When I posted the recipe for Mama's Macaroni and Tomatoes , I was surprised how many of you said that Breaded Tomatoes was also a comfort food for you. I don't know why I was surprised, because I have always loved my mother's breaded tomatoes. She has been making them as far back as I can remember and I am sure her mother made them before her.
Tomatoes are something there are usually always plenty of in the South, fresh in the summer and canned tomatoes the rest of the year. You just can't beat tomatoes you can yourself. The flavor is just so much better than store bought. Mama usually always has her own canned tomatoes and that is what she uses, but you can make these with the crushed canned tomatoes you buy at the store also and it's still good. The other keys to good breaded tomatoes are you have to use white bread, real butter and don't skimp on the sugar. Here is what you will need:
1 quart (32. oz.) canned tomatoes, do not drain (if buying store bought, buy the crushed tomatoes)
10 slices of day old white bread (like sandwich bread)
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbs. butter (1/2 stick)
Pour the tomatoes in a 2 quart casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Stir in the sugar. Tear 8 slices of the bread in pieces (leave the crusts on) and gently mix into the tomatoes.
Break the other two slices in pieces and lay right on top. Cut the butter in thin pats and just cover the top.
Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes.
This is just a really simple dish, but it tastes like home to me!
Was a staple dish each week at my house. Mom called them baked tomatoes. We as kids did not like canned tomatoes so she sweetened them a lot so we would eat them. I grew up in Virginia but when I went moved to south Arkansas no had ever heard of them. But I love it.
ReplyDeleteThis Virginia girl did too, but my mom used left over biscuits instead of sandwich bread. Delicious.
Deletei have made these for years but I use biscuits that I tear up before putting them in the pot. I like biscuits a lot more.
DeleteI grew up in Portsmouth Virginia and we called this casserole Stewed tomatoes. The Circle Restaurant had a Sunday buffet and this dish was on it. Awesome. I still make it such comfort food.
DeleteThis is a favorite of mine, reminds me of my Mother every time I think of this dish. I am going to make soon!
ReplyDeleteMy husbands request, using tomatoes I canned.
DeleteWe love it.
I agree...home canned tomatoes are a must. My late MIL made these often. I add a little finely chopped onion. Thanks for posting this old favorite.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lordy... That just made me miss my Grandmama...
ReplyDeleteI gotta talk my wife in to making this
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of what we always called stewed tomatoes. Only we made it on top of the stove and just added a couple pieces of toast. I'm going to try your baked version.
ReplyDeleteexactly how my mom did it too.
DeleteThere used to be a restaurant around here that served this dish. They called it scalloped tomatoes and it was wonderful. Hadn't thought of it in years. Made it last night and it was delish. I used whole canned tomatoes and chopped them up because that's more like the texture of theirs. It tasted almost exactly like what I remembered. I'm adding this to my weekly menu. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe also called them scalloped. This recipe looks very much like what my mother made. She sometimes used leftover biscuits and also used white bread. So good!
DeleteI have always added cooked pieces of bacon
ReplyDeleteYou can add bacon to anything.
DeleteYou can make anything better with bacon
DeleteWe always called them stewed tomatoes too but no matter what you call them they are one of the best foods under the sun. Love, love, love them.
ReplyDeleteWe always called them stewed tomatoes too but no matter what you call them, they are one of the best foods under the sun. Love, love, love Stewed Tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteAdd bacon and they called it stewed tomatoes in Maryland.
ReplyDeleteMy mom made this when I was young and now I'm making it for my daughter who's making it for her daughter. We call it stewed tomatoes and its cooked on top of the stove. But will definitely try this one.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom used leftover biscuits instead of white bread.
ReplyDeleteSo did my grandmother, and they were wonderful. I'm 75, by the way - these have been made in my family for a long time!
DeleteI couldn't remember how this dish was made but I'd think of it often. It's a fond memory from Pinewood, SC where I remember visiting my paternal grandmother and family. She was such a good cook, as was my mother. Good food is still a family legacy. Thanks so much for the recipe.
DeleteLike my mother's but not as much sugar, yummy
ReplyDeleteI have been searching for this recipe for years. My grandma made these and they are delicious! The butter and sugar and bread combination just makes a wonderful flavor with the tomatoes! Thank you for this recipe.
ReplyDeleteMy mother fixed these also, we called it tomato pudding.
