There are a lot of things I love to do with fresh tomatoes, but on 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.
Ingredient Notes
- 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.
2. 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.
TIP: Remember that liquid will be evaporating and flavors intensifying, so I recommend going a little lighter on the salt than you’re inclined.
3. 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.
Note on baking time for oven roasted tomatoes: 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.
What do I do with my oven roasted tomatoes?
If you’re like me, you’ll eat them right off the baking sheet! If you can manage to save a few, I like to toss them in pastas and use on hot sandwiches. I store them in zip-top bags or mason jars in my freezer and use them in soups and stews. You can add some broth, cream and herbs and make an amazing tomato soup, or blitz it up for a pasta sauce. The possibilities are endless!
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Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Description
Slow roasted tomatoes, delicious for using in a variety of dishes! Put them in soups or stews, use in pasta, or bend up for an amazing sauce. There are not exact quantities listed in the recipe because this method works great with any quantity and is very easy to eyeball!
Ingredients
Tomatoes, any variety
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Pepper
Garlic Cloves (4-6 per pan, minced)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment or foil for easy clean up.
Remove cores from tomatoes and cut in half. You want all of your pieces similar in size. If you’re using small tomatoes, just cut them in half. Anything larger, quarter them. If using cherry or grape tomatoes, I like to leave those whole and put them on their own baking sheet.
As you cut tomatoes, use clean hands to gently remove excess pulp and place tomatoes on rimmed baking sheet in a big pile.
Drizzle tomatoes generously with olive oil, enough to coat everything well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 4-5 minced garlic cloves on top.Toss together so everything is coated.
Arrange tomatoes in a single layer, skins down, on your sheet. I try to 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, if they are not, pull out another pan and use 2 so you can spread them out!
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 etc). 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. Up to you!
Questions & Reviews
Oh man oh man! Where were you last summer when I had tomatoes coming out of my ears and was giving them away right and left!?! I clicked on this from your turkey meatball recipe..which I can't wait to try, either! Fantabulous!
Worked great! Mine didn't shrivel up quite as much– I think they had more "meat" and less juice to start with. They taste wonderful and now I have a bunch in the freezer.
This is my second year making these with our homegrown tomatoes so I thought it was about time for me to thank you for such a yummy recipe. Thanks and mmmmm.
I'm making this right now! Love your photos and the "YUMMY" multiplied. I looked at other recipes, too, and some indicated you have to cook at 200 for 10 hours, and others have a faster cook time at higher temp, so I liked that this was in the middle. Thanks for posting it – I can't wait til the scent fills the house. I love sundried so these must be awesome! 🙂
By FAR the best thing I am doing with my tomatoes this year! Better than sun dried, and fabulous in everything I add them to. Thanks!!
if you place this tomatoe recipe in a large glass gar with 1/4 % olive oil , 3/4 % vegetable oil and 1 teaspond of oregano enough to cover them you can preserve them in the fridge for weeks and theyll tast extra delicious.
Be careful with that technique. It creates a anaerobic environment perfect for botulism. The oregano in that has never been heat treated and could carry the microbe, which is only dangerous when deprived of oxygen (under oil). Rare, but a major food safety issue.
Made these today with my first big batch of garden tomatoes.
W.O.W. !!!
My husband is NOT a tomato eater, but even he had to admit it was amazing! THANK you; I will definitely be doing this again!
these were absolutely delicious! thanks for the AWESOME IDEA!!!!
Awesome receipe – my boyfriend didn't think he would like them and wasn't impressed with what I was making – until he tasted them. Had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and this is the perfect receipe (besides giving them away) Thank you sooooo much!!
And I must add that this morning I pureed these in the food processor and, wow. Just wow. This is one of the best tomato pastes I've ever tasted. Even my picky husband was impressed. I think we have a winner!
Just be sure when you make these to use a pan with a lip around the edges. Ask me how I know. 🙁
I add these to a 50-50 mixture of brown and wild rice (but they're good with almost anything).
