Easy Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Name: Easy Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 2 lbs cherry or grape tomatoes (or other small, full-bodied variety such as Campari or plum); extra-virgin olive oil, as needed to coat; kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

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★★★★★ 3 reviews

Incredibly sweet and intensely flavorful slow roasted tomatoes. A wonderfully tasty – and easy – method for transforming peak-season tomatoes (and even lackluster grocery store varieties) into a crave-worthy Summer condiment. Use them in soups, pastas, tomato sauce, on homemade pizza, tossed into salads, or on simple crostini. Grape and cherry tomatoes, as well as plum or campari all work well. Vegan and gluten free.

easy slow roasted tomatoes via forkknifeswoon.com

The easiest slow roasted tomatoes

There we were, all excited for fall baking… but with a week-long stint of temps in the nineties, our new locale begged to differ. So while I still turned on the oven, I’m taking a brief departure from all things cinnamon-spiced, and celebrating the last of the Summer season with one of my very favorite sweet (and savory) treats: slow roasted tomatoes.

A long stint in a barely warm oven caramelizes the natural sugar in the tomatoes, teasing out additional layers of flavor and sweetness, until the tomatoes become wonderfully jammy and intensely flavorful, and something so much greater than just tomatoes, olive oil, and salt.

Why you’ll love these roasted tomatoes

It may be more method than recipe – and it’s a super simple one at that – but write this one down and put in your back pocket. You’ll want to squirrel these slow roasted tomatoes away, because they are out-of-this-world, addictively good. In everything.

It’s hard to beat peak-season tomatoes, as is. Growing up, we plucked them straight off the tangly vines in my parents garden – cheerful red, orange, and yellow jewels bursting with summer flavor.

Don’t you wish someone would bottle that distinctively intoxicating smell of tomato vines and warm sunshine??

Admittedly, grocery store tomatoes can often be… lacking. But a couple of hours in a warm oven under a glossy sheen of olive oil makes magic, and can transform even the most stubbornly bland tomatoes. And for home-grown (and already perfect) tomatoes, the results are sweet, tangy, flavorful transcendence.

The ingredients you’ll need to make roasted tomatoes

These slow roasted tomatoes are as simple as it gets, taking advantage of peak season, super flavorful tomatoes and the transformative roasting process. Here’s what you’ll need:

cherry or grape tomatoes: of course! I prefer to use small cherry or grape tomatoes, which are often sweeter with more concentrated flavor, but you can use any variety you prefer. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time according to the tomato’s size and water content.
olive oil: a light drizzle keeps the tomatoes from drying out while roasting.
salt and pepper: to intensify the natural tomato flavor. You can add some fresh herbs if you’d like – thyme is a favorite, along with garlic – but it’s truly not necessary.

Yep, that’s it. Summer simplicity at its finest.

Basically replace regular old tomatoes in just about any dish with some of these flavorful babes and you’ll seriously elevate your tomato – and cooking – game.

I love adding these to tomato soup and Italian red sauces, or as a simple appetizer, topping toasted or grilled crostini with a few roasted tomatoes nestled atop a smear of goat cheese or ricotta. I may also have been known to simply eat them straight out of the jar…

easy slow roasted tomatoes on crostini via forkknifeswoon.com

How to make roasted tomatoes

While yes, this method will coax flavor out of the saddest of grocery store tomatoes, for pure, tomato bliss, start with the best tomatoes you can find. Use a mix of cherry and grape tomatoes (as I did here), or a larger, full-bodied small to medium-sized variety such as plum or Campari – the oven time may vary a bit, but the results will be nonetheless delicious.

Preheat the oven to 300℉. Add your sliced tomatoes to a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 2-3 hours, until the tomatoes are shriveled and jammy. The timing will vary depending on the size and variety of tomatoes.
Tent the tomatoes with aluminum foil while they cool to lock in even more moisture and flavor.

Find all the exact measurements and full recipe instructions below.

Then start down your list of ways to use these slow roasted cherry tomatoes. Here are a few of my favorites:

Make crostini! Top toasted or grilled bread with creamy goat cheese or ricotta, a few roasted tomatoes, and a drizzle of fresh pesto or good balsamic vinegar.
Add these to your favorite pasta dish.
Use in tomato soup! Jammy juices and all.
Eat them straight off the sheet pan with a spoon.
In grilled cheese!
Or on top of homemade pizza.
Did I mention devouring them straight off the sheet pan?

Or, if you’re feeling impatient and want to go the *quick* roasted tomato route – make this roasted cherry tomato sauce. And then invite me over to share your spoils 😉

Looking for more easy summer favorites? Try these next:

If you make these roasted tomatoes be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked them! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura