Provence-Style Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Herbs (Tomates à la Provençale)

If you’re attending a barbecue or outdoor get-together in the thick of Summer in France, there’s a good chance you’ll stumble on these Provence-Style Tomatoes topped with Breadcrumbs and Herbs. Known as “Tomates à la Provençale”, this typical warm-weather dish from Provence calls for fresh, seasonal tomatoes slowly confit’d on the stove-top (meaning they’re slowly cooked in their own juice). The confit tomatoes are then finished off in the oven topped with breadcrumbs, garlic and Herbes de Provence, and cooked until crisp and golden.

Like most rustic French recipes, it plays the part of a no-fuss and frugal recipe. But in reality, it gifts you the sweetest-tasting, juiciest tomatoes all tucked under a blanket of crisp and fragrant breadcrumbs. It is effortless Summer cooking at its best!

This recipe is easy and fuss-free, with only tomatoes as the main ingredient. The key here is to not rush it: the tomatoes need to cook low and slow, so they turn tender, utterly sweet and caramelized. Naturally, this dish is often made, and even better, in the thick of Summer when tomatoes are at their ripest.

What pan should you use for this recipe?

I like to use a Cast-Iron Skillet for the making of this recipe for two reasons. First, the Cast-Iron Skillet can be used both on the stove-top and in the oven. The tomatoes are first cooked on the stove-top and then finished off in the oven, so using a skillet makes it easier and less messy. Secondly, using a Cast-Iron Skillet enhances the “confit” process and caramelization of the tomatoes. A cast-iron skillet is known for its heat-retention properties, so the tomatoes will “confit” better and get a nice caramelization all around.

If you do not own a cast-iron skillet, fear not. You can use a regular large pan on the stove-pot and then transfer the tomatoes to an oven-safe dish for the oven part.

How to make these Provence-Style Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Herbs.

The recipe begins with slicing the top “hat” of the tomatoes, and placing these tomatoes cut-side down in a skillet (or pan). You then sprinkle some sugar over top and let the tomatoes “confit” (cook slowly in their own juice) on low heat for 30 minutes. They should turn tender and render a lot of liquid.

Once tender, the tomatoes are then turned upside down (cut-side up) and topped with a mix of breadcrumbs, fresh curly parsley and dried Herbs de Provence. The tomatoes are then transferred to the oven, and cooked until utterly tender with a crisp and golden top.

My Cooking tips

• For the tomatoes, choose round, plump tomatoes which will stand up straight in the pan (ie. avoid narrow plum tomatoes). Choose them medium in size. Too small, they will turn mushy and too big, they won’t cook through. My preferred varieties are Romas and medium-size Heirlooms.
• For the breadcrumbs, I recommend you make your own. I like them coarse, with bits of bread still visible to provide extra crunch. You can see how to make homemade breadcrumbs here. Use any of your favorite stale bread (at least 2 days old). My favorite bread to make breadcrumbs is Pain de mie.
• Curly parsley is best, but you can substitute for flat-leaf parsley.
• Herbes de Provence is an essential ingredient in Provencal cooking, consisting of a blend of dried herbs: savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano. It adds a very distinctive taste to this tomato dish. You can find Herbs De Provence online, in spice shops, bulk stores, and sometimes in grocery stores in the spice aisle.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! It’s colorful, light, healthy-ish and so tasty – making  great use of the Summer tomato abundance.

These Provence-style tomatoes are a perfect side dish for a barbecue, to go alongside grilled meat and fish. They are great to feed a crowd, as you can double or triple the recipe easily. This also goes great with rice, or other cooked grains such as barley or quinoa. You can pair it with: lamb chops, Provence-style cod and serve along a French-style couscous salad.

You may also like 

• Summer Vegetable Tian Galette
• Frisée with Bacon & Egg (Salade Lyonnaise)
• Herby Sugar-glazed Spring Vegetable Jardiniere
• Kasha Green Bean Potato Salad

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @pardonyourfrench on Instagram and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench

Provence-Style Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Herbs (Tomates à la Provençale)

Print Recipe

Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.3/5

( 15 voted )

Ingredients

8 tomatoes
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp (45ml) Extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
½ bunch curly parsley, stemmed and chopped finely
2 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, store-bought or homemade
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Step 1 – Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut the “hat” (top part) off of each tomato, discard of the hats and season tomatoes inside with salt.

Step 2 – Heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) of EVOO in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Place the tomatoes in the skillet (cut-side down) and sprinkle with the sugar. Cook for 35-30 minutes: the tomatoes will first render their juice and shrink in size, and the liquid at the bottom of the pan will slowly evaporate. Every 5-7 minutes, use a spoon to scoop some of the liquid and pour it on top of the tomatoes. Remove from the heat when about half of the liquid is evaporated and the tomatoes are tender, but not mushy yet.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle.

Step 3 – In a bowl, combine the chopped garlic cloves, chopped parsley, Herbs de Provence, breadcrumbs and black pepper.

Step 4 – Carefully flip the tomatoes (using a spatula or two large tablespoons) and top each of them with an equal amount of breadcrumb topping. Drizzle the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of EVOO.

Step 5 – Place the skillet in the pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes, until all the liquid at the bottom of the skillet has evaporated and the topping is golden-brown. If needed, you can finish off the tomatoes with 1 minute under the broiler, to ensure the topping is crispy.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appétit!