Sharing this old fashioned Creamed Tomatoes recipe with you today.
I always thought that everyone ate Creamed Tomatoes, but recently found out that is not the case.
This is one of those old fashioned recipes that I grew up on, and is one of my husband’s favorite side dishes.
It is a dish common in West Virginia or the other southern states, more than across the country. Some people call it tomato gravy. My family always served the creamed tomatoes with bread in it. It is also served over biscuits or cornbread.
This recipe can be made with fresh or canned tomatoes. I make it with both. Mine today is with canned tomatoes.
Place can of tomatoes in saucepan. Season with salt & pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat.
Whisk together butter, flour, and milk. Stir into the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in the bread cubes.
Serve warm.
This truly is a delicious recipe, and I hope you will give it a try if you are not familiar with it.
You may also like to try my Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes for another great side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 3 Tablespoons milk
- 1-2 slices bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Instructions
- Place tomatoes in a small saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and flour until smooth. Add milk and whisk until combined. Stir into the tomatoes.
- Cook for 1 minute, or until starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Fold in the bread cubes. Serve warm.
This post was shared on Weekend Potluck link party @sweetlittlebluebird
I have not had nor have I made this in years. Used to have it at my Grandmother’s as a kid. I remember how good it is. I always just used any kind of canned tomatoes and a good bread like French or Artisan preferably a few days old.
Aren’t those kind of memories the best Doris. I grew up eating this and I have always fixed it for my husband. I truly thought everyone knew about it but recently learned that is not the case. A friend of mine who lives in another state called one day asking me if I had a recipe for something like this. She had never heard of it. Her father was dying and for some reason asked for “tomato gravy”. He was from WV and had eaten this growing up. She fixed this and he said it was exactly as he remembered. I can only imagine how good it would be with a good french or Artisan bread. I could eat those breads every day anyway. Thank you for taking the time to comment, and I bet we could share some great recipes and memories.
Yes I am from w.va now living in the south. I was raised eating this wonderful side dish. We always at ours with biscuits. I have yet to find anyone in ms that has eaten this dish. Haven’t had any for many years but I can see it in the near future. Thanks for sharing.
Awww thank you! It is amazing the foods we grew up with and then see that other people have never had them. I could not get a better picture of the tomatoes because that’s just what they are!! LOl I bet you and I could share some great recipes that neither of us has had for years. Great talking to you.
Thank you, we always had tomato gravy at home but no one knew what we were talking about.
Oh this just made my day!!! Some people just don’t know what good things they are missing. LOL I could not get a pretty picture of this, but we love it. Do you do anything different than I did? I’m always open to new ideas. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Thanks for the recipe! Ate this often as a kid, our Mom still makes it for Dad. It’s the simple foods that remind us of simpler times. Our garden is giving us lots of tomatoes right now, hope to make this soon ?
Thank you for your sweet comment and for visiting my blog. I grew up on this too. So many people have never heard of it. I bet you have some other wonderful recipes to share that remind us of those times. Please let me know if you think of any we can share. Have a blessed day.
My grandma lived in Bergo WV.All of her kids and grandkids visited a lot.In the mornings grandma would be in the kitchen early making cream tomatoes and biscuits.Crumble a biscuit on a plate and spoon cream tomatoes on top.With a little butter and sugar.Boy was that good.She would also make syrup out of dark Karo syrup.Crumble a biscuit and pour the syrup over it with some butter.Desert after breakfast.Yum!!
Oh wow! this is so amazing in so many ways. First of all, those precious memories about your grandmother. I know where Bergo is. Some of my family has a cabin near there. It is beautiful. So many people say they eat this with biscuits. The biscuits with syrup sound delicious. Thank you for visiting my blog. I don’t have a fancy one, but I try to keep recipes on here that at least my family can find if they want to, in the future.
My parents ate this growing up in WV and Ohio. I found your recipe and now my husband and I both love it. It’s just like my mom’s, and I miss her. She passed at 96 a couple years ago. I wish I had made this for her. She would have loved it! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for such a nice comment. I am sure you miss your mother, I lost mine about 13 years ago and still miss her so much. She had so many wonderful recipes that I never got from her because I just always thought she would be there. I am so glad you like the recipe. Happy New Year.
I have also made them a little sweeter and put macaroni i in place of bread. I was remembering old recipes I hadn’t made in a while and was looking to refresh my memory since I never had a written recipe for it. Thanks!
Thank you. isn’t this fun to revisit old recipes and find new ways that other people serve them. I prefer sweeter too. My husband likes less sweet. I bet they would be good with macaroni. Thank you.
My gram used to make this, and we called it tomato gravy. She grew up on a farm in rural New Jersey, and I’m sure her mother used to make it. We always had it made with garden grown wonderful fresh tomatoes. It didn’t have bread in it, but was served on mashed potatoes. It’s one of those dishes that taste so much better than you’d think just reading the ingredients list. Thank you for reminding me!
Awww Thank you! It sure is one of those old recipes we were used to having and never think about it. I bet it would be good on mashed potatoes! Yes fresh tomatoes are better in it for sure. A couple of years ago, a family friend that was older, and had grown up in WV was dying. His daughter told me he kept asking for some tomato gravy. She said if anyone would have the recipe, it might be me. She made it for him and he said it was exactly what he remembered. We just need to keep these old recipes out there don’t we. Have a great weekend.
I grew up in West Virginia and my mom always fixed this “gravy” with tomatoes from our garden. Tonight I mentioned to my wife that I had a hankering for “creamed tomatoes” with “ light bread”. She found your recipe and made the most scrumptious dish for me! It was just like sitting down to the dinner table at home. Exactly as I remembered it. Thank you SO MUCH!
Oh you just made my day!!! Thank you so very much. I love recipes that bring us memories. Food does that for me. Thank you again.
My Mom used to make something like this for my Dad though I don’t remember her ever thickening it. She usually used home canned tomatoes heated up on the stove and added torn up chunks of bread. Dad called it “hunky dunky”. I think he was the only one who ever ate it. It didn’t appeal to me because soft mushy bread just didn’t look good. Always wondered why he liked it so much. The name “hunky dunky” always intrigued me. so for many years have looked for a recipe. Of course never could find anything called that. Came across your recipe which is the closest one I’ve ever found.
Awww what a great memory you have. Sounds like it is the same thing except for the thickening. So many people have told me they grew up with something like this. I love fixing old fashioned recipes that bring back wonderful memories. Thank you for visiting my blog. “hunky dunky” so cute!
I’ve been looking for this recipe for years!🥰 I never had the chance to learn it growing up, but always wanted to introduce my kids to one of my childhood favorites. I’m so thankful for this
Aww thank you, this is so kind. I have had several people tell me this. I guess we all grew up in the same time frame. I wish I could think of more recipes that we grew up with and people don’t make anymore. We have so many precious memories attached to our recipes.
I grew up in WV. I remember eating this on toast. My mom made a big soup pot of it. It was the main dish, and everyone went back for seconds.
Oh I LOVE this story!! I have heard from so many WV people that grew up with this. I think it is so special to hear this. Thank you.
Great recipe! Just made some using some frozen home grown tomatoes I found in the back if the freezer. My grandparents came from WV and we ate this often as kids. Thanks for reminding me that the best recipes are the old ones.
Thank you so much. I am glad the recipe was close to what you remembered. I love old recipes too. It really is about the memories and how certain recipes take us back.