Baked Summer Tomatoes
Updated June 19, 2024
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- about 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small bits, plus more for pan
3½ to 4 cups (about 2 pounds) mix of cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes (cherry tomatoes halved; larger tomatoes cut into 1½-inch pieces)
2 slices stale sourdough bread, cut into 12 pieces
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon to 3½ tablespoons granulated sugar (see Tip)
Freshly ground pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
33 grams carbs; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 202 calories; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 5 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 484 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a 1-quart casserole dish (or 8-by-8-inch baking dish).
- Step 2
In a saucepan, combine tomatoes and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook gently, stirring often, until most of the liquid evaporates, 5 to 15 minutes depending on how juicy they are. They should soften but still more or less hold their shape.
- Step 3
Line the sides of the prepared pan with 8 pieces of bread. Pour the stewed tomatoes and any liquid into the pan. Top the tomatoes with half of the butter and season with the salt, sugar and pepper. Place the 4 remaining pieces of bread on top, dotting each piece of bread with the last of the butter.
- Step 4
Bake until the tomatoes are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Edna Lewis’s original recipe calls for 3½ tablespoons sugar, but you can add less if you like. More sugar makes it taste like a sweet tomato jam. Less sugar is lighter and brighter.
Private Notes
Comments
Bake for 35 minutes period at which time they’ll be bubbling. I’ve been making this for years from Edna Lewis cookbook. Never use cherry tomatoes. And always add the sugar. The other great recipe from her book The Gift of Southern Cooking is scalloped tomatoes. For the bread in baked tomatoes I always use a good bakery white loaf that you cut into thick slices.
My mother grew up with a cook and when she married had to learn how to cook. She made something similar to this with whatever she had on hand. Nothing frou frou -regular butter, bread, tomatoes, no measuring, it was delicious. A side for meatloaf, fried or baked cx or pork chops. She fed a family of 5 with little money but lots of love
Cherry tomatoes---get the multicolored ones if you can. Dash in a glug of olive oil, add some Italian seasoning and a little granulated garlic, some fresh basil, a little granulated onion with chives and spring onion and bake until the tomatoes have burst open and are bubbly. Some may be a bit blackened---it's OK. Take them out of the oven, sprinkle in some grated parmesan and put back in the oven for ten minutes. Serve with crusty bread for dipping or make enough for a pasta main dish. Yum!
My mother-in-law's version calls for canned diced tomatoes, some sugar (she used more, I use less) and some butter while the tomatoes cook down. Then tomatoes in the baking pan with small pieces of buttered bread so they become croutons. Putting the bread into the tomatoes results in soggy bread and is, for my money, just nasty.
This is similar to a late summer Eastern Shore Tomato Casserole recipe that I use, and serve with crab cakes. 6-7 Perfect Summer Tomatoes 4 Slices of Bacon, (fried, drained, patted dry) 1 Medium Sweet Onion, (diced) 4 Slices of Good Bread (1" cubes) 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Tarragon, (chopped) 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Basil, (chopped) Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper 1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder, (optional) Parmesan or shredded Cheddar, (optional) Cook, combine, bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Don’t freak when you keep getting more and more juice — instead of less — when you’re doing the simmer. Just go for 15 minutes and then add to the baking pan. It will work out — deliciously. Sourdough cut thickly was wonderful. And 2 teaspoons of sugar was plenty with a generous supply of tomatoes.