Yeah. About that.

Cambodian stuffed tomatoes

I blame the recent lack of time in the kitchen for my rusty presentation skills. It’s like the tomatoes are rejecting the super-healthy filling, and I tried to cover it up with scallions and garlic. Dear me. The tomato-cooking step left a mess in the kitchen like you wouldn’t believe. I will not be posting THAT picture on THIH (but, you may see it in Kitchen Disasters. Just sayin’.)

Nevertheless, this dish was delicious. The tomatoes have a crisp edge and a melt-in-your-mouth texture, while the lean bison and sautéed garlic hit the spot. This dish would make a nice light meal (as this one did) or a complete meal rounded out with some more veggies and a crusty baguette.

Just remember: Keep your eyes on the tomatoes. They’re prone to spontaneous combustion.

Bison-Stuffed Tomatoes with Garlic & Scallions

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients (8 servings)

  • 8 large firm tomatoes (4 pounds)
  • 1 pound ground bison
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 4 scallions, sliced and separated into white and green parts
  • 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

Instructions

Cut off the top 1/2 inch of the tomatoes and use a spoon to scoop out the meat into a medium bowl. Turn tomatoes upside down on to a paper towel to drain.

While tomatoes drain, mix together bison, egg, the white part of the scallions, cilantro, sugar, soy sauce and black pepper in a large bowl. Mash the reserved tomato meat and add 1/3 cup to the bowl.

Turn tomatoes right-side up and stuff with the bison mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute chopped garlic for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Add the stuffed tomatoes, cut side down, and partially cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes. Use tongs to flip tomatoes right-side up and cook until meat is done, about 25 minutes more. Remove to serving plates, top with sauteed garlic and sliced green scallions, and serve immediately.

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P.S. Want to try another bison recipe? Try this incredible bison chili with chickpeas and squash!

P.P.S. Check out the other awesome recipes below:


8 Comments

  1. What a fun recipe redux challenge! And the recipe sounds great!

    Unfortunately, I use my cookbooks not very much at all… I really have to change that!

    Happy holidays, Jessie!

    1. Thank you, Andrea! Happy holidays to you and your family!! 🙂

    1. Happy Holidays, Katie!

  2. I think you should feature the lard ‘n cracklings.

    1. We made them once! They were not as good as LIW led me to believe.

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