Tomatoes make a great edible vessel for a variety of fillings. For tonight's dinner, I propose a rich and indulgent stuffing in the form of creamy spinach, cheese, and ham. When baked in the oven, the tomatoes explode with juiciness, and the inside oozes into a wonderful taste sensation. Salute the weekend with crusty French bread for dipping and a glass of sparkling wine. To make this delicious dish tonight all you need is the recipe — and the groceries of course! — so read more

Tomatoes Stuffed with Spinach & Ham
From Good Housekeeping magazine

4 large ripe tomatoes (about 10 ounces each)
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 ounces thickly sliced deli-baked ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut each tomato horizontally in half. With spoon, scoop out about 2 tablespoons pulp from each half. Coarsely chop tomato pulp and place in bottom of 13- by 9-inch ceramic or glass baking dish.
3. In medium bowl, mix spinach, ham, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.
4. Mound scant 1/2 cup spinach mixture into each tomato half; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
5. Arrange tomatoes on pulp in baking dish. Bake tomatoes 25 minutes or until hot. Serve stuffed tomatoes with chopped tomatoes from baking dish. Garnish with parsley sprigs if you like.

Serves 4.

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