Easy Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

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Roasted Garlic Tomatoes are as easy as can be, and these little cherry tomatoes burst with garlicky, sweet, and tangy goodness.  Roasting caramelizes them and turns them into little flavor bombs perfect for topping pastas, fish, or vegetables.  I love to include them on my cheeseboards as a topping for my creamy baked ricotta.

A scalloped white bowl of roasted cherry tomatoes with a spoon in them.

Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic are one of the most versatile and delicious vegetable dishes that I have come across.  The roasting process really heightens the tomato’s natural sweetness.  

In this simple recipe, I roast the garlic, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a little lemon juice, which creates mouthwateringly tangy pan juices.  Once out of the oven, you can use this in a multitude of ways.

One of my favorite ways to use this is to make a Quick Pasta with Roasted Garlic Tomatoes – Toss warm roasted garlic tomatoes with cooked pasta, fresh basil, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. Ready in minutes, it makes a restaurant-quality, no-fuss dinner—and trust me, there won’t be any leftovers!

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Roasted Garlic Tomatoes Ingredients

Cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper with labels on each ingredient.

For best results use fresh ingredients.  Here is what you will need: 

  • Fresh Cherry Tomatoes – I like to slice them in half so they don’t burst in the oven, but you can leave them whole if you prefer.  
  • Fresh Herbs – In this recipe, I used thyme, rosemary, sage, and basil because they were available in my garden.  You can use any combination of fresh herbs you have on hand or substitute 2 teaspoons of dried Italian seasoning instead.
  • Garlic – Use a few large cloves of sliced garlic.  Larger pieces of garlic will take about the same amount of time as the tomatoes to cook, and won’t burn.
  • Lemon Juice – just a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice is all you need, no more than half a lemon.
  • Olive Oil – Don’t waste extra-virgin olive oil here.  Since we are cooking with it, regular olive oil is perfect and will still create a nice velvety cherry tomato sauce.

Variations

  • This simple method for roasting tomatoes will work with larger tomatoes as well.  The cooking times will need to be adjusted slightly depending on the size of the tomatoes.
  • For a spicy twist, add red pepper flakes before baking the cherry tomatoes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a rimmed baking dish or sheet pan (make sure it is a non-reactive pan) and spread the tomatoes out in a single layer.  
  2. Bake in a pre-heated 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes.  The tomatoes should be starting to soften and even brown a bit around the edges.  
  3. Serve these beautiful tomatoes hot or at room temperature. 

Cooking Tip – How to Easily Slice Cherry Tomatoes

This tip will work with any small tomato variety.

  • Place the tomatoes on top of a plastic container lid.  
  • Cover the tomatoes with another lid of the same size and hold the lid down firmly with your hand.  
  • Run a sharp knife horizontally between the two lids, slicing the tomatoes in half.  One slice and you’re done!

Serving Suggestions

  • Use roasted garlic tomatoes in place of fresh tomatoes to add a pop of flavor to dishes like my Caprese Pasta, Shrimp and Orzo, or add them to my Classic Italian Minestrone!
  •  Serve them over chicken breast or fish for a tangy main course.
  • Add green beans or asparagus to the baking dish for a delicious side dish.  Or served them over roasted potatoes! Yum!
  • Include them on a cheese or charcuterie board and serve them as a topping for goat cheese crostini or with baked ricotta!
  • Spoon them over burrata or fresh mozzarella cheese to create a beautiful Caprese salad.
  • Toss them with a little balsamic vinegar or Feta cheese and serve them in a salad.

Storing Leftover Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

These tasty roasted garlic tomatoes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.  You can also place them in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.  When you are ready to use them, thaw them at room temperature or in the microwave.  The tomatoes may break down further after thawing but they will still be tasty.

​Garlic Roasted Tomato FAQ’s

Should you remove the skins when roasting tomatoes?

When roasting larger varieties of tomatoes, you can take the extra step to remove the skins if you like, but the skins will come off easily once they have cooked so it is not necessary.  I would remove the skins first if you want to really intensify the flavor of the tomatoes.  When roasting smaller types of tomatoes like cherry and grape tomatoes it is not necessary to remove the skins at all. 

Should you salt tomatoes before baking them?

According to Epicurious “When you simply salt a tomato, you not only draw out the juices, but you also concentrate the fruit’s flavor.”  So adding salt is definitely a good idea!

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Easy Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

Enza Whiting
Roasted garlic cherry tomatoes are amazingly versatile. These sweet tangy tomatoes can be used as a topping for crostini, make them part of your antipasto or cheeseboard, toss them in pasta or top a flaky piece of fish. They are even delicious as a side dish or tossed with roasted potatoes or asparagus. You will find a multitude of reasons to include them in your menu.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Sauce, condiment, Side Dish, topping
Cuisine Italian
Servings 1 Bowl

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Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz Cherry Tomatoes halved
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp Thyme fresh, chopped
  • 1 tsp Rosemary fresh, chopped
  • 1 tsp Sage fresh, chopped
  • 1 tsp Basil fresh, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
  • Lemon juice from half a lemon
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400℉.
  • Toss all of the ingredients in a rimmed casserole or baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tomatoes have become tender and started to break down.

Notes

Cooking Tip 
To slice cherry tomatoes easily:
  • Place the tomatoes on top of a plastic container lid.  
  • Cover with another lid of the same size and hold the lid down firmly with your hand.  
  • Run a sharp knife horizontally between the two lids, slicing the tomatoes in half.  One slice and you’re done!
 
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this and served it over spaghetti squash with crumbed tomato and basil feta on the top. It was fantastic! My husband who I wasn’t sure would like it said it was definitely something he wanted me to make again! Thanks for posting this recipe on Pinterest!

    1. Rhea Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoyed this recipe! I am so glad this will be a recipe you repeat! It is so veratile too. I love to serve it with baked ricotta on crostini as an appetizer, but I am going to try your spaghetti squash and feta. I bet that was delicious!

5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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