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
I have been roasting tomatoes for yrs. I slice them ( romas ) in 1/2 slices and put them in a large bowl, I then sprinkle enough eevo to coat them good, then I sprinkle in fresh minced garlic & basil from my garden and toss well.Let them set in bowl while I prepare the bread that I put them on.Slice a baggette diagonally , then spread with a spread made of cream cheese ( 8 0z ) mixed with 3 Tabl. of Hidden Vally Ranch mix ( the origanial ) Spread enough to cover each slice of bread.Then place a slice of tomato on makeing sure there is some garlic and basil on each roasted tomato,then cover with finely shredded mozzarella cheese and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or till the cheese is melted and starting to brown. My family can’t get enough of these. I serve them on Christmas eve and there is never any left over !!!
During the summer when we are getting tons of romas, I make the tomatoes up place them on a cookie sheet, single layer, and freeze, after frozen I put them in an air tight container with wax paper between each layer and freeze them.Then when I want to make this bread, all I do is take out the amount I need, place them on a paper plate & let them thaw out while I slice & put the spread on the bread and the tomatoes are ready to go.YUM !!
We are having a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and I always roast them prior to canning, the intensified flavor is wonderful!
…forgot to say…if you’re not on a hot date immediately after the meal, try adding a few anchovies on top.
or take listerine with you, lol
I never roasted tomatoes for this long before…they are amazing, ty. I am diabetic and as part of my diet, this summer I decided to have mixed salad with EVERY evening meal (except Sunday, which is diet-free day, you know, full rack of ribs and a bottle of red…or was that two?)
A good mixed salad is also 2 of 5-a-day. I normally make it with iceberg lettuce, stuffed olives, cherry toms and (shop-bought) roasted red peppers plus olive oil. Then I read sara’s roasted toms!!! Now I cut out the cherry toms and canned peppers and I roast vine tomatoes and peppers at the same time…absolutely brilliant in the salad…(even better if you spoon them over the salad hot)…wicked!
Use the best virgin olive oil you can afford and sea salt.
I normally make it with
Wow, wow, wow! I love cooking with tomatoes, but have never oven roasted them. I needed a yummy [different] side dish to go with my dinner; creamy bacon ranch pasta with chicken breast chunks. Already sounds filling, especially being served with french bread. But my family is the “3 course meal” type, so i knew i needed something else. Couldn’t be another starch, salad is too cliche, didn’t want to do a plain ol’ veggie…Roasted tomatoes!! These were absolutely divine!! The perfect light, slightly crispy side dish. Thank for sharing!
Can’t wait to make a salad with these!
I love roasted tomatoes and this recipe sounds fantastic. I am wondering if anyone has tried it with FROZEN tomatoes. I froze a bunch of tomatoes whole last year and would like to get the most flavor out of them, but I can’t seem to find anything on whether roasting them would work or how to go about it. Any experience would be appreciated. thanks
I hate tomatoes…until NOW! Thank you. I had 25 lbs to use and thankfully, to you, I did.
I made these and they are so good!!!!! I also added just a touch of heat with Cayenne pepper so some and they were awesome on the sandwiches. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
So good! Thanks for the recipe!