Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted tomatoes are the best way to maximize your tomato supply if you have too many from your garden, if you got carried away at the farmers' market, or if you’re looking to give a little more oomph to off-season grocery store tomatoes.

Roasting tomatoes intensifies their sweetness, caramelizing the sugars and adding a richer flavor. Learn how to roast tomatoes so they're always juicy and flavorful.

What Kind of Tomatoes Are the Best for Roasting?

Pretty much any kind of tomato can be roasted. We recommend plum, Roma, or other small-to-medium tomatoes for roasted tomatoes that will be served as a side dish or turned into soup.  

To choose the best tomatoes for roasting, look for tomatoes that are ripe but still firm. Save those extra-ripe, super juicy tomatoes for tomato gravy, tomato sandwiches, or salads.

Do You Have To Cut the Core out of Roasted Tomatoes?

This is optional. If you’d like to take the core and seeds out of the tomatoes, do that before roasting. Note that they may cook a bit faster, so start checking a few minutes earlier if you leave the cores in the tomatoes.

Ingredients in Roasted Tomatoes

Once you have the tomatoes, the ingredient list is fairly simple:

• Olive oil: Olive oil helps keep the tomatoes from sticking to the pan and helps them caramelize as they roast.
• Balsamic vinegar: Because balsamic vinegar is sweeter than other varieties, it adds some sweetness to the tomatoes.
• Minced garlic: A classic tomato pairing.
• Fresh rosemary or thyme: We like the extra flavor that these heartier herbs add to the tomatoes as they’re roasting. If you’d like to flavor the tomatoes with basil or chives, wait to add those until after the tomatoes are done roasting.
• Salt: Salt intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes.
• Pepper: We use freshly ground black pepper, but you can also add a pinch of crushed red pepper for a little more spice.

How To Roast Tomatoes

Full instructions for this easy recipe are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven. A hot oven will help the sugars in the tomatoes caramelize.
• Prepare your pan: You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet, which will help keep any juices from the tomatoes contained. Lining it with aluminum foil will make clean up easier.
• Make the olive oil mixture, and drizzle over tomatoes: Whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, and seasonings will help distribute everything easily when you drizzle it over the tomatoes. Give the tomatoes a good toss to make sure they are evenly coated.
• Roast the tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes until they are softened and starting to brown on top.

How Long Does It Take To Roast Tomatoes?

Plum, or other similarly-sized tomatoes, will take about 30 minutes to roast. If you’re roasting larger tomatoes, cut them into quarters before roasting, and they should take a similar amount of time.

Ways To Serve Roasted Tomatoes

The tomatoes can be served warm, just as they are, for a side dish. For some extra flavor, sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta over the tomatoes while they’re still warm.

Roasted cherry or grape tomatoes are perfect for serving on crostini with ricotta and an extra drizzle of balsamic vinegar, or used as the base for a quick pasta sauce. Roasted tomatoes are also great used as the base for tomato soup or tomato sauce.

How To Store Roasted Tomatoes

Once cool, roasted tomatoes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. If keeping longer, they can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. After freezing and thawing, roasted tomatoes are usually best for pureeing into soup or sauce.