A Southern-style recipe for stewed tomatoes, simmered with onion and bacon drippings until thickened, then served over white rice.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- JUMP TO THE RECIPE
- 3 TYPES OF TOMATO GRAVY
- HOW TO SERVE STEWED TOMATO GRAVY
- A FEW RECIPE NOTES WORTH READING
- MORE RICE & TOMATO RECIPES TO TRY
There were two meals we ate when I was growing up that we always had stewed tomatoes and rice with. One was Salmon Patties and the other was pan-fried smoked sausage. And I loved them both!
It makes sense that tomato gravy would go with salmon patties. When not served alongside tomato gravy, folks often eat salmon patties with ketchup. So there must be something about salmon patties that just goes with the acidic, slightly sweet characteristics of tomatoes.
When we'd serve stewed tomatoes with smoked sausage, I'm sure it was to take advantage of the seasoned oil left in the pan from cooking the sausage. In this case, you wouldn't need bacon grease listed in the recipe below, you'd just start the gravy in the pan after the sausage was done.
3 TYPES OF TOMATO GRAVY
Depending on which part of the South you're from, you'll likely make yours a little different. There are three types of Southern tomato gravy that I'm aware of (and there may be more!).
STEWED TOMATO GRAVY: This one - the only kind I ever knew and the one pictured - is the simplest. Tomatoes are cooked down with onions until they're are super soft and the juices reduce and thicken. It is usually served over rice.
CREAMY TOMATO GRAVY: This version involves using a little flour to make a roux so that the gravy finishes off creamier. This creamier tomato gravy is typically served over biscuits.
BREADED TOMATO GRAVY: Sometimes called scalloped tomato gravy, this version is much like the simple stewed tomato recipe but bread or bread crumbs are added. Leftover biscuits, toast, cornbread or sliced bread is cut into chunks then added to the stewed tomatoes. Bread crumbs are also used. This version can also be poured into a baking dish and finished like a casserole.
SUGAR & SPICE?
I'm of the opinion that less is more when it comes to tomato gravy. Most old-fashioned Southern recipes are very rustic and basic and lean more on cured/salted meat drippings for flavor.
I don't put garlic or herbs in mine because it starts to lean Italian and this isn't supposed to taste like spaghetti sauce. At all. For this same reason, I don't add bell peppers to mine.
Some recipes are noticeably sweet. How much sugar you put in yours is entirely up to you. Just don't omit it. You'll need at least 1/2 teaspoon to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. I've seen some recipes with as much as 3-4 tablespoons for the same amount of tomatoes. I'd start with 1/2 teaspoon then add more - little by little - until you're happy.
HOW TO SERVE STEWED TOMATO GRAVY
We always and only serve tomato gravy over plain white rice but t can also be spooned over biscuits, grits, toast, cornbread and potatoes (boiled or fried).
Once plated, I like to stir the tomatoes completely into the rice and if there's a hunk of cornbread nearby, it usually gets crumbled and mixed in too. If we're having some sort of Southern peas (black-eyed, crowder, etc.), I love to stir a few into the pile too.
When we're done with supper, I stir any leftover rice and stewed tomatoes together (keeping it about equal parts) then serve it as sort of a tomato pilau side dish later in the week. Any leftover fried smoked sausage can get diced up and stirred into the mixture too!
A FEW RECIPE NOTES
- The amount of sugar you use is up to you. You'll need to use at least 1/2 teaspoon to cut the acidity but some folks use PLENTY more.
- Feel free to add bell pepper in with the onion in Step 1. I didn't grow up eating it with bell pepper but you can certainly add some if you'd like!
- Use olive oil in place of bacon grease if needed.
- For the creamier version add 2 tablespoons flour to the onions after they've cooked in Step 1 then stir and cook two minutes before moving to Step 2. Add 1/2 cup water with the tomatoes then stir until flour is incorporated into liquid.
- The gravy shown in the photos here is a little thicker than usual. I left it to rest a little too long before I was ready to take pictures. I probably should have added a little water and cooked it more but I didn't realize how thick it had gotten until I spooned it over the rice.
MORE RICE & TOMATO RECIPES TO TRY!
CHARLESTON RED RICE - A Lowcountry recipe popular from Charleston to Savannah, made from rice cooked with bacon and a tomato broth seasoned with peppers and onions.
MEXICAN RESTAURANT-STYLE RICE - A simple recipe with just a few ingredients just like the rice at our favorite Mexican restaurant.
MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA RICE - A hearty rice recipe with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) flavored with bacon, tomatoes, onion and garlic.
Recipe for How to Cook Stewed Tomato Gravy
Stewed Tomato Gravy
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Sauté onion in bacon grease over medium heat 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add tomatoes (with juice), salt and pepper. Cover and simmer tomatoes over medium heat 20 minutes.
- Using a fork, pastry cutter or whatever else gets the job done, chop/mash tomatoes into small, pea-sized pieces.
- Add sugar then continue cooking, uncovered, 5 minutes.
- Stir in butter until melted then serve over white rice.
Notes
- Making this batch, half the onion I used yielded 2/3 cup diced onions.
- The amount of sugar you use is up to you. You'll need to use at least 1/2 teaspoon to cut the acidity but some folks use PLENTY more.
- Feel free to add bell pepper in with the onion in Step 1. I didn't grow up eating it with bell pepper but you can certainly add some if you'd like!
- Use olive oil in place of bacon grease if needed.
- For the creamier version (see notes above recipe card) add 2 tablespoons flour to the onions after they've cooked in Step 1 then stir and cook 2 minutes before moving to Step 2. Add 1/2 cup water with the tomatoes then stir until flour is incorporated into liquid.
My mom used to add crumbled saltine crackers to a jar of home canned tomatoes. So simple but oh so good AND we usually had it with salmon patties!! Thanks for sharing and waking up that food memory :-)
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