Get ready to fall in love with these old-timey scalloped tomatoes! This recipe combines juicy, summer tomatoes (but you can use canned if you want), crispy toast, and creamy butter for a dish that’s bursting with flavor.
Y'all, this is eatin' high on the hog, as my dad would say.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat scalloped tomatoes
- Marye's tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
- scalloped tomatoes
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Simple & yummy. I love the rich, savory flavors and textures in this dish. It's so simple but so yummy!
- Light dinner or side. It pairs well with any main course but in the summer I like it as a light dinner with maybe a salad on the side.
- Homemade goodness. I prefer homemade stewed tomatoes but you can use the canned kind from the store.
This easy dinner side dish is perfect when you want a little change of pace. Homemade stewed tomatoes and crunchy, toasted bread make this budget-friendly casserole extra special.
Whether you opt for quick canned tomatoes or use hand-picked, garden-fresh, summer tomatoes, the simple flavors always seem to hit the spot. Tastes like an old family recipe perfect for a lazy meal all year-'round.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
A lot of the recipes from way back when were created with a need to use stuff up. Nothing went to waste, after all—a good habit to follow even today, too.
That's why you'll see a ton of variations for scalloped tomatoes. Use what you have, what you like, or what you need to use.
- Add Bacon: Sprinkle crispy bacon bits on top for extra flavor.
- Herb Lover’s: Add fresh basil or parsley for a herby twist.
- Spicy Kick: Mix in some red pepper flakes for a little heat.
- Italian: I usually use homemade but the Italian stewed tomatoes are delicious in this dish, too.
- Leftover bread. Use stale bread cubes or croutons from leftover white bread, brioche, dinner rolls, or buns.
- Crumbs. Some people like bread crumbs or crushed crackers on top instead of toast.
- Croutons. If you have croutons lying around, you can use those instead of bread.
- Bell pepper. Add some chopped and sauteed bell pepper to the stewed tomatoes and simmer until soft.
- More flavor. Mix some cooked garlic, shallot, or onion in before baking.
- Sweeten it up. Some family recipes stir in a little brown sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. I like the dish without, but you can try both and decide!
- Cheese please. Sprinkle the casserole with grated parmesan or Romano cheese.
- Garnish. Garnish with chopped chives, parsley, red pepper flakes, or basil.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
- Cut your toast into squares.
- Put stewed tomatoes into a greased baking dish.
- Stir half of the toast into the tomato mixture.
- Top with remaining squares of toast and bake.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the tomato mixture for a sweet and tangy flavor boost!
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- Baking dish
- Measuring cups and spoons
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
If you want to start with homemade stewed tomatoes here's how!
🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat scalloped tomatoes
Scalloped tomatoes are best served steaming hot out of the oven—well, let them cool a little, first.
If you happen to have leftovers, though, the easiest way to store them is in an airtight container or storage dish.
The leftovers will technically last for a few days, but the chunks of bread will soak up the juice and become softer the longer it sits. I usually just take it off and add toast when I'm ready to eat the leftovers.
Marye's tip o' the day
Brush the bread with olive oil or a few tablespoons of butter and toast it in the oven for extra flavor. Or, you can toast it in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it turns golden. A great way to toast a lot of bread at one time!
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Absolutely the BEST when you use ripe summer tomatoes but you can use canned stewed tomatoes the rest of the year.
- Let the dish sit for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
- This is a fabulous way to use up leftover garlic bread.
- If you butter the bottom of the toast before cubing it and putting it on the tomatoes it won't get soggy.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Scalloped tomatoes is one of those classic, old recipes that's been passed down among families for generations. It's a baked tomato dish, consisting mainly of tomatoes and bread, along with a variety of other flavoring ingredients.
Nope! Crushed tomatoes are simply crushed, while stewed tomatoes have been cooked down and seasoned with herbs. Even though they're next to each other on a grocery store shelf, don't confuse 'em!
Not really. Scalloped tomatoes are sometimes referred to as breaded tomatoes or tomato pudding. Think of it as a savory bread pudding, but instead of custard, stewed tomatoes are used, instead. If you've never had it, it might be hard to imagine. However, after your first time, you'll be hooked!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftovers
Got leftovers?
- Tomato pasta: Pull off any soggy toast. Stir cooked pasta into the leftover scallopped potatoes and top with fresh crispy toast, garlic bread, or croutons.
- Tomato soup: Remove any soggy toast remaining. Add the leftovers to a blender and pulse to blend coarsely. Add V-8 juice to achieve a soup-like texture. Reheat.
Don't lose this recipe!
scalloped tomatoes
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📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
Every bite of this easy side dish brings back a ton of memories for me right along with the mouthful of summer flavor!
Scalloped tomatoes are truly an almost forgotten pleasure - I hope you'll try them soon.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Scalloped Tomatoes
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 4 cups stewed tomatoes, *see note below
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 slices bread, toasted
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- Spray 1 ½ quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add tomatoes to baking dish.
- Brush the toast with melted butter.
- Cut the buttered toast into small squares.
- Mix half the squares into the tomatoes.
- Top the tomato mixture with the remaining toast squares.
- Bake at 375° for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
Notes
- Brush the bread with olive oil or a few tablespoons of butter and toast it in the oven for extra flavor.
- You'll know the scalloped tomatoes are close to done when the dish starts bubbling.
- Use slightly less-toasted pieces of bread on top of the tomatoes. They'll brown a little more in the oven, so if they're too dark to start with, you risk having some charred spots.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published August 28, 2022. Last updated August 2, 2024 for editorial improvements and updates.
Vicki W. says
This reminds me so much of my mom. She used to serve us scalloped tomatoes, but I don't know how she made them.....I want to use your recipe here. I recently tried an old southern dish - macaroni and tomatoes - and I was surprised at how good they were (there was a little bacon grease in them) and I'm thinking that your recipe for stewed tomatoes, adding some cooked macaroni, plus onion and green pepper sauteed in a bit of bacon grease would make a wonderful side dish and taste better than just using canned tomatoes! Will be trying both!