Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

(Keto, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free & Dairy-free option)

With Just 4 Ingredients!

Jump to Recipe

Who doesn’t love tomatoes?  But with all of the tomatoes ripening up this season, you may be wondering what to do with them all.  I’ve already made 3 batches of salsa this season and our salads have been topped with cute little cherry tomatoes every night of the week. Yet, we still have more!  Sure, you could make tomato sauce and can it.  But who has time for that?  Why not try baking them?

I never really thought about baking my tomatoes until recently.  I always ate my tomatoes raw on salads, burgers, brats or in the form of salsa.  If I ate them cooked, they were in the form of tomato sauce that was store-bought.  But I’ve found that it’s really easy to bake tomatoes and I don’t have the same inflammatory response to cooked tomatoes as I do raw tomatoes.  

Do Tomatoes Cause Inflammation?

I was heart-broken to learn that tomatoes are included in the nightshade family of foods. Nightshades are part of the family Solanaceae that contain solanine.  Solanine is an alkaloid that is toxic in high concentrations and, sadly, causes inflammation in some individuals, I being one of them.  I noticed this after not eating tomatoes for about a month.  Now, when I eat them, I become very bloated and I get stomach cramps.  I am still sobbing inside! 

Chronic Inflammation

The body’s inflammatory response is interesting, because you could be experiencing inflammation to many things right now and not even know it.  Cardinal signs that you may be experiencing chronic inflammation include the following:     

• Pain in joints and muscles, resulting in sensitivity and stiffness
• Heat in the inflamed area, due to more blood flow in that area (such as with arthritis) 
• Redness in the inflamed area, since the blood vessels in that area are inflamed and are filled with more blood than normal.
• Swelling, due to fluid accumulating in tissues in the affected area. 
• Loss of function of joints or muscles (such as with inflamed joints or difficult breathing)

Some other signs that you might be experiencing chronic inflammation include:

• having a “spare tire” around your waistline,
• having high blood glucose levels,
• being tired all of the time,
• having digestive problems, such as gas, diarrhea, bloating or constipation,
• having skin problems, such as eczema or psoriasis,
• feeling depressed or anxious or suffering from “brain fog,”
• having a puffy face or bags under the eyes,
• having gum disease,
• suffering from allergies, and
• having erectile dysfunction in men.

How Do You Know?

In order to determine which food (or foods) is the culprit to your ailments, you have to do some of your own research, whether it be in the form of a food sensitivity test or testing different foods through trial and error to see which foods affect you poorly.

Testing foods through trial and error takes more time and effort, but it is the cheaper route.  Now that I’ve begun to identify the foods that cause inflammation in my body, I know which ones I have to avoid or limit.   

Can You Reduce Your Inflammatory Response?

Luckily, I’ve discovered that when I cook tomatoes, such as baking them in this recipe, I’ve noticed that I do not experience the bloating and stomach cramps like I do when I eat raw tomatoes!  Yay! 

As it turns out, nightshades, including tomatoes, contain alkaloids and lectins, which are compounds that can be dangerous when eating in high doses.  However, when cooked, these compounds break down and are reduced to lower levels, which may reduce the inflammation you experience when you eat these foods.  Also, peeling and deseeding your tomatoes before eating them may further reduce your inflammatory response to tomatoes, as the peel and seeds are where the lectin content is the heaviest.      

What Goes Into Making Baked Parmesan Tomatoes?

I’m so glad you asked?  My recipe includes only the following 4 ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Italian Seasoning
• Butter
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Tomatoes

I usually start with a few large tomatoes.  You could use smaller Roma tomatoes, which I’ve used when I have an abundance.  However, bigger tomatoes are easier to work with.  If you can manage to get organic tomatoes or grow your own, they will be packed with more nutrients and be free of pesticides, which is always going to be healthier.   

Seasoning

I use my own Italian Seasoning mix.  However, you can find Italian Seasoning in the spice aisle of just about any grocery store.  Most mixes contain dried basil, oregano and parsley, as does mine. If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, you can combine the herbs you already have in your pantry to make your own.  See my recipe for how I make mine.

Good Fat Choices

I choose to use butter instead of extra virgin olive oil.  Although olive oil is a very healthy oil to use, it should never be heated.  Heating olive oil above its smoke point for even 5 minutes will cause it to break down, lose its health benefits, oxidize and release toxins.  Therefore, it’s best to use olive oil for uncooked dishes and salad dressings. 

If you want a non-dairy option, pork lard or beef tallow are both good choices to substitute for butter, as long as they are from organic, pasture-raised animals. Organic virgin coconut oil is another good option that I’ve had great results with.  All three fats, as well as butter, have high smoke points and will not lose their health benefits when heated.    

To Cheese Or Not To Cheese

I use shredded Parmesan cheese on my tomatoes.  However, you could top these tomatoes with just about any shredded white cheese.  An Italian blend of cheeses would be great, as well as plain shredded mozzarella cheese.  I would highly recommend using an organic cheese, though.  As non-organic cheeses are often filled, not only with pesticides, but also with extra hormones and antibiotics. 

Dairy products naturally contain estrogen, since they come from the milk of a female cow.  However, added hormones will just increase the amount of hormones you ingest when you eat the milk by-products, which no one needs in their bodies.  If you have a problem with dairy, or you are just avoiding estrogen-containing foods in your diet, you could just bake these tomatoes without the cheese.  They would still be delicious with the seasonings and added fat!

What To Serve Baked Parmesan Tomatoes With?

I generally try to eat fruits and vegetables when they are in season.  So, I typically make this recipe during the months of August and September, when tomatoes are rolling in.  It goes really well with any kind of grilled meat.  It also goes really well with my Baked Italian Chicken recipe, baked fish or pork chops.  I’ve even served it as a side with a tuna casserole.  I’m not sure there’s a dish that baked tomatoes wouldn’t compliment!

If you haven’t tried baking your tomatoes, give it a try.  It might become your next favorite side dish! 

Have you tried baking your tomatoes?  What do you serve them with?  Please share below.

Related Articles:

• Easy Baked Italian Chicken
• Chicken Saltimbocca
• Broiled Parmesan White Fish
• Flat Iron Steak with Balsamic Reduction Sauce