A few simple ingredients are all you need to turn garden-fresh tomatoes into these mouthwatering Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Thyme. They’re caramelized and jammy, so incredibly flavorful! Enjoy on their own or add them to any number of recipes!
An Easy Tomato Side Dish
For our family, August always means enjoying some of our favorite summertime foods – the sweetest peaches, sweet corn, and tomatoes, to name a few. We look forward to mealtime in a whole different way, as we can’t get enough of summer’s glorious bounty!
This recipe for Roasted Tomatoes with Basil & Thyme is one that we make again and again while the tomatoes are plentiful. It’s a recipe that always leaves me awestruck, with simple ingredients and technique that gives such an incredible amount of flavor. The tomatoes are roasted until they’re softened and caramelized, and intensely flavorful. You will LOVE these sweet little gems!
These roasted tomatoes can be enjoyed in so many different ways. But my favorite way is straight off the roasting pan, while they are still warm and our house smells a million kinds of wonderful. The scent reminds me of an authentic Italian restaurant or pizzeria, with a deep, concentrated aroma of rich tomatoes. It’s heavenly!
If you ask the rest of our family, however, they’ll tell you that these slow roasted tomatoes are most amazing atop toasted slices of baguette – as shown in the photo above. This makes a great appetizer or a beautiful accompaniment to a salad. Have you tried my Italian Chopped Salad? It’s a huge favorite with my family and so many readers!
However you eat these, they make a quick and simple appetizer or side dish – and a great addition to other recipes, too. Scroll down a bit for a few more serving suggestions!
What You’ll Need
All you need are fresh tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some herbs and seasonings to make these quick oven-roasted tomatoes!
- Plum tomatoes – You can easily make these with other varieties of tomatoes, on the small to medium size. You will just need to adjust the roasting time, as you’ll want to roast larger tomatoes for a longer time, smaller tomatoes for less time.
- Olive oil – Use a good quality olive oil for best results.
- Balsamic vinegar – Vinegar always adds tang, and the balsamic variety also adds wonderful richness when slow-cooked.
- Garlic cloves – Garlic and tomatoes always make an awesome pair.
- Sugar – Draws out and adds to the delicious natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Kosher salt & ground pepper – To taste. (I oftentimes add lots of extra pepper, for tomatoes with more of a kick!)
- Fresh herbs – Basil and thyme are my favorite!
How to Make Roasted Tomatoes
Making these roasted tomatoes is beyond easy! You only need a few minutes of prep – the hardest part is the waiting!
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 450° and prepare a pan by covering it in foil and spraying lightly with vegetable oil. This will make clean-up a breeze!
- Prepare tomatoes. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with seasonings.
- Roast. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and caramelized. Depending on the size and amount of tomatoes you use, you may need to roast for less or more time.
Tips for Success
Roasting these tomatoes is quick and easy! Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Line your pan with foil. I like to use foil, as I find that all the juices can break down parchment paper and leave it soggy. The foil makes for super easy clean-up!
- Avoid large steak tomatoes. I recommend plum (also known as Roma) tomatoes or large cherry or grape tomatoes for this recipe. I would avoid using large steak tomatoes as they usually contain a lot more water content and won’t give you that deep and concentrated roasted tomato flavor and texture.
- Choose tomatoes of similar size. For even roasting, be sure to use tomatoes that are more or less the same size. Otherwise, some may be under-cooked or over-cooked.
- Get creative with the herbs and spices. Not a fan of basil or thyme? Rosemary or oregano also work! You can also shake on some dried seasonings of your choice for added flavor as well.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use these roasted tomatoes! Here are a few of my favorites:
- Fresh from the oven. As I mentioned, my personal favorite way to eat these is just by grabbing them straight from the pan. Yum! For added flavor, you could sprinkle on some feta or eat them with goat cheese.
- Cheese tortellini. I also like to stir the roasted tomatoes into cheese tortellini which makes for a very simple, very taste meal. Our family loves this!
- On pizza. Level up your everyday cheese pizza by adding some of these roasted tomatoes. Here’s my favorite Thin Crust Pizza recipe!
- Salads and sandwiches. You can add these to any salad or sandwich for extra flavor and rich, tomato-y goodness.
- On a cheese plate. Our family loves “charcuterie board night”! We gather up a big board full of cheeses, fruits, veggies, nuts, and crackers. And these roasted tomatoes are a fabulous addition that always disappear fast!
- With eggs. These beautiful little gems are fabulous alongside some eggs and toast.
- Add to tomato sauces. Just blitz up some of these tomatoes with a blender or food processor, and then add it to your favorite spaghetti or pizza sauce. You’ll always want to eat your red sauces this way!
- Stir into soup. These are AWESOME in my Lasagna Soup!! Simply rough-chop the tomatoes and add them to the soup. Delish!
