Cheesy Tomato Fondue

Name: Cheesy Tomato Fondue
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free
Ingredients: 1 TB olive oil; 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp garlic powder; 7 oz passata (pureed strained tomatoes); 4.6 oz grated mozzarella; 2 TB finely grated Parmesan; Sea salt; Freshly ground black pepper; Small handful of fresh basil leaves, to garnish; Gluten-free bread, cut into chunks, to serve (optional, see Tip)

This cheesy tomato fondue is a fun and easy way to entertain dinner guests. Paired with gluten-free Italian or French bread makes this appetizer cozy and comforting. You’ll love its richness and creaminess.

This is a great, rich dipping ‘fondue’ idea to serve as an appetizer with some sourdough bread cubes. However, it is delicious enough to use as a base for any kind of pasta. Don’t skip the fresh basil garnish though – it adds heaps of flavor! This will feed 4-6 people as part of a sharing starter, but the macros are based on 4 people, excluding any breads or dipping ingredients.

Chef Tips:

Once the cheese goes into the mixture, it’s important to remove the pan from the heat because a high temperature for too long may cause the cheese to split. This won’t affect the flavor but may result in a poor-looking, split mixture.
You can make a fresh passata by pureeing fresh tomatoes in your food processor. Then sieve to remove the seeds. For an even closer match, you could peel the tomatoes first.

Serves 4-6

Cheesy Tomato Fondue

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

This cheesy tomato fondue is a fun and easy way to entertain dinner guests. Paired with your favorite bread this appetizer is cozy and comforting. You’ll love its richness and creaminess.

Ingredients

1 TB olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
7 oz passata (pureed strained tomatoes)
4.6 oz grated mozzarella
2 TB finely grated Parmesan
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Small handful of fresh basil leaves, to garnish
Gluten-free bread, cut into chunks, to serve (optional, see Tip)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook stirring regularly until the onions soften and start to caramelize. This can take up to 10 minutes.
Add the dried oregano and garlic powder and toss to coat the onions.
Pour in the passata and bring to the boil. As soon as there are big bubbles, reduce the heat to low and leave to gently simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir regularly.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the mozzarella and Parmesan and stir to combine. Mozzarella is quite ‘stringy’ and will wrap around your spatula, so be patient and allow it to melt gently.
Once the cheesy tomato mixture is smooth, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Thinly slice a pile of fresh basil leaves and stir most into the mix, garnishing the mixture with the remaining.
Serve alongside your favorite dipping goodies, like chunks of bread, as pictured.

Notes

You can make a fresh passata by pureeing fresh tomatoes in your food processor. Then sieve to remove the seeds. For an even closer match you could peel the tomatoes first.