Basil Tomato Rolls

I love this time of year.  The weather is still warm in the day and starting to cool down at night.  My small garden is producing tomatoes and herbs like nobodies business.  I just love fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden.  This recipe combines both.  I'm sure this would be good with tomatoes from the grocery store.  I think I'd even try it with canned tomatoes.  But hurry up and try it with fresh from the garden tomatoes.  There are still plenty of tomatoes and fresh basil to be found at farmers markets or even from your neighbors. 

Basil Tomato Rolls
18 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
    0r 1 1/2 loaves of bread dough
5 Tablespoons fresh, chopped basil
1 1/2 cups shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons ground pepper, divided
4 cups medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Combine dough and roll out into a 12x18 inch rectangle.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and place in a colander to drain.  You may even want to squeeze a little bit of the juice out.

Next combine basil, cheese, oil and 1 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl.

Remove plastic wrap from dough and spread with the basil mixture.  I must admit at this stage I'm tempted to sprinkle the tomatoes on top and bake it like a pizza.  I might try that one day.  But for now, continue on with the instructions.

Roll up jelly roll style (or sweet roll or even cinnamon roll style-whatever you call it at your house) and cut it into 12 equal pieces.

Combine drained tomatoes, 1 teaspoon pepper and sugar and arrange evenly in the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Top with basil filled rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour.

Remove plastic wrap and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  Loosely cover with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking, if necessary to prevent over browning.

Let rest 5 minutes, then invert onto a serving platter.

I love the cheesy, tomato savory taste of these rolls.  If you love tomatoes and basil, you will too.