Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

I am on a pseudo-diet. I thought hey let's have some chicken with a reasonable amount of goat cheese and baked tomatoes. Low enough in calories right? Well yes in theory....then the dilemma of what to stuff the tomatoes with arose. Usually I stuff them with leftover chicken, but....we were having chicken as the main. In the spirit of dieting, I suggested to D that I just stuff them with garlic, spinach, shallots and arugula pesto. Somehow this turned into sausage or prosciutto or some other man food being included. Final result: baked tomatoes stuffed with Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage, Monterrey Jack, Pesto, Garlic and Shallots. Topped off with fresh torn basil. D was happy and, I have to admit, the man food tasted good! In the spirit of dieting I used chicken sausage so we were all happy. Hey, chicken sausage counts as diet food right?

Serves 4 (at half a tomato each)

• 2 large cluster tomatoes, halved and seeded
• One shallot, minced
• One clove garlic, minced
• 1.5 tablespoons pesto (arugula or basil)
• One half of a Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage (or other sausage of choosing)
• 1/3 cup of shredded Monterrey Jack (I used MJ because I had it, Fontina or Mozzarella can also be used)
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil

Use oil to grease a baking dish or sheet.  In a pan, heat oil and add shallots and garlic. Cut the sausage casing and empty half of the filling into the pan and saute with the garlic and shallots. Once mostly cooked remove to a bowl and allow to cool for a minute or two. Combine salt, pepper, cheese and pesto with the sausage mixture - mix well. Stuff the mixture into the tomatoes (making sure to get the yumminess all the way down in the bottom cavity of the tomato) then sprinkle top with salt and pepper as desired and place on the baking sheet.

Bake for fifteen - twenty minutes on 375, remove, top with basil and serve.

*Feel free to coat the top with bread crumbs if you like.