Stuffed Tomatoes (Air fryer or Stovetop)

Lip smacking, flavour-packed zesty stuffed tomatoes with spiced paneer (cottage cheese) & potato filling served over smooth velvety gravy is surely going to tantalise your taste buds in every bite. It is an easy, no-bake, vegetarian recipe and can be made in air fryer or stovetop.

These delicious stuffed tomatoes turn out so delicious and are an absolute visual treat for the eyes too with its rich vibrant colour. They are a great option for lunch, dinner or for special occasions, potluck or Diwali party.

They can be cooked on both stovetop or air fryer. You can enjoy them as main course dish with Indian flatbreads like paratha, naan or make them without gravy and serve as side dish with lentils like dal palak, masoor dal and steamed rice.

The stuffed tomato curry recipe shared here is:

No Bake
Gluten free
Vegetarian
No onion & No garlic
Can easily be made vegan (dairy free)

How to make stuffed tomatoes?

There are 3 main steps to make these delectable tomatoes-

1. Preparing the Stuffing:

The first step is to prepare a delicious spiced mix which we will use to stuff tomatoes. Here I have made it with boiled potatoes, paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and few aromatic spices. My mom always adds some raisins and chopped cashews to the stuffing which add lovely texture and taste, so I have also added them here.

To make this stuffing dairy free, you can use tofu instead of paneer. Apart from it, you can also add grated coconut or other veggies like onion, capsicum, coloured bell peppers, jalapeños, peas or protein like boiled quinoa, mashed kidney beans or chickpea.

2. Prepping Tomatoes:

Always use medium sized, firm, ripe (not over ripe) tomatoes to make this recipe. If the tomatoes are over ripe or mushy, it will be difficult to hollow them and also they can disintegrate quickly on cooking without absorbing flavours.

To hollow the tomatoes, you can use knife or melon baller scooper and work carefully to lift out as much pulp as possible, making enough space for stuffing. The scooped up pulp can be used in soup or curries later. If the tomatoes are large in size, you can even halve them first and then scoop.

3. Preparing the Curry:

This is an optional step. If you want to serve the stuffed tomatoes as side dish, then you can skip this step but to serve it as a main course dish, I would suggest serving them with this creamy smooth cashew tomato gravy. It is simple to make and will not take much time also. The gravy recipe is dairy free but if you wish you can add heavy cream or coconut milk for more creaminess.

More stuffed vegetable recipes:

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (medium)- 6
Cooking oil- 2 tsp
Chopped Coriander or Cilantro- 4 to 5 tbsp
For Stuffing:
- Paneer (cottage cheese) or Tofu (grated)- 1/2 cup (~80 gms)
- Boiled Potato (grated)- 1 large
- Raisins- 2 tbsp
- Cashews (chopped)- 2 to 3 tbsp
- Oil / Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1/2 tsp
- Asafoetida (Heeng)- A pinch (optional)
- Green chilli (chopped)- 1
- Ginger paste- 3/4 tsp
- Turmeric (Haldi)- 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
- Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala-1/4 tsp
- Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)
For gravy: (optional)
- Tomatoes (medium)- 3 to 4 (~170 gms)
- Cashews- 10 to 12
- Oil / Ghee- 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds (Jeera)- 1/2 tsp
- Green Chilli (chopped)- 1
- Ginger- 1/2 inch piece
- Turmeric (Haldi)- 1/2 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
- Dried Kasuri Methi- 1/2 tsp
- Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp
- Salt- 1/2 tsp (to taste)

Directions:

Step 1: Heat ghee in a non stick pan. Add cumin (jeera), heeng, ginger paste and finely chopped green chillies to it. (If you want to add chopped onions or garlic add at this step). Once the seeds begin to crackle, add turmeric, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Sauté for 30-40 seconds tills the spices begin to release their aroma.

Step 2: Add chopped cashews and raisins to it and stir for another 30 seconds. Add grated boiled potatoes, paneer, salt, garam masala and 1-2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) to it. Mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Let the stuffing cool down completely and in the mean time, let’s hollow the tomatoes. Taste and adjust salt or spices as per your taste.

Step 3: Wash & pat dry tomatoes. Chop their top part and if the tomatoes are slightly long in shape, slice a small part from the bottom also to make their base flat (in order to balance). Using pointed tip of knife, hollow the tomatoes carefully without piercing them all the way through.

(Second way of doing this is to cut them into half and then hollowing them with knife & spoon. This can be done for large tomatoes.)

Step 4: Stuff the hollowed tomatoes with cooled down paneer stuffing. From this step, you can either cook them in air fryer or in a pan on stovetop.

Air Fryer:

1. Set the air fryer for preheating at 180°C (360°F) for 3-4 minutes. In the mean time, brush all the stuffed tomatoes well with cooking oil or ghee.

2. Once it is preheated, transfer the tomatoes in air fryer basket. Air fry for 12-14 minutes at 180°C (360°F) till the tomatoes skin turns wrinkly and soft (as shown in image). Brush some oil or ghee after half time also.

Note: The cooking time can vary slightly depending on the size and variety of tomatoes used. So keep an eye after 10 minutes and adjust the time accordingly.

Stovetop:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil or ghee in a pan. Transfer the stuffed tomatoes in it and cover with a lid. Let them cook on low-medium flame for 8-10 minutes while rotating them after half time for even cooking.

2. The tomatoes should become soft & slightly wrinkly (If by chance some stuffing flows out, fill it back with spoon). Garnish these stuffed tomatoes with chopped cilantro. You can serve them as it is or with creamy tomato gravy.

To make gravy: (optional)

Step 1: Blend together tomatoes, cashews, green chillies and ginger. Keep aside.

Step 2: Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds and sauté for 30-40 seconds till they begin to crackle and release their aroma. Add blended tomato cashew paste, salt and rest of the spices. Mix well.

Step 3: Cook till the gravy thickens up and starts releasing fat (it will become glossy).

Step 4: Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup water (or more) to adjust the consistency of gravy. Crush dried kasuri methi (fenugreek) between your palms and add it to the gravy along with garam masala. Cover with lid. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

In the end you can add 2-3 tbsp cream or coconut milk for creamier texture but it is totally optional. Transfer this gravy to a serving bowl. Carefully place cooked stuffed tomatoes on it. Garnish with fresh cilantro or coriander. Serve it hot with roti, paratha or naan.

Tips:

If you have time, you can soak cashews in hot water for 10 minutes. This makes them easier to blend & you will get smoother gravy.
The tomato gravy can easily be used in other recipes also. You can add cubed paneer & peas to make paneer curry or instead of stuffed tomatoes, you can serve it with these stuffed capsicum rings.
In tomato stuffing, you can also add other vegetables like capsicum, coloured bell peppers, onion, garlic, peas, sweet corn or carrots. If you want to make it taste richer, add some grated cheese or khoya to the stuffing.
Making tomato curry is optional in this recipe. To give it a unique twist, you can even serve it on spinach curry (which we make for palak paneer).
You can meal prep for it by making gravy and stuffing in advance and storing them in fridge.

More recipes with tomatoes:

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(P.S: The recipe was originally published on 6th November’2016 and has been updated with better images and more tips.)

If you try this stuffed tomato curry recipe & share pics on social media, then don’t forget to tag on Facebook, Instagram or use #kuchpakrahahai.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)