- On a baguette. This is one of our go-to’s, one of my family’s favorite! Just cut a small baguette into 1/4″ slices, lightly brush both sides of each slice with a bit of olive oil, and pop them into a 375° oven. Let them bake about 3 minutes per side and remove from the oven. Top each baguette slice with some roasted tomato. You could sprinkle with a bit of fresh parmesan, or spread some goat cheese onto the baguette before adding the tomato. Serve as an appetizer or a side. Trust me, after one bite, it’s very hard to stop eating these!
How To Store Leftovers
Any leftover tomatoes can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Be sure to add any juices to the container, to keep them moist and preserve all that beautiful flavor.
Enjoy cold – great for sandwiches and salads! Or simply reheat in the microwave.
Can I Freeze Roasted Tomatoes?
These tomatoes are a breeze to freeze. Just place them in freezer-safe containers. Then pull them out whenever your meals need an extra boost. I like to freeze 1 and 2-cup quantities to add to spaghetti and pizza sauce, and Lasagna Soup.
I welcome anything that will add a bit of summer’s fresh bounty during a long winter. These concentrated bites of summertime sweetness are welcome in my kitchen any time!
More Easy Vegetable Recipes:
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Roasted Tomatoes with Basil & Thyme
Ingredients
- 24 plum like Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise – or use a larger amount of smaller tomatoes that are cut in half
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 20 large fresh basil leaves julienned (plus more for garnish, if you like!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare a large rimmed pan by covering it in foil (easy clean-up!) and spraying lightly with vegetable oil.
- Arrange tomatoes on pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, basil, and thyme.
- Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until tomatoes soften and caramelize, and the flavors become concentrated. Depending on the size and amount of tomatoes you use, you may need to roast for less or more time.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in 2010, and then updated in 2021.
Enjoy
Making this now. I thought I had balsamic vinegar but it is a drizzle. I adjusted the recipe to what I had on hand. Can’t wait to pull them oit of the oven!
The next batch I bring in from the garden, I’m making these again. Our kids loooooooove them! Hope you did, too!
25 lbs of Roma Tomatoes for $7.00 here in Canada! I googled this searching for a simpler process than the standard Italian Sauce to mason jars (so much chopping and hours of work). I am on my second batch now, love love love the simplicity of this process. Left my tomatoes for 5 hours at 200 degrees after roasting. Cooled and froze. Moved to zip lock bags the next morning. Fantastic. Thanks for the information and pictures.
What a brilliant recipe! I’ve made it three times this summer, using a glut of cherry tomatoes. Raspberry vinegar was my tweak the third time – worth trying, it really adds to the lovely smells in the kitchen. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe :)
I love your recipe for the Roasted Tomatoes….anyway of preserving them. Can they be frozen?
Thank you for any input! ;)
Hello Judy! Yes, this can be frozen. I try to freeze some every summer – such a treat during the middle of winter, to add them to pasta sauces!!
Brenda- my neighbor and I both are dying to make these- (I actually planted a few tomatoes this year) but neither one of us can figure out the julienned thyme thing- I saw thyme at the Farmer’s Market- do I just chop it really small or what? your pictures of these tomatoes made me drool they look so yummy!! I have some old tomato recipes of my Mom’s I should dig out and share with you…
Hi Kari! The basil is to be julienned, the thyme leaves can be left whole. To juilienne, simply stack your basil leaves all on top of eachother. Then tightly roll them up the long way and slice thinly cross-wise. You’ll end up with beautiful little ribbons of basil. If you haven’t used fresh thyme before, to remove the little leaves from the stem (don’t use any thick woody stems for recipes like this), you just hold the stem with one hand, and with the other hand’s fingers, strip off the leaves by running your pinched fingers the opposite way the leaves grew. Hatti always says this job takes so much time, with little results. :-) But you really don’t use much, since thyme is so packed with flavor. I would love some new tomato recipes, pass them along!!
Thanks so much for this great idea! I tweaked the recipe with some beautiful big boy tomato slices (and minus the thyme, since I didn’t have any!)… and my hubby and I gobbled them up!
That’s great Stephanie! It is a very versatile recipe, just waiting to be tweaked with whatever is on hand. So glad you and yours enjoyed them!
These look delicious! This post made me go out to our garden to see if we had any tomatoes ready!
Jacquelyn, I hope you had some ready – you won’t regret making this!
Today I did the roasted tomatoes with basil and thyme. I had the herbs out in the garden. Quite odd that I would have all the ingredients on hand. They were scrumptious.
Nancy – thanks so much for letting me know! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Hi Brenda, Am trying this recipe. I have made your yeast waffles and raspberry-blackberry jam. They were wonderful.
Yum! This sounds delicious!
These look delicious…I have SO many tomatoes and I’m going to do soemthing with them today! {at least that’s the plan}
I may have to try out a few of your ideas!