This summery sourdough tomato cobbler is a flavorful lunch or supper and a great way to use an abundance of homegrown tomatoes. I used Roma and cherry tomatoes from the garden, but any tomato variety will work.
If you enjoy summer sourdough recipes, try the sourdough bruschetta and homemade pizza sauce recipes on the same site for more ideas.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Savory take on a classic – instead of a sweet cobbler, this version pairs roasted tomatoes with a tangy sourdough cheddar biscuit topping for a comforting, savory dish.
Uses surplus summer tomatoes – whether you have Roma, cherry, red, yellow or mixed tomatoes, this recipe is forgiving and makes a delicious way to use them up.
Ingredients
- Sourdough starter – active starter or discard both work. The biscuit topping relies on baking powder, so the starter doesn’t need to be highly active.
- Olive oil – use a good extra virgin olive oil for best flavor.
- Garlic – the recipe uses both fresh garlic cloves and garlic powder; feel free to use one or the other.
- Red onion – pairs beautifully with tomatoes.
- Tomatoes – use any combination you have: slice larger tomatoes and keep small cherry tomatoes whole.
- Butter – cold, grated butter for the biscuit topping and some melted butter for the herb garlic brush; salted or unsalted is fine.
- Buttermilk – or substitute whole milk plus a splash of vinegar to mimic buttermilk.
- Salt and pepper
- Baking powder – provides lift for the biscuit topping; use fresh baking powder for best results.
- All-purpose flour – both for the filling and the biscuit topping.
- Cheddar cheese – freshly shredded gives the best texture and flavor.
- Fresh herbs – thyme, chives and parsley are used for the garlic butter topping; dried herbs may be substituted if needed.
How To Make Sourdough Tomato Cobbler
The steps are simple and the result is fragrant and satisfying. Preheat the oven to 200°C (about 400°F) and prepare a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
Prepare the sourdough cheddar biscuit topping
Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add very cold, grated butter and cut it into the flour using fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in shredded cheddar.
Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl whisk the sourdough starter with the buttermilk, then pour into the flour mixture and gently fold to form a soft dough. Add a splash more buttermilk if it feels too dry. Set aside while you make the tomato filling.
Prepare the tomato filling
Slice the red onion and roughly chop the garlic. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until they begin to soften.
Roughly chop larger tomatoes while the onion cooks and add them to the pan; hold the cherry tomatoes aside for now. Stir the tomatoes for about a minute, then add the butter, salt, pepper, thyme leaves and a little all-purpose flour to thicken. Add the cherry tomatoes on top and mix gently so everything is evenly coated.
Transfer the tomato mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Mix the biscuit dough briefly with your hands—it will be slightly sticky. Pinch off handfuls, shape into rough rounds and place them on top of the tomato filling. They don’t need to be evenly spaced; leaving gaps lets the filling bubble up around the biscuits.
Brush the biscuit tops with a little buttermilk and bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the tomato filling is bubbling.
While it bakes, combine melted butter with chopped fresh herbs and a pinch of garlic powder. When the cobbler comes out of the oven, brush the tops with this garlic-herb butter and serve warm.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is versatile. Try these simple variations:
- Zucchini – add chopped zucchini along with the tomatoes if you have an excess.
- Bacon – crisp and cool some cooked bacon, then fold it into the biscuit dough for extra savory richness.
- Spinach – stir fresh spinach into the tomato base for added color and nutrition.
How to Store
This is best enjoyed fresh and is not ideal for freezing. Refrigerate leftovers for up to three days. Cover the baking dish with foil and reheat portions as needed.
Sourdough Tomato Cobbler
Equipment
- Baking dish (9 x 13″)
Ingredients
Tomato cobbler filling
- 20 g olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 150 g red onion (1 medium)
- 600 g tomatoes (see notes)
- 340 g cherry tomatoes
- 30 g butter
- 5 g salt
- 3 g pepper
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- Fresh thyme leaves
Sourdough cheddar biscuit topping
- 330 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g baking powder (about 1 tbsp)
- 3 g salt
- 3 g garlic powder (1 tsp)
- 113 g very cold butter, grated
- 180 g shredded cheddar cheese
- 200 g sourdough starter (or discard)
- 160 g buttermilk (plus extra for brushing)
Garlic butter topping
- Fresh herbs (chives, parsley, as desired)
- 20 g melted butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C and prepare a 9 x 13″ baking dish.
- For the biscuit topping: combine flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. Cut in grated cold butter, fold in shredded cheddar. Whisk starter and buttermilk, add to dry ingredients and fold to a soft dough. Set aside.
- For the filling: sauté sliced red onion and chopped garlic in olive oil until softened. Add chopped tomatoes (reserve cherry tomatoes), cook briefly, then add butter, salt, pepper, thyme and flour. Add cherry tomatoes and mix to coat. Pour into the baking dish.
- Form the biscuit dough into rough rounds and place on top of the tomato filling. Brush with buttermilk.
- Bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the filling bubbles.
- Mix melted butter with fresh herbs and garlic powder. Brush the baked cobbler with this garlic-herb butter and serve warm.
Notes
Tomatoes – the recipe uses about 340 g cherry tomatoes (roughly 2 cups) plus additional larger tomatoes by weight; any combination is fine.
Fresh herbs – measure by preference; add as much as you like for flavor.
Biscuit topping – this version keeps the dough simple and slightly wetter than folded biscuit dough; there’s no need to layer it for this cobbler.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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