College football has started. (My chili contest has started – recipe #1 coming soon!)
Pumpkin ale is stocked in the fridge.
The doors and windows are open, welcoming the cool breeze and perfect sleeping weather.
The kids are officially back in school (…and I find myself leaving the house a few minutes later as to avoid being stuck behind a slow moving school bus that stops every 15 feet).
It’s fair to say, fall is upon us. Nearly upon us, anyways.
But we’re in that perfect in-between season where we still have the bountiful and beautiful produce of summer and the joys of fall (PUMPKIN!!!!!!!!). Especially with the mild start to the summer, the yield right now for farmers is quite the epic tale. Supposedly, this year is a top yielding year for farmers. For CSA recipients and farm-goers like myself, it’s music to our ears.
I have soooo many tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter enticing fruit flies…something will need to be done with them sooner rather than later. I’m thinking marinara sauce.
Or, Scalloped Tomatoes. Again. Happily again.
A few people deemed this recipe the best recipe they had made in quite some time, so I knew it was worth a shot. The portion size is generous enough that it’s certainly more than a side dish and probably qualifies as more of a “mini meal”. I would say it makes 6-8 servings for a “mini meal” or 10-12 servings as a side.
If you’re collecting fruit flies and out of tomato ideas – voila! This you’ll love…promise!
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a French boule
- 16 plum tomatoes, cut ½-inch dice (about 3 pounds)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh basil, julienned
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mist a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in an extra-large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.
- Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.
- Pour the tomato mixture into casserole dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.
Excited for a long weekend! Woooo!
Be well,
I am so ready for Fall.
Excited for fall over here too!! But yes, the tomatoes (and okra!) just won’t stop coming! No complaints here though! I’ll have to try out that recipe with nutritional yeast!! Looks tasty!
I have been LOVING the sleeping weather! And yep, I get stuck behind the school buses too – and I am taking a new route to work so I need to figure it out – stat!
Ew on the tomatoes though – while I love tomato sauce, pizza sauce, etc., but I can’t eat sliced tomatoes to save my life. 😀