Provencal Tomatoes (French recipe)
Provencal Tomatoes consists of tomatoes cut in half and baked in the oven, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic. The contrast between the crispy breadcrumbs and the juicy, roasted tomatoes is delicious!
They are a perfect side dish with grilled meat at a summer barbecues! I also like to simply serve them for a healthy meal with a French salmon meunière, rice, focaccia, or creamy polenta with parmesan.
Table of Content
List of Ingredients
This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients!
- Tomatoes: Choose ripe tomatoes that are ruby red for the most flavorful results. Look for summer tomatoes that are firm and plump. If you can find Heirloom tomatoes, they will taste fantastic in this recipe.
- Breadcrumbs or panko: Both regular breadcrumbs and Panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) can be used in this recipe. Panko provides a lighter and crunchier texture, while regular bread crumbs, made with stale bread, might yield a slightly denser coating. Here is an easy recipe if you want to make your own bread crumbs. All you’ll need is a food processor.
Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best flavor. Mince the garlic finely to ensure it distributes evenly throughout the dish. - Fresh parsley: I prefer curly parsley for this recipe, but flat-leaf parsley works too.
- Herbes de Provence: A must for Provencal cuisine! Herbes de Provence is a blend of herbs including savory, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and oregano.
- Olive oil: Use high-quality olive oil if you can. Sunflower, avocado or canola oil are a fine substitute.
How to Make Provencal Tomatoes?
This recipe only take a couple of minutes preparation. If you have time, I recommend and extra step ( step 4)!
- Add the topping ingredients to a bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence, minced garlic, and chopped parsley. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Stir together.
- Prepare the tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes, then cut them in half horizontally (across the width). Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt on the inside of each tomato half. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess water. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Caramelize the tomatoes (optional). Heat olive oil in a skillet. Place the halved tomatoes, cut side down, in the pan and roast for 5 minutes until they start to caramelize. This step is optional but enhances the taste of the tomatoes.
- Add the topping. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the tomato halves in the baking dish, cut side up. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tops of the tomatoes. Don’t worry if some breadcrumbs fall to the bottom of the dish. Pour a drizzle of olive oil on the breadcrumbs.
- Cook the tomatoes. Bake in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes or until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown. Once done, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.
Variation Ideas
Here are some ideas how to adapt this recipe:
- Vegetables. Replace the tomatoes with other vegetables: mushrooms, courgettes, eggplant slices.
- Parmesan. Parmesan cheese in the breadcrumb mixture
- Gluten-free. Make it with gluten-free oats reduced to breadcrumbs in blender
Géraldine’s Tips
- Caramelize the tomatoes in a pan before topping them with breadcrumbs. I really recommend doing this to add another layer of flavor to the dish.
- Add olive oil to the breadcrumb mixture to dial up the crispiness.
- It is best served directly from the oven. Otherwise, after a few hours, the breadcrumbs will absorb the juices and lose their crispiness. To make this dish ahead, prepare the breadcrumbs mixture first, and then roast the tomatoes in a pan and set them both aside. Only top the tomatoes with the breadcrumbs before they go into the oven.
FAQ: Provencal Tomatoes
To avoid a soggy breadcrumb topping, remove excess moisture from the tomatoes before adding the breadcrumb mixture. Slice the tomatoes and place them on a paper towel for a few minutes to absorb any excess liquid. You can also try sprinkling a little salt on the tomato slices to draw out moisture before assembling the dish.
While the classic Provençal tomato recipe typically uses ripe, round tomatoes, you can also try plum or cherry tomatoes. Choose delicious tomatoes that are not overly watery.
This simple recipe for Tomato Provençal originates from the South of France.
I recommend adding a drizzle of olive oil directly to the breadcrumb mixture and mixing well. This will soak up the oil and make them crispier.
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Provencal Tomatoes (French recipe)
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Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 cup breadcrumbs or panko (100 g)
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp herbes de Provence
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes, then cut them in half horizontally (across the width).
- Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt on the inside of each tomato half. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess water. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
- (Optional step) Heat olive oil in a skillet. Place the halved tomatoes, cut side down, in the pan and roast for 5 minutes until they start to caramelize. This step is optional but enhances the taste of the tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence, minced garlic, and chopped parsley. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Place the tomato halves in the baking dish, cut side up. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tops of the tomatoes. Don't worry if some breadcrumbs fall to the bottom of the dish. Pour a drizzle of olive oil on the breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.
- Once done, remove the dish from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.
