A variety of fresh tomatoes are baked with a mustard, garlic and herb-infused cream and topped with a crispy Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Enjoy as a warm tomato side dish or as a meatless main dish with crusty bread and a green salad.
Toss fresh tomatoes into a casserole dish, then quickly heat a bit of heavy cream with Dijon mustard, herbs and garlic. Let the cream stand briefly to infuse it with flavour. Pour over the tomatoes. Toss the fresh breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil to moisten. Scatter over the top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly, crisp and golden.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients and substitutions
- Suggested baking dish for this tomato gratin
- How to make tomato gratin: step-by-step
- Recipe tips!
- How to serve this tomato gratin
- Making ahead, storing and freezing
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Tomatoes – A variety of sizes and colours is especially nice for this dish, combining medium-sized tomatoes with smaller (cherry-type) tomatoes to fill the space between the larger tomatoes. Avoid the large “beefsteak” type tomatoes, as they are just a bit too big for this dish.
Heavy cream – Heavy whipping cream (35% b.f.) is highly recommended for the smoothest and thickest sauce. While a lighter cream may technically work, the sauce might become quite thin when it combines with the liquid from the tomatoes. A lower fat cream may also split and become grainy after cooking. This is one place where the heavy cream is worth the splurge!
Fresh breadcrumbs – Fresh breadcrumbs are recommended for the nicest flavour and texture. Simply take any bread you have on hand and run it through a food processor until it is broken down into coarse crumbs. It doesn’t need to be fine. The extra texture is nice. Feel free to get creative. I’ve used all kinds of bread and here I used a piece of leftover rosemary focaccia. It’s all good! In a pinch, if no bread is available, opt for panko crumbs in place of fresh breadcrumbs.
Herbs – I’ve used dried herbs to infuse the cream, as it allowed me to use a variety. I used dried tarragon leaves, dried basil leave and a pinch of dried thyme leaves. You can use all of one herb or just a couple, to your taste. Fresh herbs will work here if you have access to a variety. Use about 1 1/2 teaspoons in total if using fresh herbs.
Suggested baking dish for this tomato gratin
Gratins are typically baked in wide, shallow baking dishes, generally glass or ceramic. The precise dish shape isn’t critical, but it should be large enough to hold the tomatoes in a single layer. It should also have high enough sides that the cream won’t bubble-over too much when baking. I’ve used a 9-inch round ceramic baking dish here, with 2-inch high sides. I think you’d want at least 1 1/2-inch high sides. A deep-dish pie plate might work nicely, or a larger oval gratin shallow baker.
How to make tomato gratin: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Add some bread chunks to a food processor.
Step 2: Process the bread into coarse crumbs and set aside.
Step 3: Add the cream, garlic, mustard and herbs to a saucepan and warm. Remove from the heat and set aside to infuse briefly.
Step 4: Arrange a variety of fresh tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.
Step 5: Pour the infused cream mixture over the tomatoes.
Step 6: Combine the breadcrumbs with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil to moisten, then scatter over the top before baking.
Recipe tips!
- Be sure to place the casserole dish on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubble-overs.
- Salt is key to bringing together all the great flavours of this tomato gratin. Be sure to layer in salt by salting the tomatoes and the cream. If needed, add a nice finishing salt on top after baking.
How to serve this tomato gratin
This tomato gratin is a lovely, creamy tomato side dish that would be perfect alongside a simple protein such as grilled or roasted chicken, fish, pork or beef.
I also enjoy this dish as a meatless main, with toasted baguette and a green salad. Spoon a bit of tomato and the creamy garlic sauce onto toasted baguette slices for a memorable delicious bite!
Making ahead, storing and freezing
Tomato gratin is best enjoyed freshly cooked. That said, it is best if allowed to stand and cool 20-30 minutes before serving, so there’s a little play there.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil, until warmed, about 8-12 minutes. Remove the foil briefly at the end to re-crisp the breadcrumbs slightly.
Freezing the cooked tomato gratin is not recommended, as the cream sauce will become grainy after freezing and thawing and the breadcrumbs may not re-crisp nicely.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Seasons and Suppers.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Get the Recipe: Tomato Gratin with Cream and Parmesan Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
For the breadcrumb topping:
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, *see Note 1 below
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated recommended
- 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the infused cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 35% b.f. *see Note 2 below
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs, *see Note 3 below
- salt and freshly ground pepper
For the tomatoes:
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes, a variety of colours and sizes is best *see Note 4 below
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (regular bake setting – adjust for convection or fan-assisted as needed), with the rack in the centre of the oven.
- Make the breadcrumb topping: Add torn fresh bread pieces to a food processor and process until you have coarse crumbs. Measure out 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (*see Note 1 below) and add to a medium bowl. Add the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated recommended) and stir together. Drizzle with 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and stir together, adding enough to just moisten the breadcrumbs. Set aside.
- Make the infused cream: Add the 1 cup heavy whipping cream (35% b.f. *see Note 2 below) to a medium saucepan. Add the 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 3 cloves garlic (minced) and 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (*see Note 3 below). Season with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Heat over medium-low heat, just until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan. Don't let it come to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to stand to infuse the flavours while you prepare the tomatoes.
- Set out a 9-10 inch shallow round baking dish, with sides at least 1 1/2 inches or ideally 2-inch high (or a dish large enough to hold the tomatoes in a single layer.) Shown here is a 9-inch round baking dish with 2-inch high sides.
- Prepare the tomatoes: Cut the largest tomatoes in half and cut out and discard the green stem ends. Place the larger tomato halves into the casserole dish first, cut-side up. You can leave smaller tomatoes whole, placing them in the spaces between the larger tomatoes. The tomatoes should be in a single layer in the dish. Once placed, season the tomatoes with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Pour the infused cream mixture over the tomatoes in the dish. Scatter the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the entire top of the dish.
- Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubble-overs during baking. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, assuming the breadcrumbs are sufficiently golden brown, loosely lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the dish to prevent further browning. Continue baking 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and bursting and the sauce is bubbly.
- Remove from the oven. The sauce may look thickened and reduced or slightly thinner, if you used a lot of larger tomatoes that cooked off more liquid. The sauce will thicken as it stands. Let the dish cool for 20-30 minutes before serving, as the flavours are best enjoyed warm rather than hot from the oven. After tasting, if you feel it needs a touch more salt, sprinkle with a bit of coarse finishing salt, such as Maldon's.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil, for 8-12 minutes, removing the foil for the last couple of minutes to recrisp the topping slightly.
Notes
More tomato recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Delicious!!! My garden tomatoes are still not red-ripe! I can’t wait!