There are a lot of things I love to do with fresh tomatoes, but one thing trumps them all: Oven Roasted Tomatoes. It’s a simple process, and my favorite thing to make with an abundance of tomatoes from the garden. Tomatoes are simply cut, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, and slow roasted in the oven. The slow roasting process draws out moisture and intensifies flavor and sweetness. It results in rich, thick, flavorful tomatoes that can even come out closer to sun dried if you leave them in a bit longer. They can be blitzed up in a food processor and turned into a sauce or soup, tossed with pasta, used as a spread, added to soups and stews, used on sandwiches, in casseroles, or simply snacked on plain. I like to keep them stocked in my freezer to use throughout the year.
Ingredients Needed
- Tomatoes – You can use this method on literally any type of tomato. The important thing to remember is that they should be about equal in size once in the oven. So if you have some giant tomatoes, you might want to cut them into eighths, and small tomatoes might be on the same pan simply cut in half, while if I’m doing cherry tomatoes, I generally leave those whole and put them on their own pan in case they need to be removed from the oven early. Keep in mind that some varieties of small cherry tomatoes have a large amount of seeds though, which can turn out a little bitter.
- Olive Oil – extra virgin olive oil works great for roasting.
- Garlic – you’ll want to use fresh garlic, not garlic powder.
- Salt and Pepper – this brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. I prefer kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
How to Make Oven Roasted Tomatoes
- Cut your tomatoes and remove the pulp. I like to cut most average-sized tomatoes in quarters. As you cut just use clean hands to gently push out pulp (into the sink or garbage) and set tomatoes down on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. You don’t have to remove every last drop of pulp, but a quick squeeze will help remove extra moisture that can slow down the roasting process.
- Toss tomatoes in olive oil and season. There are no measurements listed in this recipe because you can make as little or as few as you like! You’ll just liberally drizzle your tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil so they are all well coated. They should be glistening and there should be some oil on your baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and I like to add a good amount of minced garlic as well.
- Toss tomatoes and roast. Toss it all together so everything is well coated and evenly space out tomatoes in a single later. I like to put skin-side down and if I see any obvious chunks of garlic on the pan, I try to pick them up and put them on top of a tomato so they don’t burn.
Tips For Making Oven Roasted Tomatoes
- Remember that liquid will be evaporating and flavors intensifying, so I recommend going a little lighter on the salt than you’re inclined.
- Note on baking time:
- All ovens cook differently, and all tomatoes will vary in baking time due to a variety of factors. The rule of thumb is keep an eye on them! Most average-sized tomatoes cut into quarters will take at least 2 hours. I usually start checking on them after 1.5 and continue cooking them until they appear to be slightly shriveled and even a little browned.
- You can continue cooking even past this point and you will get the consistency of a sun-dried tomato, which are amazing! Don’t be afraid to keep cooking! People often take them out much too early. I usually cook for 2.5-3 hours on average. But again- it varies greatly so keep an eye on them.
Storing and Use
If you’re like me, you’ll eat them right off the baking sheet! If you can manage to save a few, here’s some ideas:
- Toss in pasta dishes and salads.
- Use on hot or cold sandwiches.
- Chop them and add to soups and stews.
- Puree until smooth and use in place of tomato paste and pasta sauce.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or more. Place in a zip top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months, or my favorite- vacuum seal them in portioned bags and use them all year long!
Frequently Asked Questions
The cooking process here is low and slow. Air fryers cook too hot and have a fan to blow away the moisture. You can get really delicious tomatoes in the air fryer, but it won’t be quite the same as a long oven roast.
You can! Just be aware that different tomatoes have different consistencies and moisture contents so they might roast differently. If you have different varieties on the same pan, just know that some might get done quicker than others.
No, this recipe is not developed nor tested for canning. Freezer storage is the best solution for long-term preservation.
Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- tomatoes any variety
- olive oil extra virgin
- kosher salt
- pepper, freshly cracked
- garlic cloves 4-6 per pan, minced or pressed
Instructions
- NOTE: This recipe doesn't have measurements because it varies depending on the variety of tomato you're using. So we're eyeballing! Don't overthink it- it's hard to mess these up! Preheat oven to 325℉. Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment or foil.
- Quarter tomatoes. If you have large cores, feel free to remove those, but for small soft cores, I just cut right through an roast them up. You want all of your pieces similar in size. If you're using small tomatoes, you can sometime just cut them in half. Anything larger, quarter them.
