Roasted Cherry Tomatoes are as easy as can be and these little balls are bursting with sweet 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.
Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes 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 combine them with garlic, fresh herbs and a little lemon juice, which create mouthwateringly tangy pan juices. Once out of the oven you can use them in a multitude of ways.
One of my favorite things to do with oven-roasted tomatoes is to toss them with pasta and fresh basil leaves for a quick and flavorful dinner. Just sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and you have a meal fit for a king! We had this for dinner last night and there were no leftovers!
Simple ingredients you will need
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.
- Fresh Herbs – In this recipe I used Thyme, rosemary, sage and basil because that is what I had 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 like the way they look in the dish.
- Lemon Juice – just a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice is all you need, no more then 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.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
How to make this Roasted Cherry Tomato recipe
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 your done!
Serving suggestions and 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.
- If you want spicy roast cherry tomatoes add some red pepper flakes before you bake them.
- One of my favorite ways to use them is to simply toss them with cooked pasta. It makes a delicious cherry tomato pasta dish!
- 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 as a beautiful caprese salad.
Storing leftover Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
These tasty tomatoes can be refrigerated in an airtight container 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.
FAQ’s
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.
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!
More tomato recipes you will love
If you love tomatoes as much as I do, they are probably part of your menu on a regular basis. They are so easy to work with and they contribute a lot of flavor to anything that they are paired with. Some of my favorite weeknight dinners recipes are Chicken Pomodoro or Simple Pasta Pomodoro. Both are done in under 30 minutes!
When I have more time I love a good hearty sauce like Short Rib Ragu or a Bolognese.
If you want more recipes using cherry tomatoes give my Branzino with Cherry Tomato and Olive Salad or Watermelon Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Feta a try.
I love to get your feedback so if you tried this recipe for Roasted Cherry Tomatoes or any other recipes on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy our recipes and look forward to hearing from you!
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Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 12 oz Cherry Tomatoes halved
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ⅛ 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.
Excellent with pasta
So delicious and easy to prepare