ReplyDeleteyes we call it tomato pudding as well. ( North Carolina gal)
DeleteMy mom called ours tomato pudding too! We always made it on the stovetop. Also a Southern girl!
DeleteThat's what my grandmother called it. Tomato pudding because it was kind of like bread pudding.
DeleteHow interesting. I have never heard of this. Which comes as a surprise, actually, growing up in a household where mom was always cooking homemade meals and we also had a huge garden and she would spend hours in the kitchen canning everything. I wonder if she ever made this and I just don't remember because most likely I wouldn't have touched it. Hated tomatoes (or tomato products) when I was a kid. I wouldn't even eat ketchup, I called it "bleed". But now I love tomatoes and eat them all the time and even grow my own.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I was thinking of this dish, just recently. My Mom used leftover biscuits, and home canned tomatoes. There were no loaves of store bought bread in my home. I am 67 yrs old, and grew up in KY.
ReplyDeleteI live in Kentucky too. Was wondering how many biscuits you would need for this receipe.
DeleteThis is almost exactly the recipe my grandma made, but she made it like a pie and did a basket weave top with pie crst.......we called it tomato pie, but ate it as part of a meal....l still love it and noiw l want a big bowl....thanks so much ~ãmy watson~
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law made the best in the world. She always used pinches of her homemade biscuit dough...crunchy on top and sweet and doughy in the middle...my mouth is watering just thinking about them.
ReplyDeleteAdding a few drops of vanilla flavoring to any of these recipes is a plus.
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting this recipe, thanx!
ReplyDeleteI've always used cheese Ritz & my children loved....
ReplyDeleteI'm in Colorado, got sent this recipe from a friend in Florida, and wouldn't you know, when I decided to make this, I realized my canned tomatoes had onions, peppers and celery in them. But I wanted to make this anyway (just tack on "west" to a southern recipe lol), so I added a little extra sugar and come out with Tomato Heaven. I have a question though.........I'd like to make this for Christmas dinner -- can the recipe be doubled safely and still get fantastic results?
ReplyDeleteMade this today with canned tomatoes & it was almost as good as my mother used to make. Canned tomatoes would make it exactly..my hubby said 2 thumbs up..thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteMy grandma taught me to make breaded tomatoes when I was very young. Her recipe calls for bread, can of stewed tomatoes sugar and vinegar, salt & pepper. They are made in a sauce pan on top of the stove. I have always loved them.
ReplyDeleteAlso include white wine vinegar (Regina)
ReplyDeleteGives sweet sour taste melt the butter on the bread too
When my mom made this, sometimes she put shredded cheese on top.
ReplyDeleteExactly like my Grandmother made with her canned tomatoes 🍅 ........ Love this !!!
ReplyDeleteMemories are the best !!!
My mom did it on top of the stove and added cubed cheese just a few minutes before serving so it melted into gooey lumps. Didn't add quite as much sugar either. We called it stewed tomatoes. I still make it.
ReplyDeleteI'm 61 and my mom and her mom (born in the late 1880s in NE Arkansas) made this tomato pudding. I think of both of them fondly when I have this dish. I also love the tomatoes and macaroni dish. Doesn't hurt to throw in some sliced okra when they are plentiful from the garden. It's all so tasty!
ReplyDeleteI make this a lot. We always call it stewed tomatoes here in Virginia. Always fix black eyed peas with it.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, canned tomatoes, stale bread,sugar and butter. So inexpensive and SO VERY delicious!! Thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother in Virginia called in tomato pudding. Great with beans!
ReplyDeleteWe added some oregano and chopped onions to give it an Italian flare. Ummm Mmmm good!!!
ReplyDeleteI researched this recipe because I was having a nostalgic moment. Most people I’ve tried explaining this dish to have been very confused. They’ve never heard of it. I was born in Virginia and raised there off and on for a few years, but, have lived in the North longer at this point. My paternal grandparents of from the south and this was one of my most favorite dishes that grandma would make. So happy to have found this!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed breaded tomatoes growing up, but we never put sugar in them and they were cooked on the stove top. We also had what Mom called tomato and dumplings. It was made by bring the tomatoes to boil and dropping in dough that was basically a biscuit dough and simmering, covered, until the dumplings were done. Has anyone else ever heard of doing it this way?
ReplyDeleteI make mine the same way as the recipe,but add a dash of nutmeg.
ReplyDelete