Pan con Tomate: The Simple Spanish Breakfast Toast
August 14, 2013 (updated July 2026)

This pan con tomate recipe is a great package. Breakfast, brunch, light lunch, or canapés — it's a wonderful taste of Spain. So simple and easy to prepare, and once you're in the habit of making it regularly, you're halfway to Mediterranean nirvana.

There are many ways to make and serve this dish, eaten every morning in cafés and bars by hungry Spaniards across the country — here is my versión simple.

Grate two ripe tomatoes, discarding the skin but collecting the flesh, pips and juice, then drain off most of the juice in a sieve.

Meanwhile, lightly toast some rustic bread. When it's done, rub a cut clove of garlic over the toasted dough. These days, as I don't intend to kiss anybody, I crush and finely chop my garlic instead and add it straight to the tomato pulp.

Spread the pulp over the bread, adding a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a light sprinkling of salt, and a grinding of black pepper. You could, of course, add herbs, cheese, ham, chilli, sausage, or a quail egg — this pan con tomate recipe is as flexible as it is simple.

Why This Pan con Tomate Recipe Is Good for You

Tomatoes contain high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent heart disease and is protective against a growing list of cancers, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. For men, tomatoes are also extremely important in promoting prostate health, according to studies in the USA. Lycopene is contained in the flesh of tomatoes, and more of it is released during cooking or processing — we'll call grating processing.

This pan con tomate recipe is part of my bread recipes collection — proper loaves and simple ideas from Casa Adora and the road.

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