- As you cut tomatoes, use clean hands to gently remove excess pulp. You can then place them directly on your baking sheet, or – I like to keep a big strainer over my sink and place them there to drip off excess moisture while I'm prepping.
- When done prepping tomatoes, place them on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, enough to coat everything well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 4-5 (or more!) finely minced garlic cloves on top. Toss together so everything is coated.
- Arrange tomatoes in a single layer, skin-side down, on your sheet. Make sure most of the garlic is on top of the tomatoes and not on the baking sheet. Your tomatoes should be in a single layer and not too crowded. If they are not, pull out another pan and use 2 so you can spread them out. Note: If tomatoes are too crowded, they'll boil instead of roast.
- Place pan in oven and cook for about 2.5 hours. Important note about baking time: all ovens are different and tomatoes will vary on baking time due to a variety of factors (size, amount of pulp removed, desired level of doneness, and so on). I suggest setting your timer for 1.5 hours and taking a peek through the oven window about every 30 minutes from then on, until they are finished. Small tomatoes will be done early, larger pieces take closer to 2.5- 3 hours. I personally like my tomatoes to get a little chewy and browned so I leave them in longer. It's not uncommon for the liquid on the pan to start to turn black- this is normal, but keep an eye on your tomatoes to make sure they aren't burning on the bottom.Tips: -If you can see the tomatoes on the perimeter of your pan are getting done more quickly and starting to char, feel free to toss and rearrange, keeping tomatoes skin side down before returning to oven. -If cooking multiple pans at a time, rotate through baking for even cooking.
Notes
- Remember that liquid will be evaporating and flavors intensifying, so I recommend going a little lighter on the salt than you’re inclined.
- If using cherry or grape tomatoes, simply cut in half and squeeze out juice. This can be tedious, but I’ve found leaving whole often releases to much moisture, and not squeezing out the pulp sometimes ends up causing a bitter flavor. But feel free to experiment!
Questions & Reviews
Since my 5 tomatoe plants make an abundance of different types of tomatoes, I have got to try this recipe. Sounds like the perfect appetizer and also an additonal lucious ingredient to my slow cooked 12 spice spaghetti sauce. Thanks!:::::::D
Your roasted tomates recipe sounds wonderful. What should set the over at?
Thanks,
Steve
The recipe says 325, which is perfect! :}
thought you might like this recipe
I have roasted tomatoes before and I know that you are not exaggerating about their goodness! Thanks for the idea for a little extra kick with the minced garlic…of course!
roasting as we speak! Better go throw some garlic in there. Sounds like it’s worth the wait…
My house DOES smell like heaven!!! Thanks. I changed it up a bit and put my oven at 450 degrees. I have a garlic press that makes really quick work of whole cloves so I just tossed that in with the tomatoes and oil. I also sprinkled rosemary and thyme on top. I put them in for about 35 minutes because I planned on using them in a sauce right away and didn’t have that much time. They came out beautifully.
Oh my gosh! These were divine. We just had a handful of Romas that were getting too ripe, so I followed your recipe. I don’t really love tomatoes, but I ate almost all of them. (I did save a few for my husband, but he’d better eat them quick.) SO GOOD! Thanks for another amazing recipe!!
Roasting with jalapenos, serranos, garlic and red onions now!
Agree with Sara….at 325 mine are in for almost 3 hours and are yummolicious when they come out! I start checking at about 2 1/2 hours. Another batch are in the oven as I type!
So, I just pulled these out of my oven after only 80 minutes. (Yup. My oven was set at 325 degrees.) I checked them as soon as I noticed the yummy smell changing into a not so yummy smell. Anyone else have this trouble? I’m so sad. Alas, 2 lbs of tomatoes… incinerated. 🙁
That’s really strange Laurene. Did you sprinkle anything on them that could have burned? Were your tomatoes extra small? If not, then you might want to check your oven and make sure it’s heating to the correct temp because that shouldn’t happen. I’ve cooked literally hundreds of these and never had them burn, ever!
The same thing happened to me today, Laurene. I think the answer would be to cut down the time. Try 50-60 minutes, maybe. I’ll be doing the same with another batch of grape tomatoes…speaking of grapes, has anyone here ever roasted grapes?
There is a recipe out on the web for roasted cauliflower with grapes and red onion — roasted grapes are delicious!
http://www.staceysnacksonline.com/2010/02/good-ideas-cauliflower-w-grapes-red.html