I Tried Martha Stewart’s Tomato Burrata Bites (They’re as Fast and Fancy as I’d Hoped)

I’m always looking for an excuse to indulge in burrata, a semi-soft Italian cheese that’s just about as decadent as cheese gets. It might look like a ball of fresh mozzarella, but when you slice into it, a mixture of soft cream and curds is released. Yes, please! So when I saw Martha Stewart’s summery snack of bite-sized tomatoes stuffed with burrata, I knew I had to make them. They seemed like the perfect quick and easy appetizer for summer entertaining, which I’m excited to get back to. Here’s how things went when I gave them a try.

Get the recipe: Tomato Burrata Bites from Martha Stewart

This recipe is as easy as easy gets. You’ll start by trimming the bottoms of Campari tomatoes so they sit flat. Campari tomatoes are larger than cherry tomatoes but smaller than plum tomatoes, and their perfectly round shape and deep-red hue make them pretty to look at even in their grocery store clamshell.

Next, you’ll cut about 1/4-inch off the top of the tomatoes and scoop out the flesh and seeds. You’ll then place the hollowed-out tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain for five minutes. While, the tomatoes drain, break open a ball of burrata and separate the creamy center from the firm exterior.

To stuff the tomatoes, place a piece of the burrata’s firm exterior in the bottom, then spoon in the burrata’s creamy center to fill. Then, top the stuffed tomatoes with small fresh basil leaves and finish them with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

These were are easy to pull off and as impressive as I had hoped they would be. A ball of burrata doesn’t come cheap, so I appreciated that I could stretch it to make 16 of these bites, which would feed six to eight as a light appetizer quite well. They were bursting with summer flavor — almost like a caprese salad all tied up in one little package — and were pretty to look at, too.

The one tiny critique I have is that the bites were harder to eat than I anticipated. Even after deseeding and draining the tomatoes, they’re still quite juicy. The tomatoes are too big to eat in just one bite, but if you’re not careful, the filling and tomato juices will spill out in two bites. Definitely have napkins nearby, or maybe even consider offering guests a fork and knife.

You need less than 10 minutes to pull together this recipe, but here are a few tricks and tips to make it even easier.

• Look for small Campari tomatoes. You’ll find Campari tomatoes sold on the vine in plastic clamshells at the grocery store. There are typically about seven or eight tomatoes in a container, depending on their size. Try to grab the smallest ones you see, which will make for easier eating.
• Tear, don’t slice, the burrata. This recipe calls for cutting the firm exterior of the burrata into 1/2-inch pieces, but it’s soft enough that you can simply tear it into small pieces with your hands and skip dirtying a knife.
• Use torn basil leaves if you can’t find small ones. If all you have are large fresh basil leaves, don’t hesitate to tear them into pieces as garnish instead of using small leaves.
• Prep the bites in advance. The recipe instructs to serve the stuffed tomatoes immediately, but if you’re preparing them for a gathering and you’d like to get ahead, you can make them up to about an hour before you plan to serve them. Just hold off on garnishing the bites and refrigerate them uncovered, then take them out about 15 minutes before eating to ensure they’re not too cold from the fridge. Garnish with basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper before serving.

Have you tried Martha Stewart’s Tomato Burrata Bites? Let us know in the comments!