A Stuffed Tomato Recipe for Late Summer (Tomates Farçies)
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
If you’re craving something simple, satisfying, and rooted in seasonal tradition, this sausage and rice-stuffed tomato recipe delivers. Inspired by classic tomates farçies from southern France, this dish brings together ripe summer tomatoes, rice, herbs, and sausage—or your favorite vegetarian swap.
Taste Memories from Early Travels in France
There is nothing quite like tasting something new, wonderful, and incredible for the very first time. My early trips to France are replete with many of my favorite taste memories.
I’ll never forget my first bite of gigot de sept heures, a leg of lamb stuffed with whole cloves of garlic and slow-roasted with wine and vegetables for (as its name suggests) seven hours. (Nor will I forget the aroma as I grew hungrier and hungrier, waiting for the meat to be served).
I fondly remember clafoutis, brimming with juicy yellow cherries picked that morning from trees in the backyard. Long before it was trendy, I had my first bite of mi-cuit au chocolat, molten chocolate cake, in Paris. I still remember cutting into that cake and watching with surprised delight as a river of chocolate spilled out onto a platter of chilled crème anglaise sauce, subtly flavored with Grand Marnier.
Some of the recipes were elaborate, but most were incredibly simple, prepared with love and integrity and frequently, ingredients purchased that day from the local market.
The French Roots of This Stuffed Tomato Dish
One of my favorite summer dishes was tomates farçies, ripe tomatoes stuffed with rice, sausage, and fresh herbs. I was fascinated by how everything cooked right inside the tomato, the rice soaking up the flavorful juices from both the tomato and the sausage.
This dish is a perfect example of the French approach to cooking: use what’s in season, keep the preparation simple, and let each ingredient do the talking. It’s best enjoyed in the summer when tomatoes are at their peak.
Served warm or at room temperature—either would be fine. You can also pair it with a simple green salad and crusty toasted bread.
Tomates Farçies: Simple, Seasonal, and Satisfying
This stuffed tomato recipe is the perfect, late-summer side dish. And aside from the fact that it uses humble ingredients—juicy ripe tomatoes, rice, aromatic herbs, and sausage—the preparation is even simpler.
Simply start by hollowing out ripe tomatoes and mixing the pulp with the uncooked rice, aromatics, and your protein of choice. Then simply stuff the mixture back into the tomatoes and bake. As the stuffed tomates cook, the rice absorbs all the tomato juices and flavors. The tops also take on a beautiful golden hue as they bake. The result is tender, savory, and unmistakably very French stuffed tomatoes.
You can also easily make this dish vegetarian by simply substituting chickpeas instead of sausage or omitting the meat altogether.
Looking for another tomato dish? Try this Whipped Feta with Roasted Tomatoes recipe if you have lots of cherry tomatoes. It’s creamy, tangy, and perfect for summer, too!
Why This Sausage-and-Rice- Stuffed Tomato Recipe is a Summer Must
When tomatoes are at their flavorful peak, few dishes celebrate them better than Tomates Farçies. This recipe checks all the boxes for warm-weather cooking: it’s seasonal, full of flavor, make-ahead friendly, and deeply comforting without feeling heavy. Even better, it’s wonderfully adaptable! You can swap in whatever filling suits your mood or is available in your pantry.
Once you’ve made this stuffed tomato recipe, chances are you’ll come back to it every summer.
Beverage Pairing
By: Olivia
Tomato-based dishes pair well with a nice acidic wine to balance their acidity. Since this dish is cooked and the tomatoes develop a deeper flavor, I would also recommend a more robust wine than a white. Using these tips as your guide, you can explore several wine pairings! Rosés from southern France will bring the acidity while complementing the herbal flavors of the dish. Red wines like Pinot Noir, Barbera, and Sangiovese (personally, what I would choose) will have an earthiness while remaining quite fresh.
Tomates Farçies (Sausage and Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes)
Equipment
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 6 large ripe, juicy tomatoes (ideally homegrown or from a local farmer’s market)
- ½ cup (90g) white rice (uncooked)
- 8 ounces (225g) Italian sausage
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- Optional: a splash of dry white wine
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Step 2
- Prepare the tomatoes. Slice off the tops, and set aside. Carefully scoop out the tomato pulp with a spoon or melon baller, leaving the walls about ¼ inch (½ cm) thick. Add the pulp to a medium bowl. If there are large chunks of pulp, roughly chop them or crush with your hands.
Step 3
- Now prepare your baking dish. Select a heavy casserole that will hold your tomatoes—ideally, they should fit snugly. Place the hollow tomatoes in the casserole dish, and lightly salt the insides.
Step 4
- To the medium bowl with the tomato pulp, add the uncooked rice, sausage, chopped onion, garlic, parsley, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of white wine, if using. Mix well to combine.
Step 5
- Fill each tomato about three-quarters full with the sausage-rice mixture (the rice will expand as it cooks). Replace the tops and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Step 6
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 minutes more, or until the rice and sausage are fully cooked and the tops are browned.
Step 7
- Let the tomatoes sit for 10 minutes before serving. Stuffed tomatoes are excellent warm or at room temperature, especially with a bright green salad and fresh, crusty bread.
