Cherry Tomatoes Filled with Pesto Cream Cheese
Pesto and tomatoes are one of those time-honoured combinations that taste better every time you try them. Here, pesto is thickened with low-fat cream cheese to make a filling that bursts with the flavour of summer.
3 cups fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
250 g low-fat cream cheese, cut into chunks
4 cups cherry tomatoes, washed and dried
- Combine the basil, 1/3 cup pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until pine nuts are ground. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil. Add cream cheese and pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Shortly before serving, make an X on the rounded side (opposite stem) of each tomato with a serrated or sharp paring knife. Scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon or your fingertips, taking care to keep the tomatoes intact.
- Scrape the cream cheese filling into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or small plastic food bag with a 1/2-inch hole snipped in one corner. Pipe a rosette of pesto cream cheese into each tomato cavity. Garnish the tomatoes with the remaining pine nuts. One serving equals 3 filled tomatoes.
Tip: Toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Serves 16
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