I will readily admit that we eat some strange things here in the South. Today’s dish just might stump every single one of my Southern friends. It’s different. It’s tasty. It’s probably not all that good for you, so proceed with caution if you are watching your cholesterol. I might need to have a disclaimer on my blog about not being responsible for food that could be hazardous to your health. 🙂
If you eat at Cracker Barrel, you will be fine with this one. I’m just not sure how many Southerners have had anything like it.
Grits and tomato gravy.
Oh yeah, we do sawmill gravy too. That white gravy with sausage or bacon grease. This one is totally different.
Ever hear of it?
It might be a one and only family dish for us. My parents BOTH grew up on this stuff, but then again, they are both from Florida, so someone out there just may have had this too. Another one I grew up on. I love this stuff. Served over grits is my favorite way to eat tomato gravy, but we have also been known to have it over biscuits or rice.
OK, so get ready for a weird one. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂
First, my mom browns up some sausage in one of her black skillets. Leave the sausage drippings in the skillet. I warned you! I’m sure this is pork sausage. Bacon also works just as well. Bacon drippings do the same thing.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of flour into the sausage grease and stir in well.
It makes a roux and will thicken the gravy. Are you salivating yet? OK, maybe not yet.
She uses her quart jars of tomatoes and depending on how much she wants to make, she will pour 1/2 jar or less into the skillet. One whole quart jar would make a ton of gravy. So, if you don’t have homemade canned tomatoes, then just use a small 15 oz. can of diced or chopped from the store canned tomatoes, it should work well too.
Stir it all together and simmer a few minutes. She adds a little salt and pepper and even adds a pinch of sugar sometimes to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. That’s it, just simmer for about 10 min. or so, until it thickens up. That sausage grease is what gives it so much flavor.
It will look like this.
Spoon out some cooked grits and ladle a healthy serving of tomato gravy and it’s a delish meal. It’s great for breakfast, but we are known to eat it for dinner sometimes. I have to admit, I love it!
I mix it up really well with the grits and add an English muffin with homemade strawberry jam.
So, what do you think? Have we lost our minds on this one or have ANY of you ever heard of tomato gravy??
My parents both grew up with their mother’s making it for the family and so did we.
Yum, it’s good!
Anyone brave enough to try this one?? 🙂
I’ve never had this but I love sawmill gravy and I LOVE tomatoes so I’d imagine I’d love this, too! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Nope, never heard of it before. I think it looks good but I never have had grits so may try it on something else since I am clueless about that.
JD – Not much difference between grits & polenta. If you like one, you’ll more than likely love the other!
It’s been a while but I still hold fond memories of my last dinner with “tomato gravy.” Served over hot rice with a side of pork chops. Oh, my word! To die for! Just might have to have this tomorrow for Sunday brunch.
I’m from Mobile, Alabama, and grew up with this dish and loved it. Still do. Am thinking of making it tonight for supper, in fact. I just need to find someone who will can tomatoes for me here. I have to use Hunts tomatoes. Nothing like putting them up yourself, but I just don’t have the time or space anymore. Love, love, love that tomato gravy! Over rice is my favorite with some homemade biscuits.
I have never heard of this but my mouth is watering!
KK, I know about polenta, count me in!
If it has “gravy” in the name, I’m all over it! Pinning this one to try.
Believe it or not…….I’ve not only heard of it, but grew up eating it too!! I’m from the South (GA) and my parents are from NC so my dad used to make this gravy and serve it over warm toast and sprinkle crumbled bacon over it. Yum! He would use the grease from cooking the bacon and then add the flour. Then he would use Tomato Juice (I recall) so it didn’t have chunks in it. I will have to try making it sometime for my family. I’ve never tried making it but have fond memories of eating it. I think it was passed down from my grandmother.
With a name like mine, I can assure you I do not find this weird at all! 😉 I am a Georgia girl, and am very familiar with this dish. My Pop loved it for breakfast…he liked it over biscuits…or grits! I also make Egg Gravy, which is cooked the same way, except using bacon grease, and breaking a couple of eggs in the gravy instead of the tomatoes, then serving over biscuits or “oven toast”. The recipe is posted on my blog. My blog is not a step by step, but a posting of my favorite recipes…most of them old family dishes. Hope you will drop by and take a look. Patsy
Have not seen your blog. can you email me your egg gravey recipe
I have been eating Tomato Gravy all my life. We make it with bacon and eat it over biscuits with scrambled eggs. Next time I am going to try doing it with sausage and eat it over grits. Sounds yummy. I grew up in Alabama & my mother learned to make it from my Mammaw.
Again, Rhoda, thanks for your inspiration on working through tough times and keeping the faith. Extra prayers for you this holiday season.
Yep, I am from Florala, AL, been eating this all my life!
Oops! The link in first comment is incorrect.
Rhoida, I see my sister, Kelly, already told you about how we grew up eating it and I have made it several times, but with bacon and not sausage. We eat it on toast and I love it. I will have to try it on grits some time. Thanks for reminding me of something I have not made in a long time.
My Mom used to make something like this and served it with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I think she must have used tomato sauce though, because there were no tomato seeds. I haven’t had it in years.
Rhoda, I’ve never heard of tomato gravy–but honestly, with sausage drippings and home-canned tomatoes, how could it be bad? It looks wonderful with those grits. I love sausage, I love tomatoes, and I love grits, so I don’t think I could go wrong with this! Looks scrumptious!
I hope you’re looking forward to a great Thanksgiving with your family. I know you’re so thankful for them! I’m thankful that you’ve made it through this year with your sweet spirit intact. 🙂
Rhoda, my heritage is almost exactly like yours – I’m a 6th generation Floridian. We never had this on grits, but we had it using stewed tomatoes on rice.
I thoroughly enjoyed your post on the Florida Family Reunion. I had to send it to my sister, and we talked about how the barn photo could have been our grandparent’s barn.
My grandmother is still living in Wauchula. She will be 99 in January. I have suggested a fish fry to celebrate her birthday, totally stealing the idea from you!
Hi there
No I have never heard of that before. How interesting. We don’t have that sort of goodie here in Canada I don’t believe. I am readly good at trying new foods and enjoy most I try also. I think I would be quite willing to give your tomato gravy a try…now grits…hmmmm…not always sure of that. Thank you for sharing.
Judi
Oh, Rhoda! We Italian Americans have been simmering Italian sausage in tomato gravy for centuries! We just pour it over pasta (a wheat product), so it’s totally not weird and totally delicious! I bet grits are just as tasty!
This one is a new for me. I don’t eat grits, but I love sausage gravy over biscuits. If there’s a biscuit involved, I love it.
Oh, yes. I’ve had tomato gravy. We’ve even served it on the buffet line at church on Wed. nights. Yum!
Hi, all! I am just tickled to death that some of you grew up eating this too! We are not weird after all. And yes, bacon grease works equally as well as sausage drippings. I should have mentioned that. She uses whatever meat she is cooking at the time. I think the flavors are very similar no matter which grease you use. It’s yummy!!! Thanks ya’ll for telling me about your experiences with tomato gravy. I loved reading all the comments.
I LOVE TOMATO GRAVY! I am a Tennessee girl and it has been a staple in my life – forever!
Love your blog too!
Marilyn C.