Got tomatoes?! My inspiration for this Balsamic Onion and Tomato Chutney recipe was an abundance of tomatoes from our garden. I was getting tired of making tomato soup, tomato pasta sauces and even gazpacho (Ok, I wasn’t, but my family was), so I decided to make a fresh tomato chutney we could enjoy with numerous dishes. It was an instant winner!
This delicious fresh balsamic tomato chutney is a touch sweet and a little savory sour. My favorite uses for this chutney are as a condiment, canape topping and flatbread sauce. I’ve also baked it on chicken for a delicious chutney chicken as well.
Uses for Onion & Tomato Chutney
Appetizers:
You can make canapes/ hor d’oeurves with a savory chutney like this one. I like to use good quality crackers, or small toasts topped with a creamy soft cheese like brie or a little cream cheese with a small amount of chutney on top. You can also add a small bowl of it to a charcuterie or cheese board.
Condiment:
Tomato Chutney is a great alternative to ketchup or relish for burgers and hot dogs. It also makes for a delicious sandwich spread. Try it on your next toasted BLT! If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, but have some tomato chutney you can use it as a spread on the sandwich in place of tomato slices. It’s also great as a spread on a sub sandwich or tortilla wrap. It’s also great addition for a breakfast egg sandwich.
Dip:
If you have store-bought samosas or some delicious homemade bread, this makes a delicious chunky dip. Not a fan of chunky chutney? You can always turn it into a smooth dip just with a food processor or a hand blender. If you want a creamy dip, try adding a little sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to it. Try it with cut up veggies, pita or tortilla chips.
Sauce:
The first time I made this chutney I used it as my base for a vegetable and mozzarella flatbread and my family was instantly in love with it! You can also replace a standard pizza sauce with chutney for a delicious, gourmet homemade pizza.
How to Make The Chutney
Making this chutney is easy, just time consuming, waiting on the reduction. Also, the thing that takes the most time during prep is just chopping up all the tomatoes. I always make a double or triple batch of this chutney which means a whole lot of chopping.
If you’re making a big batch of chutney, you can expect it to be simmering for the most amount of time, which is 1.5 hours. If you need to speed up the process, you just need to simmer the mixture at a higher temp, stirring consistently and initially cutting the tomatoes and onions into the smallest pieces possible. Also, be sure to cook the onions a bit longer to make sure they’re extra tender to start.
Balsamic Onion & Tomato Chutney Ingredients
- Fresh Tomatoes- You’ll want to use your finest fresh ripe tomatoes. I usually make this recipe toward the end of summer when I have an abundance of large fresh tomatoes in our garden. The better and sweeter the tomatoes, the more delicious the chutney. You may use cherry tomatoes as well, it will just take you a bit longer to chop up a bunch of tiny tomatoes.
- Onion- 1 sweet large onion or about a cup, diced. In a pinch you could use some diced red onions instead, but I think sweet onion is best here.
- Balsamic Vinegar- the rich sweetness of balsamic is great for this recipe, but if you run short on balsamic, you could use red wine vinegar, but if you do that, you might need to add a little bit more sugar to the recipe.
- Sugar- You can absolutely use standard white cane sugar, but like to use brown sugar in this recipe.
- Garlic- Just a couple whole garlic cloves.
Optional:
- Lemon juice- I like to add just a little drizzle of lemon juice after cooking the chutney to balance out the sweetness.
- Red Pepper Flakes- Red chilli flakes are great if you want to add a subtle warmth.
Here are some other Recipe Ideas you might enjoy
Easy Balsamic Onion and Tomato Chutney Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil for cooking
- 1.5 lb Tomatoes
- 1 cup Sweet Onion
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced or squeezed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Grab a heavy-based saucepan or Dutch oven if you're making a double batch of chutney. Â Heat the pan to medium-low heat to start.
- Add olive oil once the pan is warmed up and then add your onion. Â Cook the onion, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until tender.
- Add the garlic and cook no longer than 1 minute, stirring.
- Then, go ahead and add the diced tomatoes (Try your best not to add all the extra tomato juice that's on the cutting board from dicing them), balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper and stir. Â Raise the temperature to medium high heat.
- Once the tomato mixture gets to a simmer, go ahead and turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours (The time varies based on how liquidy your tomatoes are), or until the mixture thickens to an almost jam-like consistency. Â If your tomatoes are really juicy, this will be closer to 1.5 hrs, if they're not too juicy it will be the lesser time. Â Also, the less tomatoes you are cooking the faster it will go. Â If you make a big batch like I do, it's the longer amount of time. Â The longer it simmers though, also the richer the flavor. Â It's worth it, trust me. Â Try to check on it at least every 30 minutes minimum and give it a generous stir.Â
- The chutney is done once it's a thick jam or chunky salsa-like consistency. Â You can do a spoon test by running your cooking spoon through the hot chutney, against the bottom of the pan or pot. Â If liquid doesn't instantly run through that swipe, it's thick enough.Â
- Once it's to your desired consistency, do a taste check and adjust salt and pepper and/or add a drizzle of lemon juice (optional).Â
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2 cups of chutney depending on how much your tomatoes cooked down.
- Store the chutney in an airtight container and enjoy within 2 weeks. Â Because of the high citric acid in this recipe, it lasts a bit longer than other homemade sauces.Â
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