Quick roasted tomatoes in the oven create a savory sweetness that’s delicious when made into a simple roasted tomato sauce on pasta, as a soup, or served as appetizers, no matter what time of year.
Even when they’re at their most flavorful, summertime prime, it’s highly likely that sweet cherry tomatoes, Italian plum roma tomatoes, and just about every other variety I pick, will at some point find their way into the oven for a quick roast to pull out their most jammy-sweet flavor.
But the real appeal of making roasted cherry tomatoes and roasted whole tomatoes is when we’re eating those dead-of-winter, out of season red fruits. You know the ones. The tomatoes who left their taste at the door.
When it comes to quick and easy, no-fuss, roasted tomatoes, the big return on the little time invested in this recipe is totally worth it. With this method there’s no need to remove the skin from roasted tomatoes, nor remove all the seeds. And they’re quick. These roasted tomatoes take less than an hour in the oven to release the super sweet powers of any noble tomato.
How to Roast Tomatoes
Roasted tomatoes show up in many of the recipes here on le blog, in everything from roasted tomato sauce to pasta salads, in tomato soup, quinoa chicken bowls, on caprese appetizers, and even in breakfast frittatas.
The method is simple. Here are a few tricks I’ve learned along my tomato-loving way.
- Use a baking sheet with a lip, or a baking dish. This will contain the liquid released from the tomatoes as they cook. However, don’t be alarmed if they don’t let off much liquid. Depending on the variety and ripeness will determine how much liquid they will yield as they cook. See more below.
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil. This step makes clean-up a cinch.
- Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil or avocado oil so they won’t stick to the foil, and sprinkle them with salt and pepper to season as they cook.
- Add whole cloves of garlic or roughly chop them if you’re feeling ambitious. If you’re discarding the garlic afterward, you can totally skip removing their papery skins, too. However, I love adding the roasted garlic and tomatoes to a blender to make the base for this roasted tomato sauce.
- Add herbs for flavor, like:
- Basil
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
How Long It Takes to Roast Tomatoes
Depending on the type of tomato you will determine how long to roast them and the best prep for them. The best tomatoes for roasting are those that don’t have a whole lot of seeds, a lot of juice (like your typical garden variety), and have a more tender skin.
Romas are drier so won’t produce as much liquid, where cocktail tomatoes yield more liquid. Another juicy factor: The more ripe the tomato, the more liquid it will give off as it cooks. Underripe tomatoes won’t yield much, if any, liquid.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: The skin on these small tomatoes is tender enough that there’s no need for skinning them. Roast the tomatoes whole at 400°F for 20 minutes or until the skins begin to burst.
- Cocktail, Italian plum, or roma tomatoes: I leave my cocktail tomatoes whole but for plum or romas, I stem the tomatoes then slice them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by gently squeezing them out, or remove with a spoon. Lay the tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Roast at 400°F for 40 minutes or until the skin softens and begins to burst.
How Long Roasted Tomatoes Keep In the Fridge
I LOVE adding roasted tomatoes to so many recipes so they’re a simple addition to any meal prep. Store oven roasted tomatoes in the fridge, in an air-tight container or mason jar with their juice, for 5-7 days. Or, freeze roasted tomatoes in freezer-safe storage bags for 4-6 months. Freeze the bags flat so you can stack them upright to save room later.
Recipes to Make With Oven Roasted Tomatoes
I use roasted grape and cherry tomatoes in salads, on flatbreads or crostini, on cheese plates, and more.
Roma and cocktail tomatoes are great for soups, stews, and pasta sauces.
- Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
- Melted Mozzzarella Caprese Crostini Toasts
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl With Broccoli And Tomato
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THE BEST Quick Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 pounds cocktail, roma, plum, or cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6-8 cloves whole garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 10 sprigs fresh herbs such as thyme, basil, parsley, or rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- If using cherry or cocktail tomatoes, you can leave the tomatoes whole. For plum or romas, I first stem the tomatoes, then slice them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds by gently squeezing them out (if you feel like it), or remove with a spoon.
- Lay the tomatoes, cut side up if cut in half, in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. For cocktail, roma, or plum tomatoes, roast at 400°F for 40-50 minutes or until the skin softens and begins to burst. For cherry tomatoes, roast for 15-20 minutes.
- Discard the herbs and slice, chop or add whole to salads, grains, or rice; mash and spread on toasted crostini; or add the garlic and tomatoes to a blender and whiz until smooth for an easy pasta sauce.
Nutrition
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