Some friends make a big batch around the end of tomato season and freeze them for use throughout the winter.
Just made these tonight and boy are they good. They didn't come out as pretty as yours, but they tasted wonderful!
LOVED IT. I had this recipe bookmarked for weeks and finally was able to gather all of the ingredients (and time) to try it out. Having never minced garlic before, I just want to say spending the hour doing so was well worth it. It leaves this great crunch to each piece. Also added a bit of sugar at the very end to sweeten it up (read from other comments). Going to mix it up with some pasta soon! Pix of my adventure can be found at peekandeat.com 🙂 Thanks!
Made these last night Yumalish. Thanks!!!!
I have given this recipe to everyone I know. It's one of my favorites!!!
Simply fantastic!! I just harvested a ton of tomatoes from my garden this morning, mostly Roma, but a few Beefsteak as well. They are roasting in the oven now and WOW the aroma is just amazing. I can't wait to eat them!!
I'll definitely try this. I have way too many tomatoes piling up and I'm not in the mood to can them.
Kate – You're a Guffman fan! Now I really love this blog. Seriously, funniest movie ever!
Julie- yes you can freeze them!
Can i Freeze them after they are done cooking, so I can use them as replacements for sundried tomatoes in recipies??? Or will they not freeze well??
How about a lesson in making more things with tomatoes from the garden???
Aubri- how long you cook them just depends on your preference. Yours were probably still juicy because beefsteaks have so much moisture in them. Maybe they’re more acidic than a roma too, I don’t know. You could totally puree them with a little sugar and the garlic (like I wrote about in my roasted garlic post) that would sweeten them up a bit for you. You can use that in a lot of ways- spread on pizza, bread, in soup, or just add water or broth and turn it into a pasta sauce.
I tried this with beefsteak tomatoes yesterday after harvesting all of my tomatoes before our big winter storm. I quartered them and baked them for 3 hours. They still had a little bit of juice…did I cook them long enough? They smelled great with the garlic! When I tasted them, they were pretty acidic. I haven’t given up yet though… I’ll probably try putting them in some soup or something because they were a little too acidy to enjoy alone. Next time I’ll try the sugar trick that nurse heidi suggested! Thanks!
Honestly, I think you could use any kind of tomato. If your tomatoes area super juicy, they may just have to cook a little longer, but if you have a lot of them, I would just give it a try! Let us know how they turn out.
Would this work well with beefsteak, or are they too big and juicy? This sounds great…and I have lots of tomatoes right now!!
absolutely, to die for.
mine turned out wonderfully.. so wonderfully, that I am off to the local fruit stand tomorrow to BUY some garden tomatoes so I can make lots of this stuff to freeze. After I roasted mine I plopped them into a container along with the squished out garlic.. put in fridge until the next day and “whazzed” in the processor. Used for homemade pizza(again used your recipe for the dough) and used the leftover over tortellini.. so quick and simple but so delicious.. hope it freezes well.
Looks AWESOME!! Anyone have any extra tomatoes they want to ship to this -ell -ole? (Name that movie!)
I LOVE oven roasted tomatoes. I have to make really big batches, because I seriously eat half of them right off the sheet before they make it in to anything else. I find that sometimes they get a little acidic, so I usually sprinkle a little bit of raw sugar over them before I roast them.
I also love making a grilled cheese on sourdough with cream cheese, roasted tomatoes, roasted peppers, turkey, cracked pepper and provolone. Fabulous. They’re also marvelous on grilled pizza. Oh I’m drooling – better go out and empty my plants off before it gets chilly this weekend.
oh oh oh! i can so do these! im excited. 🙂 thanks
I seriously think this is my favorite way to eat tomatoes now, we had them pureed w/ basil last night over sweet italian sausage tortellini – amazing! Sara is right, everyone has to try this, it’s too easy not to.
I am definitely going to try these. Maybe I will put them with those noodles we made while you were here…. haha JK 😉