There are a few dishes in the Southern culinary canon that puzzle even the most experienced eaters among us.

Add tomato pudding to that list.

What Is Tomato Pudding?

Southern Living Tomato Pudding ingredients

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Tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and thyme retains a hint of sweetness from light brown sugar.

Other Southern dishes came from such craftiness.Tomato gravy, for example, andstewed tomatoes, too.

What Is in Tomato Pudding?

Southern Living Tomato Pudding in the baking dish with a serving scooped out

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Tomato pudding has a nice balance of savory umami and sweetness.

Nailing the texture of the toasted bread is the most critical part of this recipe.

It needs to be completely crisp on the outside, or the cooked pudding will just be too soggy.

Southern Living Tomato Pudding tossing bread cubes with seasoning

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Some sogginess is OK, but crisping the bread well before baking adds a toothsome texture to the pudding.

So serve this dish along side holiday favorites likeroast turkey, a potato casserole, androasted green beans.

Or make it for a Sunday supper withmeatloaf,mashed potatoes, androasted broccolini.

Southern Living Tomato Pudding getting the bread cubes ready to toast

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Wrap the dish in plastic wrap.

Keep in the fridge 3 to 4 days, and reheat in the microwave.

you might also freeze tomato pudding, but the texture may change slightly.

Southern Living Tomato Pudding bread cubes after toasting

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The bread may become more wet and mushy after thawing.

Reheat it in the oven to help crisp up the bread again.

Ingredients

16cups(1 lb., 4 oz.)cubed(1-in.)

Southern Living Tomato Pudding stirring together the tomato sauce mixture

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crustless bakerysourdough bread(from 2 loaves)

6 Tbsp.

canstomato sauce

1cup packedlight brown sugar

2cupsmulticoloredcherry tomatoes(about 13 oz.

Reserve bowl; do not clean.

Southern Living Tomato Pudding tossing the bread cubes with tomato sauce

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Let cool 15 minutes.

Press tomato mixture into an even layer.

Let cool 10 minutes.

Southern Living Tomato Pudding in the baking dish before baking

Credit:Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Southern Living Tomato Pudding after baking

Credit:Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless