In no time at all, you can offer your family a healthy side dish of good ole' Southern Smothered Okra and Tomatoes, also known as "Stewed Okra and Tomatoes" in the South. Slow cooked ripe tomatoes, fresh okra and sweet yellow onions, seasoned with a light dusting of Creole seasonings and slow-cooked on the stove top!
This Southern okra recipe is proof that not all Southern food is fried! Simple recipe with simple ingredients!
Many a Southerner remembers Grandma's boiled okra and we hated it. Slimy green vegetable that "had-the-dickens-boiled-out-of-it..." we'd just scoot it around on the plate.
But here's a smothered okra and tomato recipe that you'll actually enjoy - no slime-just delicious tender okra in a savory Creole-type tomato sauce.
Why this recipe works
- Prepping the okra with salt avoids "slimy" okra
- Quick and easy - takes about 35-minutes to prepare; you've gotta cook down or "stew" the tomatoes
- Healthy and Low-Calorie- not all Southern food is fried and this offers a whole lot of vitamins and nutrients- a perfect vegetarian dish or vegetable side dish to your fried catfish
- Affordable - these are fresh summer vegetables which means in the summer, they're cheap! You can also make this with canned tomatoes and frozen okra.
What does smothered or stewed mean?
These terms are often used interchangeably in Cajun and Creole cooking. It means to slow cook something (vegetables or meat) on moderate heat with ample liquid. Braising is probably the best comparison to "smothered" or "stewed."
What is okra?
Believe it or not, okra is a nutrient dense, edible plant pod in the Mallow plant family(Malvaceae). Also in this family are hollyhock, cotton and Rose of Sharon.
Okra has quite a history, but some folks aren't aware of the vegetable or how to cook it! It originally came from Africa in the early 1700s, landing, most likely, in Louisiana.
It is used heavily in African recipes and often added to soups, stews and Gumbo's as a natural thickening agent. The African term for okra is "gombo"-so if you think of Louisiana gumbo when you hear the word okra, you're exactly right!
In the Southern United States, you'll often find fried okra - cut okra that has been lightly dusted with cornmeal and fried in oil. Other preparation methods include grilled and pickled okra. In the South, it is not uncommon to find a pickled okra in your weekend Bloody Mary!
Here's what you'll need
This classic Southern recipe is based on a few simple ingredients. Fresh, or frozen okra, a sweet yellow onion, tomatoes (fresh are best but you can use canned), Creole or Cajun seasoning, water or chicken broth (not shown), garlic (fresh or garlic powder), a few dried bay leaves, a little salt and black pepper.
How to make smothered okra and tomatoes
This is an overview of the recipe steps. See the card below for details.
- First, rinse and pat dry the whole okra pods; cut into ¼" inch rounds and place them in a single layer on a paper towel.
- Season lightly with kosher salt- let it sit for 15 minutes. (The salt absorbs some of the moisture so the okra won't be too slimy.) Shake off excess salt, pat the okra dry and cut okra in ¼" inch to ½" inch rounds.
- In a large ceramic or stainless steel pan, heat oil to medium heat and saute onion and garlic.
- Add tomatoes, bay leaves, Creole (or Cajun) seasoning; cook on medium 20 minutes uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken. (The reason we cook the tomatoes so long is to cook out the acidity)
- Add water, chicken or vegetable broth; bring to boil
- Toss salted okra in a colander to shake off excess salt; add okra to tomato mixture
- Boil 2-minutes; stick a fork in the okra to test for the tenderness of the okra; cover and remove from heat; let rest 5-minutes, taste for seasonings, then serve
Recipe FAQ's
Do not use a cast iron skillet to cook the smothered okra and tomatoes. Cast iron skillets do not like the acidity of the tomatoes and often cast off a "metal" or "tinny" taste.
It is best to use a ceramic skillet or Dutch oven, aluminum skillet, or a non-stick skillet when cooking tomatoes.
Yes! Use fresh or frozen "cut" okra (not "whole") for this recipe. If you use frozen okra, give it a quick rinse; pat dry; then salt heavily. Smothered okra and tomatoes taste best when you use fresh tomatoes and fresh okra, but you can get by with using canned diced tomatoes and frozen okra
Hands down, the best okra is usually found at you local farmers market, but if you can only find it at the grocery store, then pick through and select the best okra for smothered okra and tomatoes!
*Look for the smallest, greenest okra pods you can find. Small okra pods tend to have more flavor.
*Make sure the okra is firm and green
*Avoid choosing okra with dark spots
*If you buy okra in advance, store it loosely in a bag in the fridge for up to three days; do not put it in the vegetable bin-just place it on a shelf in your refrigerator and do NOT rinse it
For rich savory Southern okra and tomatoes, use either one, but if you use canned tomatoes, you might want to add a pinch of sugar to them. If you use San Marzano tomatoes, no additional sugar is needed. See Recipe Notes.
Use diced, crushed, whole or stewed canned tomatoes and if they have a seasoning in them, like garlic and/or basil, that's okay, too.
