I have never actually had a real fried green tomato because by the time we decided we wanted to try them, we wanted to lighten them up by baking instead of frying them. These are seriously delicious and a great alternative if you love breaded chicken cutlets. We were in the middle of a crazy weekend a few weeks ago when we spotted these huge green tomatoes at our farmer’s market. We purchased them without knowing what to do with them… we do that a lot, we buy what looks good at the market and build our recipes around that rather than finding food to fit our recipes. This is such a quick and easy meal, we were able to make the whole thing in under 30 minutes and enjoy our dinner outside on the new table (see that HERE) without much fuss!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Slice two large green tomatoes about 1/4″ thick (1) (we used our mandoline which was not only quick but ensured uniformity among the slices. Lay the slices on a tea towel or paper towel to dry them off (2). Create a “breading station” to your preferences… we like to do a small plate with 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, a bowl with two large eggs that have been beaten with a few dashes of hot sauce and a large plate with 2 cups panko bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (3). Sprinkle both sides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper (4), coat them with the flour, shake them free and dip them in the egg wash then coat them in the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive-oil (5). Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping each slice about halfway through, until golden brown and crispy (6). Serve with marinara sauce.

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

serves 2 for a meal or 4 for a side dish

Two large green tomatoes

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

A few dashes of hot sauce

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Marinara sauce, for serving

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Slice the green tomatoes about 1/4″ thick. Lay the slices on a tea towel or paper towel to dry them off. Create a “breading station” with a small plate with the flour, a bowl with the eggs that have been beaten with the hot sauce and a large plate with the breadcrumbs, the parmesan cheese and the thyme leaves. Sprinkle both sides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper, coat them with the flour, shake them free and dip them in the egg wash then coat them in the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil . Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping each slice about halfway through, until golden brown and crispy. Serve with marinara sauce.