Tomato Sage Parmesan Cornbread

Looking for a stunning side dish? This tomato sage Parmesan upside down cornbread is a savory cornbread that’s vibrant and healthy.

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It’s that time of year again, to gather and hold our loved ones dear. This Thanksgiving is even more special for Alex and me since we’ve got a new loved one to introduce to the holiday traditions: Eating breakfast to the sound of the NYC parade. The smell of slicing fresh celery for stuffing. A long table with white linen and the glasses only used for company.

Now that our son Larson is part of the family, we’re hoping to mix up some of those traditions and create our own. Instead of a heavy traditional meal, we’re focusing on Thanksgiving recipes that are colorful, creative, delicious, and nourishing.

How to make tomato cornbread

Here we’ve used them tomatoes in an upside down cornbread, where the cornbread is baked with sliced tomatoes on the bottom. It’s then inverted after baking to show a lovely tomato design.

For our concept, we’ve added fresh sage leaves as another detail and flavor component. And at the end, we decided to top the cornbread with grated Parmesan cheese and broil it until crispy. (It was Alex’s idea, really: genius!)

The colors are stunning, and it’s received rave reviews from all friends we’ve served it to. We hope you enjoy it this Thanksgiving season or anytime!

More great breads? Mexican Cornbread or Artisan Dutch Oven Bread

A few more cornmeal recipes

This tomato sage Parmesan cornbread recipe is the first of our traditional cornbread recipes. But we have lots of other recipes with cornmeal. Here are a few of our favorite cornmeal recipes:

• Kale Caesar Salad with Cornbread Bits
• Perfectly Creamy Polenta Recipe
• Strawberry Maple Cornbread Cake
• Cornbread Waffles with Maple Mascarpone Schmear

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Tomato Sage Parmesan Cornbread

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2.5 from 2 reviews

Looking for a stunning side dish? This tomato sage Parmesan upside down cornbread is a savory cornbread that’s vibrant and healthy.

• Author: Sonja Overhiser
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Baked
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 to 6 small to medium tomatoes (enough for 24 thin slices)
• 12 small sage leaves
• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• Parmesan cheese, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Using a sharp serrated knife, thinly slice the tomatoes. Salt them and place them on a cutting board. After a few minutes, blot with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Wash and dry the sage leaves.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, then stir in the milk and olive oil.
4. When the oven is preheated, place the butter in a 9 x 13” pan and place the pan in the oven for a few minutes to melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, brush it over the entire pan. Arrange tomatoes and sage leaves on the bottom of the pan (ours fit 6 rows of 4 tomatoes; make sure to place the sage leaves upside down).
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. As carefully as possible, slowly pour the batter over the tomatoes and sage leaves. (Pouring or dumping too quickly can cause the rows of tomatoes to move, so take care during this process.) Smooth out the top with a spatula.
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake about 30 minutes, until the sides are browned (if your oven is uneven, at 15 minutes, rotate the pan for even baking). Remove from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edges, then carefully invert it onto a baking sheet. Top with a thin layer of finely grated Parmesan cheese and broil on high for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp.
7. Cut into pieces and serve warm (or at room temperature). To store, wrap the remaining pieces in aluminum foil and store refrigerated or frozen. Prior to serving, reheat in a 350F oven until warmed through and crisp (the bread becomes very dry when cold, so reheating for a few minutes in the oven is preferable.)