Budget Side: Just 3 ingredients. My grandmother served this warm comforting dish to stretch dinner during tough times

This slow cooker 3-ingredient stewed tomatoes recipe is the kind of budget side dish my grandmother leaned on when she needed to stretch a simple dinner into something warm and comforting. It’s built from pantry staples and day-old bread, transforming inexpensive ingredients into a pot of silky, buttery tomatoes with soft, almost dumpling-like pieces of bread. In the Midwest, dishes like this showed up alongside meatloaf, baked chicken, or a skillet of fried potatoes—quiet proof that frugal cooking can still feel generous and satisfying.

Serve these stewed tomatoes warm, straight from the slow cooker, as a cozy side dish next to meatloaf, roasted or baked chicken, pork chops, or a simple pan-fried sausage. They’re also lovely spooned over plain white rice, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes to make a small amount of protein go further. For a lighter plate, pair them with a crisp green salad and a slice of toast or cornbread to soak up the buttery tomato juices.

Servings: 4

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained

Lightly grease the inside of a small slow cooker (3–4 quart works well) with a bit of butter to help prevent sticking.

Add the undrained canned diced tomatoes to the slow cooker, including all the juices.

Scatter the torn pieces of white bread evenly over the tomatoes. Gently press the bread down just enough so it touches the tomato liquid; you want some pieces submerged and some sitting on top for a mix of textures.

Dot the top of the bread and tomatoes with the pieces of butter, spacing them out so they will melt and coat the mixture as it cooks.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4–5 hours, or on HIGH for 2–2 1/2 hours, until the tomatoes are bubbling and the bread is very soft, swollen, and almost pudding-like, with melted butter pooling around the edges.

Gently stir once, right before serving, to combine some of the bread into the tomatoes while still leaving a few visible soft chunks on top. Taste and, if desired, add a small pinch of salt at the table, but keep in mind the recipe is designed to be a simple, thrifty base using just three ingredients.

Serve the stewed tomatoes warm, directly from the slow cooker, using a large spoon to scoop down through the tomato and bread layers so every serving gets a bit of everything.

To stay true to the spirit of a three-ingredient, budget-friendly side, keep the base recipe as written, but you can adjust within those ingredients. Use whatever canned tomatoes you have: whole peeled tomatoes can be crushed by hand before adding, or you can use crushed tomatoes for a smoother texture. If your bread is very fresh and soft, leave it out on the counter for 30–60 minutes to dry slightly; it will hold its shape better as it soaks up the tomato juices and butter. Salted butter can be substituted for unsalted butter if that’s what you keep on hand—just taste before adding any extra salt at the table. For a slightly richer, thicker texture, increase the bread by up to 1 extra slice, or for a looser, more saucy result, reduce the bread slightly or add a few tablespoons of water. If you have leftover stewed tomatoes, they reheat well on the stovetop over low heat and can be repurposed as a topping for eggs, a sauce for pasta, or stirred into cooked beans or rice to stretch another meal.