Flavorful roasted tomatoes are the key to making amazing homemade pizza sauce, pasta, soups, risotto, and so much more. With this super simple oven roasted tomatoes recipe you’ll never need to settle for canned tomatoes again.
The trick is to mix dense plum tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and oregano before popping them in the oven. This infuses the acidic juices with rich flavors that create the perfect base for a long list of savory recipes. Since tomatoes are bursting with nutrition, including vitamin C, potassium, and folate, there’s no reason not to include them in every meal.
Use this easy roasted tomato recipe to create roasted tomato soup, roasted tomato risotto, egg Florentine toasted sandwich with roasted tomatoes, and so much more.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s so useful. Once you know how to roast tomatoes, you’ll never have to waste money on canned tomatoes again. And trust us, homemade tastes so much better!
- It’s so easy. All it takes is four simple steps and about 90 minutes of baking to make these amazing roast tomatoes. You don’t even have to chop the tomatoes before you pop them in the oven!
- You can customize it at will. Looking to create a sweeter base for your favorite tomato soup or need something a little juicier to create your favorite sauce? You can easily adapt this recipe using different kinds of tomatoes.
Why Plum Tomatoes?
This recipe calls specifically for plum tomatoes. So, what are plum tomatoes?
Also known as processing tomatoes or paste tomatoes, plum tomatoes are a special variety of tomatoes used most often to create sauces and for packing purposes. They are much denser and contain fewer seeds than your typical tomato.
The most common types of plum tomato you’ll find in the States are Romas and San Marzanos.
Plum tomatoes are best suited for this recipe because they cook down nicely to create a thick, dense, flavorful product. This makes a great base for many recipes that call for fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or even tomato paste (though this will bring more liquid).
But you can also customize this recipe as needed. For tomato soup, for instance, we’ve found that substituting half the plum tomatoes with cherry tomatoes brings a lovely sweetness that elevates the soup. Larger tomatoes work too, but they will create a runnier product, so you have to account for extra liquid in your recipe.
How to Make Oven Roasted Tomatoes
It takes a while to roast tomatoes to perfection, but prepping them for the oven takes almost no time at all. Since the product can easily be canned or frozen for future use, we recommend making this recipe in large batches.
Key Ingredients
- Plum Tomatoes – As we talked about above, you can easily adapt this recipe using other types of tomatoes. But if you’re looking to create a thick sauce, plum tomatoes are the way to go. And of all the plum tomatoes, San Marzanos have the best flavor, with the perfect mix of acidic and sweet.
- Garlic – Don’t skimp on the garlic here. Fresh garlic is a must in order to infiltrate the tomatoes with that pungent spiciness.
- Herbs – Fresh oregano is key, but don’t be shy about adding other fresh herbs to the mix, including basil, rosemary, thyme, and more. If you know what dish you’re using these tomatoes in, let that guide your spice choices for the initial prep.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the ingredients. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the tomatoes are well covered in oil and spices.
Step 2: Bake. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and let them roast until they have browned and the liquid starts to cook away.
Step 3: Serve or save. You can serve these as a delicious side with a sprinkle of fresh herbs or preserve them for use in future recipes.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Don’t cut the tomatoes. A lot of recipes for roasted tomatoes tell you to halve or slice the tomatoes before you bake them. Not only does this take time, but it often leads to the tomatoes drying out before they’re roasted through. By keeping the tomatoes whole, you allow them to hold onto more juices and flavor.
- Mince that garlic well. In this recipe, garlic is used very much as a spice. It needs to bleed into the olive oil and cover every inch of the tomatoes, so make sure you mince it very finely. And if you are a fan of garlic, don’t be afraid to add even more than the recipe calls for.
- Don’t just drizzle. We see a lot of recipes that tell you to drizzle olive oil and sprinkle herbs over your tomatoes. In our experience, this doesn’t allow for enough contact for the flavors to really penetrate the tomatoes. That’s why we advise coating them with olive oil, garlic, and spices before spreading them out on the sheet pan.