I suppose you could, but this smothered okra and tomatoes is such a quick and easy recipe, I don't think it would turn out very well...I think the okra would be really slimy.
Okra pods have an 88-90% water content and that's why we often get slimy okra. To avoid slimy okra, the best way is to remove as much water as you can before you cook the okra.
•Heavily salt whole okra pods with kosher salt; let it sit for 10-15 minutes on a paper towel then shake off the excess salt and cut into rounds. (The salt absorbs some of the moisture in the okra) - OR-
•Lightly sauté okra in oil first, then drain well. This makes it a bit crisp, but may help reduce the slime in cooked okra.
•Bring the liquid (water, chicken broth, vegetable broth) to a full rolling boil on medium-high heat, then add the okra. DO NOT OVERCOOK IT. It only takes a few minutes of the total cooking time for the okra to become tender.
•This vegetable is a thickening agent. It thickens any dish you put it in, like Gumbo. If you want it thick, let the skillet simmer after the okra are tender
Serving Suggestions
Smothered okra and tomatoes pairs well with just about anything! Fried catfish, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, or pot roast- it's a perfect and healthy Southern side dish your family will learn to love!
If you want to serve this as a main dish next time, just cook a little rice and place a big spoonful on top! Garnish with a little green onion and you've got a pseudo "okra gumbo"!
Storage and make ahead
You can make Smothered Okra and Tomatoes in advance - up to about 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When ready to serve, I've found the best result is to reheat on the stovetop.
The okra mixture will thicken upon cooling, so you may have to add a little water or chicken broth.
Freeze for up to 6 months. I put mine in a zip baggie and freeze it. When it's time to reheat, I just put the pouch into a large pot of hot water on medium high heat and cook a few minutes until the okra and tomatoes are warm throughout.
Smothered Okra and Tomatoes is a naturally low-fat dish with tons of nutrients and vitamins! I like to serve this with other Southern vegetable dishes like squash, purple hull peas and cornbread! This combination makes a great Southern vegetarian meal!
More Southern recipes
- Louisiana Shrimp Gumbo
- New Orleans Cajun Chicken Gumbo
- Fried Catfish
- Classic Meatloaf
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Cornbread
- Purple Hull Peas
- Classic Southern Recipes Anyone Can Make
📋 Recipe
Smothered Okra and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 28 ounces tomatoes, drained , fresh, diced, crushed or stewed (See Recipe Notes)
- 1-2 pounds fresh okra = (about 1½-2 cups cut okra)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt ( to sprinkle on okra) (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 tablespoons oil , olive, vegetable or canola
- 1 cup yellow onion ,chopped
- ½ tablespoon garlic ,minced (about two large cloves)
- ½ tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning , or to taste
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional) see recipe notes
Instructions
Prep
- Rinse fresh okra pods and pat dry; cut into ¼" inch rounds and place in a single layer on paper towel; lightly sprinkle kosher salt over okra; let sit for about 15-minutes (the salt absorbs some of the 'slime'); see recipe notesIf using frozen okra, rinse, dry and lightly salt as indicated above.1 tablespoon kosher salt ( to sprinkle on okra)
- Chop onion and garlic; set aside1 cup yellow onion, ½ tablespoon garlic
- Heat oil in skillet on medium heat2 tablespoons oil
Make it!
- Add onion and saute until translucent, about two minutes1 cup yellow onion
- Add garlic and allow to cook for about 3 minutes½ tablespoon garlic
- Add tomatoes, Creole seasoning, black pepper, bay leaves; cook tomatoes for 20 minutes uncovered; stir occasionally (See Recipe Notes)28 ounces tomatoes, drained, ½ tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 dried bay leaves
- Remove bay leaves, add water or broth to tomatoes and bring to boil1 cup water or vegetable broth
- Shake the salted okra in a colander to remove excess salt, then and it to the tomato mixture; let boil for 2 -5 minutes, or until okra is fork tender; taste for seasonings; add salt, pepper and sugar (optional) to taste1-2 pounds fresh okra = (about 1½-2 cups cut okra), ½ teaspoon sugar
- Cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes then serve
Notes
- For best results, cook this dish in an aluminum or non-stick pan; Tomatoes and cast-iron don't like each other; the result is a very "tinny" acidic taste.
- If you're using store-bought canned tomatoes, drain them first.
- If you're using store-bought or canned tomatoes, you might want to add a teaspoon of sugar if it's too acidic
- If you're using fresh tomatoes, you can either dice them, halve them or put them in whole. If you put them in whole, mash them down with a wooden spoon while they're cooking
- If you're using whole canned tomatoes, drain them and either dice or cut in half, or put them in the skillet whole and mash them down with a wooden spoon.
- If you salted your okra too much and your dish is too salty, add a little water and let it cook on medium heat with the lid off.
Nutrition Estimate
♥ If you make this, please leave a comment and rating below! Thank you!
Scott says
Easy and excellent authentic dish
Anecia says
Thank you! Smothered Okra and Tomatoes is probably one of the healthiest Southern side dishes you can make! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jessica Clay says
I just made this tonight and added a little sausage but can I freeze some of their and how I would I freeze it?