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Tomato gravy was the breakfast of the end of the garden. By late August the vines were tired and the tomatoes came in faster than anybody could slice them, and the ones that split on the vine or went soft on the windowsill went into a skillet with butter and a little flour. My mother made it every week from August until the first frost. My father ate four biscuits’ worth standing up and went to work happy, and when my grandsons saw a skillet of it on my stove last fall they asked why I was putting spaghetti sauce on biscuits. I have not forgiven them.
The difference between tomato gravy and a tomato sauce is the flour. A sauce is tomatoes cooked down. A gravy starts with a roux: butter, then onion, then flour stirred in and cooked for two full minutes until it smells like toast, and only then the tomatoes. The browned flour gives it body and a nutty depth, and the cup of milk at the end turns it creamy and soft orange. The teaspoon of sugar is not there to make it sweet. It takes the sour edge off the tomatoes so the gravy tastes round, the way a pinch of sugar in a pot of greens does. Do not skip it.
Why this tomato gravy works
- Flour browned before the tomatoes. Two minutes in the butter takes away the raw flour taste and gives the gravy its toasty, savory backbone.
- Tomatoes simmered before the milk. Five minutes of cooking softens them and cooks off some of their acid, so the milk goes in smooth.
- Milk poured in slowly while you stir. Added a little at a time into a hot, thickened base, it blends instead of separating.
- A teaspoon of sugar. It balances the acid of the tomatoes. Nobody tastes sugar; they just taste a better gravy.
Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups of gravy, enough for 8 split biscuits, 4 hungry people. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (42g)
- 1 small onion, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup, 70g)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (24g)
- 2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes with their juice (360g), or one 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (400g)
- 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (4g)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
- 8 hot buttermilk biscuits, split, for serving
Ripe garden tomatoes are best, peeled or not, as you like. Out of season, a can of diced tomatoes with its juice works perfectly well and is what my mother used after the frost.
How to make tomato gravy
- Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until it foams.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and clear but not browned.
- Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the onion and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until the flour has coated everything, turned light golden and smells like toast.
- Add the 2 cups chopped tomatoes with all their juice. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and let it simmer for 5 minutes, mashing the tomatoes a little with the back of the spoon as they soften.
- Pour in the 1 cup milk slowly, a splash at a time, stirring the whole time so it blends smoothly into the thick tomato base.
- Stir in the 1 teaspoon sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Taste and add salt and pepper if it needs it.
- Split the hot biscuits open on plates and spoon the gravy over them right away, while both are hot.
Tips that make the difference
- Keep the heat at medium for the roux. Flour that scorches turns bitter, and there is no saving it.
- Add the milk slowly. Dumped in all at once into very acidic tomatoes, it can look grainy.
- If the gravy gets too thick while the biscuits finish, loosen it with a splash of milk, never water.
- Plenty of black pepper. Tomato gravy wants more than you think.
Variations
- Without milk. Some families never added milk. Use 1 cup water or chicken broth instead and the gravy comes out redder and sharper.
- Over rice. In the low country it went over hot white rice as often as biscuits, and that is a fine supper too.
- With fresh herbs. A little chopped fresh basil or thyme stirred in at the end, when the garden still has it.
- Over grits or toast. On a morning without biscuits, buttered toast or a bowl of grits does the job.
Storage and make-ahead
Tomato gravy keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days. It thickens as it cools.
Warm it in a small saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until it loosens and is hot all the way through.
It does not freeze well once the milk is in; it separates when thawed. Make the base without milk if you want to freeze it, and add the milk when you reheat.
Frequently asked questions
Is tomato gravy the same as tomato sauce?
No. Tomato sauce is tomatoes cooked down. Tomato gravy starts with butter and flour cooked together into a roux, then the tomatoes and a cup of milk, so it is thicker, creamier and more savory, and it is made for pouring over biscuits.
Can I use canned tomatoes?
Yes. One 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes with its juice replaces the 2 cups of fresh. My mother used canned from the first frost until the next summer.
Why did my tomato gravy curdle?
The milk went in too fast or the gravy boiled hard after it went in. Pour it slowly while stirring, then keep the heat low. If it looks slightly grainy, a minute of steady whisking usually smooths it out.
What do you serve with tomato gravy?
Split hot buttermilk biscuits first, then rice, grits or toast. Fried eggs on the side make it a full breakfast.
Brown the flour, simmer the tomatoes, add the milk slowly and do not forget the sugar. Then call it gravy, because that is what it is.
Tomato Gravy and Biscuits (The Old Southern Breakfast)
Old-fashioned Southern tomato gravy over hot biscuits: onion softened in butter, flour browned until it smells like toast, chopped ripe tomatoes, a cup of milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Exact amounts, the timing, and how to keep it smooth.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, chopped fine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes with their juice
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
- 8 hot buttermilk biscuits, split, for serving
Instructions
- Melt the 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat until it foams.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and clear but not browned.
- Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons flour over the onion and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until the flour has coated everything, turned light golden and smells like toast.
- Add the 2 cups chopped tomatoes with all their juice. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the skillet, and let it simmer for 5 minutes, mashing the tomatoes a little with the back of the spoon as they soften.
- Pour in the 1 cup milk slowly, a splash at a time, stirring the whole time so it blends smoothly into the thick tomato base.
- Stir in the 1 teaspoon sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of black pepper.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Taste and add salt and pepper if it needs it.
- Split the hot biscuits open on plates and spoon the gravy over them right away, while both are hot.
