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'Red Dog Toast': Reddit-famous savory French toast is made with tomato soup

The old-school recipe was discovered in the 1970 "Woman's Day Collector's Cook Book."
My version of Red Dog Toast, topped with fresh chives and served with a Caesar salad.
My version of Red Dog Toast, topped with fresh chives and served with a Caesar salad.Courtesy Terri Peters
/ Source: TODAY
By Terri Peters

Move over, French toast: There's a new, not-so-sweet way to start the morning.

Red Dog Toast, a savory, pan-fried bread dish dipped in a tomato soup and egg mixture, is getting lots of attention on our favorite subreddit, r/Old_Recipes, and for good reason. The recipe, discovered by Redditor LuLu Caldwell in the 1970 "Woman's Day Collector's Cook Book," combines thick slices of bread, creamy tomato soup, eggs, butter and chives for a savory version of a breakfast classic.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHQj4MDDUO0

Caldwell, who is cooking her way through the vintage Woman's Day cookbook and posting her results on her @1970snoms Instagram account, says the recipe jumped out at her because of its creative way of making French toast.

"I think the recipe is unexpectedly clever, and makes a great savory breakfast, lunch or dinner," Caldwell told TODAY Food. "I can see pairing it with a green salad for a more filling meal. I've made it twice for breakfast so far, and will definitely be making it again."

After seeing Caldwell's rave review of the recipe and reading comments on her Reddit thread that suggested turning the resulting toast into grilled cheese sandwiches, I knew I had to try Red Dog Toast out for myself.

Red Dog Toast uses few ingredients, but the flavor in the recipe is huge.
Red Dog Toast uses few ingredients, but the flavor in the recipe is huge.Terri Peters

I chose sliced brioche bread, and, per Caldwell's recommendation, a higher-end canned tomato soup and Kerrygold butter, as my main ingredients. The supplies were simple to shop for at my local grocery store and equally simple to prepare: I simply beat together paprika, salt, egg and soup then drenched the bread in the savory blend and browned each side in a pan with some butter.

The dish smelled heavenly as I cooked, with the savory notes of tomato and spice filling my kitchen. From his spot on the couch, my husband commented, "That smells so buttery and delicious."

We couldn't wait to dig in.

I topped the toast with fresh chives and served it with bacon-topped Caesar salad. And, because I had to test out the grilled cheese idea, I saved a few slices to create a Red Dog Toast grilled cheese using more butter and sliced mozzarella cheese.

Using two slices of Red Dog Toast, I made a grilled cheese with sliced mozzarella.
Using two slices of Red Dog Toast, I made a grilled cheese with sliced mozzarella.Terri Peters

My son, a notoriously picky eater, went back for more of the grilled cheese. Shocked, I asked him what he liked about it.

His response? "The bread is so flavorful, better than normal grilled cheese bread." (That's high praise coming from my finicky 12-year-old, who lives on carbohydrates.)

My husband, who also thoroughly enjoyed the dish, proposed another idea: Slicing the bread into cubes and using it as croutons on the salad. Genius.

To be honest, I did not expect Red Dog Toast to be as big a crowd-pleaser as it was. I will never underestimate the power of canned soup again.

The dish would also be a great on the breakfast table, with eggs, bacon and/or sausage. It can really work for any time of day.

Terri Peters

Terri Peters is a writer and editor for TODAY.com. She lives in a small beach town on the Atlantic coast of Florida with her husband and two kids. When she isn't writing, she can be found at the beach or exploring Florida's theme parks with her family.