Italian Fried Tomatoes

Simply delicious!! it’s tomato season… Ripe or green tomatoes seasoned, breaded and fried, baked with pasta sauce and melted cheese. Serve as an appetizer or an entrée ... Yummy either way!

Italian Fried Tomatoes

Yield: 12 – 15 tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 – 5 ripe or green tomatoes, 2 – 3 slices each
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Olive oil
1 1/2 cup favorite pasta sauce
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Serrated knife
Dinner plate or two compartment dredging station
Cereal or shallow bowl
Large skillet
Bent edged spatula
Half sheet baking pan

I started making fried tomatoes every summer with my precious garden lovelies. Then my sister in law started making them at least once a summer! We create the assembly line and make these tasty treats! It’s a yearly tradition!! Many restaurants serve fried green tomatoes which are great... but have you ever had a fried ripe tomato? Sometimes super ripe tomatoes can be a challenge to work with as they can be very fragile. The in between tomato is perfect... little ripe, yet firm. Slice, dredge, fry, top with sauce and cheese... then bake! Best ever!! Grab your tomatoes and let’s fry a few!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

1) Blend bread crumbs and seasonings on a dinner plate or one section of a dredging station. Mix cheeses together in a small mixing bowl.

2) Break eggs into a shallow bowl or the second part of the dredging station with milk and blend well.

3) Slice each tomato into 3 – 4 slices about 1/2 inch ... as shown. Dip each slice of tomato into the egg and dredge to coat in bread crumbs. Press crumbs into tomato and shake off excess. Set coated slices on a platter or waxed paper to fry together.

4) Heat about 3 - 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet for about 20 seconds. Place 5 or 6 slices of breaded tomatoes on the pan and pan fry for about 1 – 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip slices with a bent edged spatula to the second side.

5) Drizzle another 1 – 2 tablespoons around the edges of the pan and in between the slices. Shake the pan back and forth to distribute fat under tomato slices. Continue to pan fry for ~ 2 minutes. Using the bent edged spatula, transfer the tomatoes to a half sheet baking pan. Repeat process until all tomatoes are pan fried.

6) Next step is sauce and cheese! Spoon about 2 – 3 tablespoons of your favorite pasta sauce on top of each tomato and spread to cover surface.

7) Sprinkle each tomato with about 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella. The final embellishment is a sprinkling of Italian seasoning on each tomato.

8) Ready for baking!! Place pan of tomatoes in a preheated 375 F oven for 25 – 30 minutes or cheese is melted and slightly golden.

Don’t they look soooo yummy... and your kitchen smells scrumptious!! Serve 2 slices as an appetizer. My hubby and I love them so much we eat them for dinner. We almost ate the entire pan between the two of us! Make a batch and see what you think. Pour a glass of wine… ENJOY!!