Tomatoes Florentine
submitted by reader Martha Wolf of Brighton, MI
Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
2 large tomatoes, cut into ¾-inch-thick slices
½ cup dry Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 to 3 dashes hot pepper sauce
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.
2. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain well in a colander, pressing with paper towels to remove most of the liquid.
3. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer in prepared pan. Combine bread crumbs, green onions, eggs, butter, Parmesan, garlic, salt, thyme and hot sauce in a medium bowl. Add spinach; mix well.
4. Spoon equal amounts of the spinach mixture on top of each tomato slice. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes. Serves 8. (mine made nine slices)
Tips from the Test Kitchen
Tips From Our Test Kitchen: You may use smaller tomatoes, if desired. Cut into ¾-inch thick slices and cover the bottom of the baking pan. Top with the spinach mixture and use the back of a spoon to spread evenly over all. Bake as directed.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per serving: 130 calories, 9g fat, 5g protein, 8g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 480mg sodium.
My notes-
1. I didn't have any bread crumbs, so I made my own. I used four slices of light whole wheat bread, brushed with olive oil, salt and Italian seasoning and baked until the bread was toasted. Threw the bread in the blender-voila, Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
2. I used three large-ish Roma tomatoes.
3. I didn't use green onions or thyme because I didn't have any-I don't think they would really add to this very much.
4. This calls for three eggs. I will use two egg whites next time. If the "stuffing" seems dry, I'll add some chicken broth.
5. I used a bag of fresh spinach because that's what I had. I heated up about two tablespoons of olive oil, lightly browned some fresh mined garlic and threw the spinach in to wilt.
6. I used a little more parmesan cheese than the recipe called for, and sprinkled some on the top after I took them out of the oven after 15 minutes, then I stuck them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
If you take my changes into consideration, this has a lot more fiber, and less calories.
