Simple Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes – by Gena Hamshaw

Here’s a simple recipe for making roasted cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes) in the oven with only five ingredients. These juicy, sweet, ultra-tender tomatoes roast on a sheet pan with whole garlic cloves, which impart extra flavor. The tomatoes are the perfect topping for toast, a saucy addition to bowls or pastas, and a flavorful layer for sandwiches or wraps. I can’t get enough of them, and they’re so easy to make!

There’s a reasonable chance that at some point in time, you’ve encountered a burst cherry tomato.

Burst cherry tomatoes are often prepared on the stovetop, in a pot or a pan. I’ve got a whole pasta recipe that revolves around them.

Oven-roasting will soften and “burst” your tomatoes beautifully. Even better? It’s a hands-off, low-hassle cooking method.

When I was traveling this summer, I stayed at a small hotel that offered a small, buffet-style breakfast each morning. I was expecting customary bread and fruits, or maybe some type of pastry.

There was bread and fruit. But I was surprised to be greeted with a platter of roasted cherry tomatoes each morning, too. They were saucy, salty, and sweet, and I piled them greedily onto toasted bread.

Since coming home, I’ve been roasting sheet pan after sheet pan of cherry or grape tomatoes, then storing them for the week ahead.

In summers past, I’ve leaned heavily on my homemade cherry tomato jam. I love its intensity, it’s tremendous savory sweetness.

These simply roasted tomatoes are different: lighter, looser, juicier, and less sweet. I appreciate them in a different way, and they’re a little more versatile than the jam is.

On toast or in bowls, in sandwiches or over pasta, plain or with homemade vegan cheese, these tender tomatoes instantly add a great balance of acidity and sweetness. They punch above their weight, so to speak, given how easy they are to make.

I’m excited to share my simple sheet pan method with you.

This recipe calls for round, globe-shaped cherry tomatoes, but it can be made with grape tomatoes as well.

Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes: what’s the difference?

Before I get into details, you may be wondering whether the bite-sized tomatoes you bought at the market this week are cherry or grape tomatoes. What’s the difference? Is there a difference?

Yes, there’s a difference. Both grape and cherry tomatoes are smaller than beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, but they’re not the same thing.

Grape tomatoes, which have an oblong shape, are much more recent cultivar than cherry tomatoes, which are globe-shaped.

While both varieties can be quite sweet, especially at the peak of ripeness, grape tomatoes tend to be sweeter on average. They’re also firmer and more “meaty” than cherry tomatoes, which are usually quite juicy indeed.

Meanwhile, cherry tomatoes tend have higher acidity. Because humans have been cultivating them for a long time, they exist in more colors and varieties than grape tomatoes.

This recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, and all things considered, they’re my preference in summertime. When cherry tomatoes are perfectly ripe, their balance of sweetness and acid is right up my alley.

However, I also like grape tomatoes, and I’d prefer their sweetness to underripe or bland cherry tomatoes any day!

The bottom line is that you should use the best tasting tomato that’s available for this recipe. Cherry tomatoes become juicer with roasting than grape tomatoes, but both types work well here.

Before you get roasting…

A few tips for making roasted cherry tomatoes:

The tomatoes will get very, very juicy in the oven! This is all part of the process. I recommend lining your baking sheet well with foil, so that you can easily collect the juices and minimize cleanup.

I like to roast my cherry tomatoes with whole garlic cloves, then remove those cloves after roasting. Why? Because the garlic cloves impart subtle flavor to the tomatoes. And because you can save those cloves and then add them to a dressing (like my roasted garlic vinaigrette) or a batch of pesto or hummus. Or, if you’re a real garlic lover, just keep the roasted cloves interspersed with the tomatoes.

I like my oven roasted cherry tomatoes to be quite simple. The garlic, salt, and pepper are really the only seasonings that I use regularly. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to add some herbs, like rosemary, thyme, or oregano.

