This Tomatoes Provençale recipe is incredible. Melt in your mouth, velvety tomatoes with a vibrant pesto, made from scratch. Even out-of-season tomatoes are rendered sublime with this recipe. The best part? No one would ever know they are vegan! You can make all of your friends happy with this festive Thanksgiving or holiday side dish that is super simple to make.
The best Tomatoes Provençale I ever had were at Mamie's house on the French Riviera. Mamie, my French Grandmother-in-law, served tomatoes fresh from the market that were so flavorful and melt in your mouth, with the garlicky bite of pesto.
She served them as an accompaniment to Roast chicken on Sunday lunch and I couldn't help but add some of the tomato Provençale to every bite of chicken. Later that day she served us the leftovers from our long sunday lunch baked in with orzo.
Tomatoes Provençale : Vegan side dish
This recipe has served me well when I am wondering what to serve for my vegan friends that are joining us for Thanksgiving, a holiday meal (love the red and the green!) or for a meatless Monday with my family. By omitting the parmesan in my original pesto recipe you can have a crowd pleasing, easy vegan side.
Ingredients
- 9-10 tomatoes on the vine
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- pinch of flaky French Salt
- 1.5 tbsps of Herbes de Provence
Vegan Pesto Ingredients
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 cups of fresh basil
- ⅓ cup of pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- pinch of flaky French salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Rinse your tomatoes and chop the top off of each one as well as a little off the base so that your tomato can stand straight up in the pan. I suggest using a serrated pairing knife - the serrated edge cuts through the tomato skin much better than a straight edge.
Using your pairing knife, cut the core out of the tomato (careful not to cut all the way through)
Drizzle a little olive oil in your baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in the pan.
I used a copper Mauviel round pan in the photos, but you can use the oven safe dish that you have on hand. If you are using a cookie sheet please keep an eye on the cooking time as it may be shorter.
Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes as well as the salt and herbes de provence.
Bake for 40 minutes uncovered on the middle rack until the tomatoes are soft but still intact.
(If you are making a Roast Chicken at the same time, add the tomatoes about an hour into your cooking time, on the rack underneath your chicken)
Meanwhile, make your fresh pesto. In a food processor, mix the garlic and the pine nuts until finely chopped.
Add the fresh basil and olive oil. Mix again until the Pesto is well mixed and finely chopped.
Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Spoon one tablespoon of pesto in the center of each tomato.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes
Allow to cool for a few minutes then serve.
How to serve Tomatoes Provençale
I love this dish as the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish or roasted meat, it gives a beautiful texture and flavor to what ever you are eating, you will want to put a little of this velvety tomato on every bite, almost like a sauce.
Lemon Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti)
Mediterranean Branzino Filet Recipe with Vierge Sauce
Simple Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes
You can also serve Tomatoes Provençale with a simple green salad for a delicious lunch or next to a grilled cheese sandwich for a new twist on a classic flavor combination.
Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish
During the holidays I am always looking for vegan or vegetarian side dishes to serve for friends. These tomatoes provençale are perfect. They are beautiful and festive to look at, and so delicious that even your non-vegan friends will be reaching for the dish!
Other Le Chef's Wife Recipes you will Love
One pot cheesy chicken and orzo
Les Petits Farcis Niçois (or Petits Farcis à la Provençale)
Creamy Butternut squash Soup with Crispy Sage
About Le Chef's Wife
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!
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The best Tomatoes Provençale Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Side dishes
- Method: Oven baked
- Cuisine: French
Description
This Tomatoes Provençale recipe is incredible. Melt in your mouth, velvety tomatoes with a vibrant pesto, made from scratch, and vegan too!
Ingredients
- 9-10 tomatoes on the vine
- 3 tbsp of olive oil
- pinch of flaky French Salt
- 1.5 tbsps of Herbes de Provence
Pesto Ingredients
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 cups of fresh basil
- ⅓ cup of pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- pinch of flaky French salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Rinse your tomatoes and chop the top off of each one as well as a little off the base so that your tomato can stand straight up in the pan. I suggest using a serrated pairing knife - the serrated edge cuts through the tomato skin much better than a straight edge.
- Using your pairing knife, cut the core out of the tomato (careful not to cut all the way through)
- Drizzle a little olive oil in your baking dish and arrange the tomatoes in the pan.
- I used a copper Mauviel round pan in the photos, but you can use the oven safe dish that you have on hand. If you are using a cookie sheet please keep an eye on the cooking time as it may be shorter.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes as well as the salt and herbes de provence.
- Bake for 40 minutes uncovered on the middle rack until the tomatoes are soft but still intact.
- (if you are making a Roast Chicken at the same time, add the tomatoes about an hour into your cooking time, on the rack underneath your chicken)
- Meanwhile, make your fresh pesto. In a food processor, mix the garlic and the pine nuts until finely chopped.
- Add the fresh basil and olive oil. Mix again until the Pesto is well mixed and finely chopped.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. Spoon one tablespoon of pesto in the center of each tomato.
- Return to the oven for another 10 minutes
- Allow to cool for a few minutes then serve.
Notes
I love this dish as the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish or roasted meat, it gives a beautiful texture and flavor to what ever you are eating, you will want to put a little of this velvety tomato on every bite, almost like a sauce.
Lemon Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti)
Mediterranean Branzino Filet Recipe with Vierge Sauce
Simple Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes
You can also serve Tomatoes Provençale with a simple green salad for a delicious lunch or next to a grilled cheese sandwich for a new twist on a classic flavor combination.
Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dish
During the holidays I am always looking for vegan or vegetarian side dishes to serve for friends. These tomatoes provençale are perfect. They are beautiful and festive to look at, and so delicious that even your non-vegan friends will be reaching for the dish!
Suzanne says
So simple and delicious…in my recipe book it goes! Thank you!