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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Side Dishes

    Feb 15, 2021 · Modified: Apr 6, 2021 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Cheese and Tomato Potato Bake

    108 shares
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    Total time: 2 hours
    Servings: 4 people
    5 from 5 votes
    Jump to Recipe Rate this Recipe

    This crispy cheese and tomato potato bake is super easy to make. It's layered up with mature cheddar cheese, thinly sliced potatoes, and a rich tomato sauce - the perfect side dish.

    A cheese and tomato potato bake in a baking dish with a scoop removed.

    This cheese and tomato potato bake is one of those recipes that's a winner on all levels. It's easy to make, it's kid-friendly and a real crowd-pleaser, it's cheesy and full of flavour, and it can be served with all sorts of things. If you're looking for a side dish for pretty much any meal - this cheese and tomato potato bake is probably it.

    A portion of cheese and tomato potato bake on a plate with green peas.

    Tomato potato bake

    I've had many a potato bake in my life - it's an easy way to turn a humble potato into a side dish with tons of flavour.

    But I find potato bakes are usually creamy - think dauphinoise potatoes, that kind of thing. Don't get me wrong, I love creamy, cheesy potatoes, but sometimes I want a potato bake with a bit more substance.

    This cheese and tomato potato bake is the answer. It's still cheesy and irresistible, but with a rich tomato sauce that lifts it a bit, and adds tons of flavour.

    Cheese and tomato potato bake in a dish with a scoop removed, seen behind served with peas.

    Rich tomato sauce

    The recipe begins with the tomato sauce. I'm going to be totally honest: I used a jar of pasta sauce, jazzed up with a few extra ingredients. I feel no guilt whatsoever for this - it's an easy way to get lots of flavour into your sauce, and you can still customise it however you like.

    If you're not a fan of shop-bought sauces, or you don't have one to hand, you can totally use a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata instead.

    I also added garlic, onion, smoked paprika, dried herbs, and even some fresh cherry tomatoes. It's a really tasty sauce. I also added some grated carrot, since it's such an easy way to add some extra veg.

    Homemade rich tomato sauce in a pan with a pink spoon.

    Layered potato bake

    Once you've made your sauce, just layer it up with thinly sliced potatoes and grated cheese. I suppose it ends up being a bit like a potato lasagne, which can surely only be a good thing.

    It doesn't really matter how many layers you end up with, as long as you alternate your potatoes, sauce and cheese over and over. I ended up with 4 layers in total, but you could make a larger, flatter version with only 3 layers, if that works better for you.

    Uncooked potato bake being layered in a dish with tomato sauce and cheese.

    No pre-cooking necessary (unless you're in a rush!)

    I didn't pre-cook my potatoes before adding them to the dish, because I'm lazy, and I'm always looking for short-cuts and ways to save energy (with two kids aged 3 and 1, energy isn't something I have in excess!).

    It worked beautifully, but it did take a long time to bake - probably around an hour and a half. I imagine this is because of the acidic tomato sauce, which makes the potatoes slower to soften. It got there eventually, so you can totally do it this way if you've got the time - just make sure to cut your potatoes nice and thinly.

    Or, if you're a bit more pushed for time, pre-boil the potatoes until they're just tender, then add them to the dish. You can then just cook the potato bake, uncovered, until it's hot and bubbly, and crispy on top.

    A tomato potato bake in a dish with a crispy breadcrumb and cheese topping.

    Crispy topping

    I finished my potato bake with a crispy topping of grated cheese, breadcrumbs, and a few extra cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes roast in the oven (and we all now how incredible roasted tomatoes are), and the cheese and breadcrumbs become perfectly crispy and golden brown.

    It's so satisfying pulling this bubbly dish out of the oven...

    Cheese and tomato potato bake in a dish with a crispy topping.

    How to adapt this cheese and tomato potato bake recipe

    As usual, you can totally make this tomato potato bake recipe your own. Feel free to adjust it however you see fit.

    A few ideas:

    • add extra veg to the sauce (it could be more like a ratatouille!)
    • use mozzarella, goat's cheese, or any other cheese you fancy
    • add red lentils to the sauce (simmer until they're cooked before layering)
    • use half regular potatoes and half sweet potatoes
    • give it a Tex-Mex twist with some chilli powder and a tin of black beans (then serve with avocado and sour cream!)