How to make the simplest, most flavorful oven roasted cherry tomatoes

This is one of those recipes that I can plop onto a sheet pan and pop into the oven while I’m working or tidying my kitchen. Such recipes are gold, and I wish I had more of them.

Here’s how simple it is:

Step 1: Season the tomatoes

You’ll start by preheating your oven (400°F / 200°C) then arranging 2 pints (about 1 1/2lb / 680g) cherry (or grape) tomatoes onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

Do you have to use foil? No. Parchment paper works as well, or if you have a nonstick baking sheet, then cleanup should be easy enough.

Personally, I do use a nonstick baking sheet, but I still prefer foil for an ultra-quick cleanup and to easily catch some of those roasting juices.

Nestle your whole garlic cloves among the tomatoes. Then, drizzle the oil over them and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The tomatoes are seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

After roasting, the tomatoes will be burst, tender, and browning in spots.

Step 2: Roast

Next, you’ll simply pop the baking sheet into the oven and let the tomatoes do their thing. They’ll need a total of 20-25 minutes of roasting time, or until they’ve burst and gotten very juicy.

They should be browning in spots, but you don’t want them to burn. I recommend stirring the roasted cherry tomatoes after 15 minutes and checking their doneness when you do.

If they already look quite ready, they will only need another 5 minutes in the oven. If they’re bursting but still very plump, without any color, then you should give them 10 more minutes.

The tomatoes can be piled onto any kind of toasted bread, with or without spreads and garnishes.

Polenta tart is a beautiful way to use a batch of roasted cherry tomatoes.

Ten fresh and easy uses for oven-roasted cherry tomatoes (an extremely non-definitive list)

The most obvious thing to do with a batch of freshly oven-roasted cherry tomatoes is to pile them on yummy, toasted bread. It could be a baguette, it could be a sandwich bread, it could be sourdough. Whatever makes you happy.

Of course that bread could be topped with cashew cheese, smashed white beans, or vegan tzatziki.

And what if you’d like to branch out beyond toast? I have some ideas, and those ideas are truly just a starting point.

Pile the oven-roasted cherry tomatoes over your favorite summer pasta recipe (they’re a fabulous addition to pesto pasta)

Stir them into a fresh batch of tofu scramble

Add the tomatoes to a breakfast burrito, maybe with some refried beans, rice, and pickled onions)

Instead of adding fresh, chopped tomatoes to your next salad, try the roasted cherry tomatoes instead—it’s an upgrade in flavor intensity!

Make a lunchtime wrap with some sort of bean or lentil filling, then add plenty of the roasted tomatoes for a saucy component

Whip up a batch of whole chickpea scramble, then top it generously with the tomatoes

Serve the tomatoes as part of a snack board (along with hummus, olives, vegan cheese, tapenade, etc.)

Make this delightful polenta tart

Take your next bowl of hummus to the next level by spooning the roasted cherry tomatoes on top

Keep it simple: empty a can of your favorite beans into a mixing bowl, add the tomatoes—along with some chopped greens or herbs, if you like—drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and then pile over your favorite cooked whole grain

Meal prep & storage

Once made, the roasted cherry tomatoes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

They can also be frozen, unlike their fresh counterparts! Freeze the tomatoes for up to six weeks, defrosting overnight in the fridge before serving.

One more thing to note about these tomatoes: out-of-season cherry tomatoes taste a bit better than out-of-season beefsteak tomatoes, at least in my experience.

So, while the roasted cherry tomatoes will taste best in summer or early fall, when tomatoes are in season, they’re a safe-ish bet in the cooler months, too. That’s good news for those of us who crave tomatoes like crazy year round (me!).

The tomatoes can be piled onto any kind of toasted bread, with or without spreads and garnishes. Their juices will soften the bread nicely!

Toasted bread, roasted cherry tomatoes, some fruit, maybe some vegan yogurt: this is the simple, summery breakfast spread of my dreams.

Hope you’ll give this recipe a try the next time your find yourself with a couple pints of fresh tomatoes on your hands. Enjoy!

xo

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