ClockPlayEmailInstagramLinkSMSTwitterYouTubeWhatsAppXSearchClockRight ArrowArrow DownCaret downCaret upCaret leftCaret rightHamburger MenuPop OutThumbs upThumbs up buySpeechAudio onReplayPlusMinusSad smiley faceNo resultsSwapMoreYour grocery bagSuccessShop Tasty MerchYour Cart (empty)Your CartFacebookPinterestEmailPrintSmsTwitterWhatsappCommentTips Highlights
Skip to Content

Here's The Most Delicious Thing You Can Do To A Loaf Of Bread

Pan con tomate > all other bread.

If you've ever traveled to Spain or eaten at a Spanish restaurant, you've probably come across pan con tomate, a simple appetizer of grilled bread that's rubbed with garlic and tomatoes.

A plate of tomato bread on a counter at a restaurant in Barcleona.

I lived in Barcelona for several months, and tomato bread (or pa amb tomĂ quet as it's called in Catalan) was a staple of my diet. I ate it pretty much every single day.

Plates of Spanish tomato bread, jamon iberico, and grilled squid.

Then I realized just how easy it is to prepare delicious pan con tomate at home, and I haven't stopped making it since. Interested in trying it for yourself? Here's how!

You only need a few basic ingredients: crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, garlic, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. I also sometimes add sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar for a little extra tanginess, even though it might not be traditional.

Ingredients for Spanish tomato bread on a countertop.

First, cut the bread into slices (about one or two inches thick). Toast the bread in the oven, on the stove-top or in a toaster oven.

Slices of toasted bread on a baking sheet.

Now it's time to make the tomato sauce. Using a grater (I've found using a box grater is easiest but not necessary), grate the tomatoes.

Then take a few cloves of garlic and grate it into the tomato sauce. Using a microplane makes this step a breeze.

A clove of garlic being grated on a microplane into a bowl of tomato sauce.

Mix the garlic into the tomato sauce and season it with sherry or red wine vinegar, a healthy dose of extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt.

Drizzling olive oil into the garlicky tomato sauce.

Now that you have your toasted bread and your tomato sauce, it's time to assemble.

A bowl of tomato sauce and a plate of sliced, toasted bread.

Working one piece of bread at a time, take a scoop of the the tomatoes and schmear it on the bread. You want each slice of bread to be topped with a thin, juicy layer of the garlicky sauce.

Sliced, toasted bread rubbed with tomato sauce and topped with olive oil and salt.

That's all there is to it! I love serving pan con tomate as an app with manchego cheese and jamon serano on top. Or I make it with whatever tapas-style dinner I'm cooking like shrimp in garlic sauce, shishito peppers, or grilled mushrooms.

A plate of tomato bread, a bowl of shrimp in garlic sauce, and a third bowl of shishito peppers.

You might not be able to travel to Spain right now, but you can get a little taste of Barcelona in your own kitchen. If you decide to make pan con tomate, tell me how it turned out in the comments below!