Easy, homemade, Old-Fashioned Southern Tomato Gravy is thick and rich with chunks of tomatoes and studded with bits of bacon, onion, and bell pepper. Often made in a cast-iron skillet, served on top of fluffy biscuits, and full of tomatoey goodness, this simple breakfast staple is the stuff of legends.
There are as many recipes for tomato gravy as there are tomatoes in the South, and every cook has a subtle twist. Like my Jezebel Sauce, southern tomato gravy is an extremely versatile condiment, and it can also be used as an add-in or topping in numerous recipes.
Sometimes called country tomato gravy, southern tomato gravy, red gravy, or cajun red gravy, it was also called desperation gravy in lean times because it was usually made with leftover ingredients and whatever happened to be in the pantry.
Why you will love this recipe:
- Made with pantry and fridge staples, you can easily change it up or leave out ingredients you might not have on hand.
- It’s a great way to use up an overabundance of fresh tomatoes from your garden, and it’s just as delicious made with canned when you don’t have fresh tomatoes.
- Easy to make, you can have it on the table in less than twenty minutes.
Ingredients – here’s what’s in it:
- Tomatoes: the heart of this dish, nutrient-rich tomatoes lend their sweet, tart, tangy flavor and beautiful red color to this flavorful dish. You can use either canned or fresh.
- Bell pepper and onions: add more layers of flavor and sweet deliciousness to the tomato gravy.
- Bacon: is there any more flavorful food than sweet, salty, and smoky bacon? The flavor in this recipe comes not only from the bacon but also from cooking the veggies in the bacon drippings, which elevates their flavor. It’s a win, win!
- Brown sugar: adds a touch of sweetness to the gravy and keeps it from being too acidic.
- Flour: is the base of a roux for this hearty gravy. It’s an essential element that works to thicken it. Without it, the gravy would be thin and soupy.
- Salt: besides being an essential nutrient, salt enhances the flavors of all of the ingredients and brings everything together.
Directions – here is how to make it:
- Add bacon to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook for about three minutes and stir frequently.
- Add the bell pepper and onions to the bacon drippings, and continue to cook and stir for another four to five minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the pan, drippings, bacon, and veggies.
- Cook and stir for about two minutes or until the flour has turned a light golden brown.
- Slowly add the chicken stock and continuously whisk until the mixture has thickened, about two minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, tomatoes, and salt and cook while stirring for two to three minutes.
- Spoon over biscuits and optional garnish with chopped basil. Serve hot.
Frequently asked questions:
This homemade tomato gravy is a “from-scratch” recipe and is the real deal! No short-cuts here.
No, tomato sauce is made from pureed stewed tomatoes. You can strain the liquid from tomato sauce to make tomato juice. However, you can’t make tomato sauce from tomato juice.
Yes, if you want to use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, you will need about two cups of chopped tomatoes. You will also need to add one-quarter of a cup of chicken stock, water, or milk.
Tomato gravy is not just for breakfast. This condiment is versatile and can
also, it can be served at lunch and dinner.
While it’s delicious served over biscuits, it also makes a tasty topping for pork tenderloin, beef roasts, meatloaf, baked chicken or chicken fried steak, fried fish, or fish cakes. It’s also glorious over french fries, cornbread, hoecakes, cheese grits, rice, polenta, and pasta.
The main difference is that the base of tomato gravy starts with a roux made with flour, bacon grease, onion, and peppers. It is also thicker than tomato sauce with chunks of tomatoes.
This recipe can be modified depending on what ingredients you have on hand:
*If you don’t have bacon, you will need two tablespoons of butter, olive oil, lard, or vegetable oil to replace the bacon grease.
*Onions can be frozen or fresh and left out altogether if you don’t have them. Same with the bell pepper.
*You can substitute water for the chicken stock or milk diluted with water or tomato juice. If you want to make your chicken stock, here is a link to my homemade chicken stock recipe.
*Feel free to add a pinch of your favorite seasonings and spices like garlic powder, thyme, or even ground cumin. Add a bit of cajun or creole seasonings to make cajun red gravy.
Sharon’s tips:
- If your gravy looks too thick, feel free to add additional chicken stock or chicken broth until it gets to a consistency you like. You could also add a little white wine or milk.
- If your tomato gravy looks too thin, let it cook a little longer or add a pinch more of flour or cornstarch.
- Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to four days.
- If you don’t want to make homemade biscuits, I like and have used Mrs. B’s Frozen Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, and they work great in this recipe.
More breakfast recipes:
If you would like to make homemade biscuits to go along with this recipe, here are links to some popular biscuit recipes on my blog: Easy Southern Cheddar Biscuits, Cornmeal Biscuits, and Sweet Potato Biscuits.
Other breakfast recipes you might enjoy include:
- Easy Crispy Southern Fried Potatoes
- Ultimate Blueberry Bread with Lemon Glaze
- Easy Hoecakes aka Fried Cornbread or Johnnycakes
- Butterscotch Pecan Monkey Bread
- Spinach Bacon Quiche with Tomatoes
- Breakfast Fruit Salad with Orange Syrup
If you need more ideas or menu suggestions, check out all of my breakfast recipes here.
More tomato recipes:
If you like tomatoes as we do, you might also like these easy recipes: Southern Fried Green Tomatoes, Southern Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam, Tomato Cobbler with Cornmeal Cheddar Biscuits, and Easy Baked Fresh Tomato Casserole.
★★★★★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones!
Old-Fashioned Southern Tomato Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pieces bacon finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper about ⅓ of a large bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil optional garnish
- Optional: biscuits for serving
Instructions
- Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for about three minutes and stir frequently. Add the bell pepper and onions and continue to cook and stir for another four to five minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top and cook and stir for about two minutes until the flour has turned a light golden brown.
- Slowly add in the chicken stock and continuously whisk until the mixture has thickened, about two minutes.
- Add the brown sugar, tomatoes, and salt and cook while stirring for another two to three minutes.
- Spoon over biscuits and optional garnish with chopped basil. Serve hot.
I made something similar to this to serve with shrimp and grits (it was called “tomato gravy”, too, btw) for a brunch. I was serving pescatarians, so I use chorizo meatless crumbles instead of the bacon, and added some Old Bay seasoning, and a tad of dry white wine to bring out the tomato flavor. It was amazing!
Perfect over meatloaf!