    My only concern would be that if you mix up the recipe too much, it might get in the way of the potatoes cooking, so I'd probably go for the 'pre-boiled potatoes' option if you make any changes.

    A portion of potato bake with peas.

    How to serve potato bake

    There are all sorts of ways you could serve this cheese and tomato potato bake - it's a lovely versatile side dish. You'll probably want to serve it alongside some sort of protein element, plus some veg.

    I served mine with some vegetarian meatballs and peas, which was perfect.

    A portion of cheese and tomato potato bake being scooped with a fork.

    Cheese and Tomato Potato Bake

    This crispy cheese and tomato potato bake is super easy to make. It's layered up with mature cheddar cheese, thinly sliced potatoes, and a rich tomato sauce - the perfect side dish.

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    Total Time: 2 hours
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 493kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 240 g carrots (~ 3 medium carrots), grated
    • 1 onion, finely diced
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon dried mixed herbs
    • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) passata or tomato sauce
    • 2 tablespoon tomato puree / paste
    • 175 g (~ 1 ⅓ cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
    • Salt
    • Black pepper
    • 800 g (~ 28 oz) potatoes (~ 4 medium potatoes)
    • 200 g mature cheddar cheese, grated (~ 2 cups when grated)
    • 25 g (~ ⅓ cup) breadcrumbs (I used panko)

    Instructions

    • Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the grated carrot and diced onion. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, until fairly soft. Add the minced garlic, smoked paprika and dried herbs, and cook for 2 more minutes.
    • Next, add the tomato sauce, tomato puree and about two thirds of the cherry tomatoes (save some back for topping), along with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for a few minutes.
    • Thinly slice the potatoes - I didn't bother peeling mine. If you're not planning to pre-boil the potatoes, make sure you don't cut them any thicker than a few millimetres. Or, if you want to cut them a bit thicker or you're pushed for time, pre-boil them until they're just tender.
    • Add one spoonful of sauce to the bottom of a baking dish (mine measured 8 x 8 inches), and spread it around - this just stops the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the dish. If you have a dish with a lid, that's ideal.
    • Now layer the sliced potatoes, tomato sauce and grated cheese - I ended up with 4 layers of each in total. Just make sure the potatoes are always laid out in a single layer, to help them cook through (less important if you've pre-boiled them).
    • When you've used all the potatoes, finish with one final layer of tomato sauce, the last bit of grated cheese, and the breadcrumbs, as well as any cherry tomatoes you held back earlier.
    • If you didn't pre-boil the potatoes, add a lid to the dish (or cover with kitchen foil, if you don't have a lid), and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) until the potatoes are soft (check by poking with a sharp knife). Mine took around an hour and a half in total, but the exact time will depend on the exact thickness of your potatoes.
    • If you did pre-boil the potatoes, you can cook your potato bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) without a lid, until golden brown and crispy - around 20-25 minutes.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 portion - Calories: 493 kcal - Carbohydrates: 57.1 g - Protein: 19.7 g - Fat: 20.8 g - Saturated Fat: 11.2 g - Cholesterol: 53 mg - Sodium: 460 mg - Potassium: 1320 mg - Fiber: 9.6 g - Sugar: 9.3 g - Calcium: 432 mg - Iron: 3 mg

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

    Here's another of my favourite potato bake recipes - Mexican bean and potato bake:

    More Vegetarian Side Dishes

    • Roasted Frozen Green Beans (with Feta and Lemon)
    • Easy Tarka Dal (Vegan Red Lentil Curry)
    • Creamy Cowboy Caviar (with Avocado Dressing)
    • Easy Homemade Parmentier Potatoes
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    Comments

    1. Jean says

      September 07, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      Cant wait to cook this tomorrow. Il let you no how it turned out as I'm having friends n family over. Wish me luck haha

      Reply
      • Becca Heyes says

        September 09, 2022 at 9:21 am

        Hope it turned out ok!

        Reply
    2. Amy says

      July 31, 2021 at 6:47 pm

      This was so delicious! Thank you for the recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says

        August 04, 2021 at 10:10 am

        You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it! :)

        Reply
    3. thapelo Kooreng says

      February 16, 2021 at 1:23 pm

      Yummy5 stars

      Reply
    4. Annabel Smyth says

      February 15, 2021 at 6:01 pm

      That looks delicious! It would be the main dish for me, with, perhaps, some salad on the side.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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