- Mix it up. This recipe works well for a variety of different kinds of tomatoes. The best tomatoes for roasting are plum/Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, and grape tomatoes. All of these are very dense and thus contain a more concentrated flavor. Just make sure to adjust your cooking time based on size.
How to Store
If you don’t have time to roast tomatoes before preparing dinner (and, honestly, who does?), then making this recipe ahead of time and storing the roasted tomatoes is a great idea.
There are two ways you can do this, depending on your skill level and how long you want to store them.
If you had a bountiful tomato harvest or just scored big at the farmer’s market, then you might find yourself with more roasted tomatoes than you could possibly use up quickly. In this case, canning your tomatoes after they come out of the oven is a great option.
Simply pack the roasted tomatoes into sanitized canning jars, then process the jars in boiling water for about 90 minutes. This extra boiling time is necessary since the tomatoes are packed with no extra liquid.
Properly sealed jars will last in your cellar or pantry for up to one year.
Alternatively, you can freeze your roasted tomatoes for future use. This storage method works well if you plan to use the tomatoes within six months.
For this method, simply allow your tomatoes to cool after they come out of the oven then pop them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. It helps to store them in recipe-sized quantities.
Of course, if you just need to store your roasted tomatoes for the short term until it’s time to make dinner, you can simply place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does roasting tomatoes change the flavor?
Roasting a tomato concentrates the natural flavor by cooking off some of the juices. The sugar in the tomato also tends to caramelize during roasting, which gives it a richer, nuttier flavor. Additionally, any spices and oils added to the tomatoes will be absorbed and affect the final flavor.
How healthy are roasted tomatoes?
Interestingly enough, much of the nutrition in tomatoes is more readily available to your body after they have been roasted. By heating the tomatoes, many of the antioxidants become more active, and compounds like lycopene are easier to absorb(1). But do keep in mind that added oils mean that roasted tomatoes have more calories than fresh tomatoes.
Do you remove the skin from roasted tomatoes?
Whether or not to remove the skin after roasting tomatoes depends on your preferences and what you’re using them for. The skin adds a lot of great flavor and can be left on if the tomatoes are being used as condiments or will be blended before being added to tomato sauce or other recipes. But for recipes where the skin might negatively affect the texture, it’s worth peeling them first.
How to Use Roasted Tomatoes
These delicious tomatoes can be used to top salads and bruschetta. Or you can drizzle them with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, or parmesan cheese and serve them as a decadent side dish.
Or you can put them to work in any recipe that calls for roasted or fire-roasted tomatoes. Here are a few of our favorite recipes that fit those requirements:
- Roasted Garlic and Tomato Whole Wheat Pizza – Whether you use roasted cherries or plum tomatoes to top this pizza, you won’t be disappointed!
- Roasted Tomato Risotto – This creamy risotto is the perfect way to put your rich and flavorful roasted tomatoes to use.
- Roasted Pepper and Tomato Pasta Sauce – If you have roasted tomatoes on hand, you’ve already got this recipe halfway made. All you need to do is roast some peppers and throw it all into a blender with or without your favorite Italian cheese.
- Roasted Tomato Soup – This recipe calls for half plum and half cherry tomatoes to give the soup the perfect mix of sweetness and flavor.
- Egg Florentine Toasted Sandwich with Roasted Tomatoes – This recipe calls for cherries, but big, fat roasted San Marzanos are just as good on this amazing sandwich.
Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- baking tray
Ingredients
- 7-8 plum tomatoes
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh oregano
- kosher salt and pepper
- resh herbs to serve basil, oregano, rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Place tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix until tomatoes are well covered.
- Arrange tomatoes in a tray and bake for 1 ½ hours, or until they are nicely brown and liquids are partially consumed.
- Serve with fresh herbs or add to your favorite recipe.
