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Savory Tomato Cobbler

Gardening, Recipes

When the garden is brimming with vine-ripened cherry and grape heirloom tomatoes, it’s time to make a delicious and savory tomato cobbler. This is a true farm-to-table recipe!

This savory tomato cobbler is truly a taste of Summer in the south. Juicy tomatoes combined with sweet onion and baked until bubbly with a golden brown, buttery biscuit top… It makes the perfect side dish for an outdoor BBQ or Sunday brunch. It’s also delicious and satisfying as a vegetarian entree. With some easy adjustments, this recipe can also be made gluten-free. Serve this savory tomato cobbler with some eggs and bacon and it makes a mouthwatering breakfast too. No matter where or when it is enjoyed, this cobbler is sure to become a family favorite, especially in Summertime.  

A serving of Tomato Cobbler in a white bowl with a fork. The yellow and red tomatoes look juicy and the biscuit topping is golden brown.

Sweet vs. Savory

Sweet or savory? That is the question. There is so much to love about sweet Summer fruit! Watermelon, peaches, and berries are just a few of the many seasonal favorites. Biting into ultra-ripe peak-season fruit is the best. (I can practically feel the sweet juice trickling down my chin as I write this!) The only thing better than that is ultra-ripe, peak-season fruit baked with flour, sugar, and butter and served with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream. Am I right? If the answer is yes, then you will love my Peach Cobbler with Bourbon Cream. It’s the perfect way to enjoy juicy Summer peaches!

Sweet Summer fruit is always wonderful. Often overlooked though are the savory fruits of Summer, like the tomato. Not today! Today is the day for the Summer vine-ripened tomato to shine. 

Vine Ripened Tomatoes

A basket filled with yellow and red cherry tomatoes with a sprig of basil in it.

When fully ripe and mature, tomatoes come in various colors, including yellow, orange, green, purple, and of course, red. The redder the tomato the more Lycopene it has in it. Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant, Lycopene. Mostly found in the skin of the tomato, Lycopene has been linked to many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. They are 95% water, and the remaining 5% consists of mainly fiber and carbohydrates. In conclusion, not only are tomatoes delicious, but they are incredibly good for you too. Have I convinced you to eat more tomatoes?

Cobbler vs. Crumble vs. Crisp

Oh my, there is a lot of debate about the difference between a cobbler, a crumble, and a crisp! Before getting into the differences, let’s first talk about what they have in common.  (Aside from being incredibly tasty!) All three are:

  • Baked desserts with fresh fruit and are topped with some kind of pastry. When baked with the pastry, the natural sugars from the fruit’s juices create delicious pockets of flavor.
  • Made, baked, and served in the same dish. (Here is the cast iron pan used in this recipe.) 
  • Best enjoyed when served warm.
  • Often served with ice cream or whipped cream on the side.

In a nutshell, cobblers, crumbles, and crisps are equally outstanding and delicious. They are a wonderful way to celebrate and enjoy seasonal fruit throughout the entire year.

Without going into too much over analysis, here are the general differences between a cobbler, a crumble, and a crisp:

Cobbler

Cobblers have a biscuit topping over the fresh fruit. Usually dropped onto the fruit forming small rounds, the biscuits once baked, resemble the look of a cobblestone road, hence the name. Cobbler has no bottom crust.

Tomato cobbler in a cast iron pan with a white tea towel and some basil next to it.

Crumbles and Crisps

Crumbles and crisps are virtually the same things and oftentimes the names are interchangeable. They both refer to baked fruit desserts. Crumbles and crisps are baked until browned, crumbly, and crisp, as the names suggest.  The difference between a crumble and a crisp from a cobbler is in the topping. The topping of a crumble or a crisp is usually a brown sugar streusel topping and sometimes it contains old-fashioned rolled oats.  Crisps typically contain oats in the streusel topping while crumbles do not.  

That’s the long and the short of it!

Shortcut Love

Very few people want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen during Summer. There is too much to enjoy outside! Therefore, rather than make biscuits from scratch (which you can certainly do), this recipe calls for a pre-made biscuit mix. All that is needed to add into the mix is a little milk (according to the box directions). This recipe calls for the addition of some cheddar cheese and chopped chives to the box mix. The time that is saved using box biscuit mix can now be spent walking, hiking, or enjoying time on the beach in the sunshine.

Gluten-Free Savory Tomato Cobbler Option

For those who are gluten-free, this recipe can still be enjoyed. (Yahoo!) Using this gluten-free boxed biscuit mix, the perfect savory tomato cobbler can be made. The cheddar cheese and chives still get added to the biscuit dough just as the recipe calls for. Substitute gluten-free flour when making the onion and tomato mixture for the cobbler filling. With these easy substitutions, this recipe is now completely gluten-free. 

However you make your Savory Tomato Cobbler, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do here on the farm. Let me know what you think, I always love hearing from you! 

Don’t forget, I’m always sharing new and different recipes in my stories weekly on Instagram too! I’d love for you to join me there so we can cook together. You will also find all my favorite recipes on Pinterest. As always, thank you for joining me here.

Tomato cobbler in a cast iron pan with a white tea towel and some basil next to it.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Savory Tomato Cobbler

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Juicy tomatoes combined with sweet onion and baked until bubbly with a golden brown, buttery biscuit top... This savory tomato cobbler is truly a taste of Summer in the south. It makes the perfect side dish for an outdoor BBQ or Sunday brunch. It's also delicious and satisfying as a vegetarian entree. With some easy adjustments, this recipe can be made gluten-free. Serve this savory tomato cobbler with some eggs and bacon and it makes a mouthwatering breakfast too. No matter where or when it is enjoyed, this cobbler is sure to become a family favorite, especially in Summer.  

Ingredients

Drop Biscuits

  • Bisquick Pancake and Baking Mix* or 2 boxes Gluten-Free Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix (GF option)
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 ounce chives, chopped and divided

Tomato Filling

  • 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2.5 pounds assorted heirloom cherry and grape tomatoes, divided
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (GF option)
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

Garnish

  • One bunch of fresh basil, chopped
  • Chopped chives

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Make a double batch of drop biscuits according to the box directions adding in 1 cup of cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives. For the gluten-free biscuit option, the cheddar cheese is already included in the box instructions, but the chives need to be added in.
  3. For filling: In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add half of the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and some fresh ground pepper. cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are just soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the skillet and place them in a bowl. Repeat the same cooking process with the remaining tomatoes. Remove them from the skillet and place them in the bowl with the other tomatoes.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.
  5. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the onion until melted. Stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and tomatoes; cook stirring frequently, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  6. Drop the biscuit dough by heaping 1/3 cup fulls onto the warm tomato mixture.
  7. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbly for 30-35 minutes. With about 10 minutes left of baking, cover the cobbler with foil to ensure the biscuits don't get over-brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil and chives, if desired.

Notes

* Make a double batch of Bisquick drop biscuits according to the instructions on the box.

* Gluten-free options are in the recipe.

Serving of tomato cobbler with red and yellow cherry tomatoes and a biscuit topping.

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