Baked Tomatoes with Hazelnut Bread Crumbs
A delicious side dish featuring ripe beefsteak tomatoes topped with a crispy mixture of toasted bread crumbs, hazelnuts, and fragrant thyme. The tomatoes are baked until bubbly and topped with a golden-brown crust.
Ingredients
- •2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs
- •4 whole beefsteak tomatoes
- •1½ tablespoons thyme
- •½ stick unsalted butter
- •1 cup hazelnuts
- •toasted
- •any loose skins rubbed off
- •cooled
- •and coarsely chopped
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter a 2-quart shallow ceramic or glass baking dish.
5 min
- 2.
Spread bread crumbs in a 4-sided sheet pan and toast in oven until dried and pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool crumbs. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
15 min
- 3.
Thickly slice tomatoes and arrange, overlapping, in baking dish. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon thyme. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, then cook nuts and crumbs, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon evenly over tomatoes.
10 min
- 4.
Bake until tomatoes are bubbling and crumbs are browned, 15 to 25 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon thyme.
20 min
