Name: Welsh Rarebit With Roasted Tomatoes Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 200 grams shredded Cheddar cheese; 2 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons flour; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 150 ml dark beer; 1 egg yolk; 0.3 teaspoon salt; 0.5 teaspoon paprika; A pinch of black pepper; 4 slices of bread; 200 grams cherry tomatoes; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste; Fresh or dried oregano and thyme leaves; Greens (optional)

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If you don’t know what to have for breakfast yet, Welsh Rarebit with roasted tomatoes won’t disappoint you. This upgraded version of toasted bread will give you a lot of culinary pleasure as well as plenty of energy to start a new day.

Wait, what about the calorie count? Well, most Welsh Rarebit recipes are pretty rich and fatty. After all, the cheese-based sauce is the soul of this dish. Therefore, I add some roasted tomatoes to balance the taste and improve the nutritional profile of the dish. Check it out now!

What Is Special About Welsh Rarebit With Roasted Tomatoes?

Welsh Rarebit is a famous British recipe. There is even a national Welsh Rarebit Day, which is on 3rd September every year. In essence, this dish consists of a Cheddar cheese sauce poured over hearty bread and baked to perfection.

Besides toasts, the main ingredients of the Welsh Rarebit are hard English cheese and beer, preferably dark beer. The latter gives the dish a rich malty spiciness that works brilliantly with the salty taste of the cheese.

There are different ways to eat this dish. You can add fried or poached eggs on top or some ham. But in this recipe, I simply cover these cheesy slices of bread with roasted tomatoes and some greens on the side, which will add freshness and nutrients to the dish.

Whichever of these options you choose, one thing is for sure – Welsh Rarebit is a perfect dish for Sunday brunch, lunch, or light dinner! Here is an easy-to-follow guide for making this delicious Welsh Rarebit with roasted tomatoes at home.

Tools

Preparing this Welsh Rarebit with roasted tomatoes is very straightforward, but you can make the task even easier by using the following kitchen gadgets:

Stovetop pan: for cooking the sauce with the melted cheese. A medium-sized pan is good enough for this job.
Baking tray: You need a medium-sized baking tray to roast the tomatoes and slices of bread in the oven.
Kitchen grater: for grating the cheese so that it can melt more easily
Steel whisk: for stirring the sauce while cooking it to get a smooth, creamy consistency.

Ingredients

While Welsh Rarebit with roasted tomatoes isn’t a complicated recipe, choosing the ingredients with care will give you the best experience.

Bread: Use some hearty wheat bread that can hold the cheese sauce;
Cheese: I use yellow Cheddar cheese for this recipe. But this recipe works well with any type of hard English cheese, like Double Gloucester, Cheshire, and Lancashire.
Beer: This is an important ingredient that separates Welsh Rarebit from ordinary cheese on toast. I recommend any dark beer brand, though you can use stout or ale instead.
Butter: gives a thicker taste to the Cheddar sauce.
Flour: You will need some flour to thicken the sauce.
Mustard: While I use Dijon mustard in this recipe, you can use any other mustard or even mustard powder.
Egg yolks: for enriching the sauce after taking it off the heat.
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are the best choice for this recipe because they look great and add juiciness to the dish.
Olive oil: for roasting tomatoes. You can replace it with any mild-flavored oil, like sunflower oil or peanut oil.
Spices: Use salt, paprika, and pepper for the sauce. Meanwhile, season the tomatoes with some salt and pepper.
For garnishing: Oregano (either dried or fresh), thyme leaves, and greens. The first two herbs go very well with the tomatoes, while the addition of greens to the plate makes your dish healthier and more nutritious.

Instructions

Welsh Rarebit with roasted tomatoes is quite easy to whip up, even if you have just woken up. The secret is to follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Roast The Tomatoes

Preheat the broiler/ grill of the oven to medium heat. Arrange the cherry tomatoes onto the baking tray and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for about 10-15 minutes on the grill in the oven. If you use baking paper, be careful that the baking paper does not touch the grill of the oven!

Step 2: Prepare The Sauce

While waiting for the tomatoes to cook, melt butter in a stovetop pan over medium heat.

Get the pan off the stovetop. Add flour and mix with a steel whisk.

Next, add the mustard, beer, and grated Cheddar cheese.

Return the pan to the heat and stir over low heat until you have a creamy sauce. Do not let the mixture boil! Remove the stovetop pan from the heat to allow the sauce to cool slightly.

Add salt, paprika, and black pepper to the sauce and mix with the steel whisk, then add the egg yolk and mix again. Now your Welsh Rarebit sauce is ready!

Step 3: Assemble The Welsh Rarebit

After the tomatoes are baked, remove them from the baking tray. There will be some juice left from the tomatoes on the tray; you should arrange the slices of bread directly on it.

Return the baking tray to the grill in the oven and toast the bread slices on one side only.

Remove the baking tray with the toasted slices of bread from the oven. Turn them over and spread the sauce over them. Return the bread to the oven and bake until it turns golden and its sauce bubbling.

Remove the bread from the oven and serve with roasted cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle fresh thyme and oregano on top. Serve the Welsh Rarebit with some greens if desired.

How To Store

You shouldn’t refrigerate or freeze Welsh Rarebit as a whole. Once the sauce is spooned over the bread, all that is left to do is to finish everything and make sure there are no leftovers.

But you can store the bread, the sauce, and roasted tomatoes separately in airtight containers. They can last for 3 – 5 days in the fridge and up to 3 – 6 months in the freezer. Don’t forget to crisp up the bread before enjoying your Welsh Rarebit.

Welsh Rarebit With Roasted Tomatoes For Breakfast: Why not?

As you can see, Welsh Rarebit is highly suitable to make ahead. You can whip up the sauce and roast tomatoes on any day, then store in the fridge to serve with toasted bread for the whole week. Every morning, you will have something hot and tasty to fill your belly.

What do you think about this Welsh Rarebit recipe? Did you have an easy time preparing it? What are the great tips you want to tell first-timers? Don’t hesitate to share your experiences and opinions in the comment section as well as share this post with your friends!

Mia Dimitrova

Content Writer

Expertise

Home Cooking, Meal Planning, Food Styling, Food Photography, Culinary Storytelling, Cooking-video Maker, European Food Content Creator, Bulgarian Food Evaluation Expert

Education

Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Program: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography
Focus: Captured the soul of Bulgarian and European dishes, emphasizing the interrelation between visual appeal and culinary history.
Completed a thesis titled “Bulgaria on a Plate: A Photographic Journey through our Gastronomic Legacy.”

European Culinary Arts Academy

Program: Certified Course in Food Styling
Focus: Gained expertise in presenting dishes from Bulgaria and beyond, understanding the intricacies of European culinary aesthetics.

Maria Dimitrova, or Mia, is a Contributing Writer from Sofia, Bulgaria. Her work beautifully intertwines the rich flavors of Bulgarian and European dishes with their visual storytelling, capturing the soul of each cuisine. Through engaging content and stunning photography, Maria explores the intricate relationship between food’s aesthetic appeal and cultural history.

Specializing in home cooking, food styling, and photography, she brings European culinary traditions to life, offering a unique glimpse into Bulgaria’s gastronomic heritage. Maria’s expertise highlights her deep appreciation for culinary art and invites her audience to embark on a flavorful journey through Europe’s diverse food landscape.