Sandra Ina Garten Scalloped Tomatoes Recipe is a classic American side dish featuring sweet roasted tomatoes and crisp sourdough bread. This simple bake uses fresh basil, garlic, and a golden Parmesan crust for a crowd-pleasing finish.
If you do nothing else, toast your bread in the skillet until it’s genuinely hard. That’s the difference between a golden, crunchy topping and a soggy mess that ruins the dish. I learned quickly that soft bread just turns into mush once the tomato juices hit the pan. You want those cubes to stand up to the heat so they keep their shape.
The caster sugar is doing more work than you’d think here. Without it, the tomatoes can taste quite sharp and acidic after they’ve been in the oven for forty minutes. It balances everything out and helps the edges of the bread caramelise during the bake. It’s the one step I never skip when I’m making this for a weekend lunch.
Ina Garten Scalloped Tomatoes Recipe Ingredients
- 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil
- 150g (2 cups) sourdough or ciabatta bread, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes
- 900g (2 lbs) plum tomatoes, diced into large chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 5g (1 tsp) salt
- 2g (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 15g (1 tbsp) caster sugar
- 10g (1/4 cup) fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 45g (1/2 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
- 30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
How To Make Ina Garten Scalloped Tomatoes
- Heat the oven: Set the rack in the middle and preheat your oven to exactly 190°C (375°F/Gas Mark 5). Make sure the oven is fully up to temperature before you put the dish inside.
- Toast the bread: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium flame then add the bread cubes. Stir the cubes often with a spatula until they are a deep golden colour and feel very crisp. This should take about 5 minutes and you should hear a dry, hollow sound when you tap them.
- Mix the tomatoes: Combine the diced plum tomatoes, minced garlic, salt, pepper, caster sugar, and chopped basil in a large mixing bowl. Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the tomatoes have started to release some of their juice.
- Combine the base: Gently mix the toasted bread cubes into the tomato bowl until every piece of bread is coated in the liquid. The bread should start to look slightly wet but still hold its firm square shape.
- Fill the dish: Transfer the entire mixture into a greased baking dish and spread it out so it’s level. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese evenly over the top then drizzle the melted butter across the surface.
- Bake the gratin: Place the dish in the centre of the oven and cook uncovered for 35–40 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the juices are thick and bubbling and the bread on top has turned a dark, crunchy brown.
- Let it rest: Remove the dish from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. This gives the juices time to thicken up so the dish isn’t too watery when you serve it.
Recipe Tips
Choose the right tomatoes. Use plum or Roma tomatoes because they have more flesh and less water than other varieties. This stops the dish from becoming a soup in the oven.
Stick to crusty bread. Sourdough or ciabatta works best because the open crumb absorbs the tomato juice without falling apart. Avoid soft white sandwich bread which will just disintegrate into a paste.
Scale the sugar carefully. If your tomatoes are very sweet and in season, you might only need half the sugar. Taste a piece of raw tomato first to see how much help it needs with the acidity.
Grate your own cheese. Buy a block of real Parmesan and use a fine grater to shred it yourself. Pre-grated cheese is often coated in starch which stops it from melting into a lovely golden crust.
Make it ahead. You can dice the tomatoes and toast the bread a few hours before you need them. Just keep them in separate containers and only mix them together when you are ready to start the oven.
Use a shallow dish. A wider, shallower baking dish is better than a deep one for this recipe. It gives you more surface area for the cheese and bread to get crispy.
What To Serve With Scalloped Tomatoes
This savory tomato dish is quite rich so it works best alongside plain roasted meats. Serve it with a roast chicken or some grilled steak to let the bright tomato flavours balance the protein.
If you want a lighter meal, try it with a fresh green salad and some garlicky pasta. It also pairs well with simple grilled fish or even a jacket potato for a filling vegetarian lunch.
How To Store Scalloped Tomatoes
Fridge
Put any leftovers into a container with a tight lid and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. The bread will soften over time as it sits in the tomato juice.
Reheat
Warm the leftovers in the oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 15 minutes to help the bread crisp up again. You can use a microwave for 2 minutes if you’re in a rush, but the bread will stay soft.
Freeze
Do not put this dish in the freezer. The tomatoes release too much water when they thaw and the bread becomes a very unpleasant texture.
Ina Garten Scalloped Tomatoes Recipe Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 220
- Protein: 6g
- Fat: 12g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 550mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes, you can use halved cherry tomatoes which will provide a much sweeter result. They hold their shape well but might produce a bit more liquid during the bake.
The sugar balances the natural acidity of the tomatoes so the final dish isn’t too tart. It also helps the bread and cheese brown more effectively in the oven.
Look for the juices to be thick and syrupy rather than watery. The bread on top should be very dark and make a tapping sound when you hit it with a spoon.
Ina Garten Scalloped Tomatoes Recipe
Description
A rustic side dish featuring roasted plum tomatoes, toasted sourdough cubes, and a sharp parmesan crust
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas Mark 5).
- Toast sourdough cubes in olive oil until golden and hard.
- Mix diced tomatoes with garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and basil.
- Combine the toasted bread with the tomato mixture until coated.
- Transfer to a greased dish and top with parmesan and butter.
- Bake for 40 minutes until the top is dark and crisp.
- Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving.
