Potato, Caramelised Onion & Tomato Bake – Budget Dinners

Potato, Caramelised Onion & Tomato Bake

A comforting, layered bake of soft potatoes, sweet caramelised onions and juicy tomatoes — all bubbling and golden from the oven. It’s hearty, budget-friendly and packed with flavour. Perfect for chilly nights and kind on your wallet.

Serves: 3–4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Special equipment: Large baking dish

Let’s learn how to make it.

This recipe is all about building flavour with affordable pantry staples. Onions are slowly caramelised until rich and sweet, then layered with soft slices of potato, butter beans and chopped tomatoes for a bake that’s as generous as it is delicious. The secret? A long cook in the oven so everything melts together and the top turns golden and crisp.

Ingredients

• 6 onions, thinly sliced

• 3–4 potatoes (depending on size), thinly sliced

• 1 can chopped tomatoes 

• 1 can butter beans, drained

• 2 red pepper, sliced (chargrilled from the jar)

• 1 tbsp capers, chopped

• 1 knob of butter

• Stock (just enough to cover — any flavour you have)

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Caramelise the onions:
   Thinly slice all your onions (yes, you might cry a little) and add them to a large pan with a splash of water and 1 tsp of salt. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent.

2. Deepen the flavour:
   Remove the lid, add in your knob of butter, and continue cooking on low, stirring often, until they become rich and golden. Don’t rush this step — it’s what brings sweetness and depth.

3. Prep the remaining ingredients:
   While your onions cook, thinly slice your potatoes and red pepper. Roughly chop your capers.

4. Assemble the bake:
   In a large baking dish, start layering the potatoes, caramelised onions, peppers, butter beans, chopped tomatoes, and capers. Make sure to season each layer with salt and pepper — it makes all the difference.

5. Add the stock:
   Pour over enough stock to just cover the layers.

6. Bake:
   Cover the dish with foil and bake at 190–200°C for 20–30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for another 1.5 hours until golden, bubbling, and fully reduced.

Chef’s Tip:
This bake tastes even better the next day. Save any leftovers and serve them with a crisp salad or fried egg on top.

Enjoy

Del x

If you liked this, you’ll love my Tomato & Lentil Ragu with Creamy Polenta and the Messy Pasta Bake. They are both simple, flavour-packed and made on a budget. Head to my Instagram page and you can find the shopping list to make all three.