This Cherry Tomato Confit uses just a handful of ordinary everyday ingredients roasted to perfection for an anything but ordinary taste. Perfect to stash in the fridge or freezer to add a fresh summer flavor to your favorite recipes year round.
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Sweet cherry tomatoes, slow roasted in olive oil with a whole head of garlic and fresh herbs make this tomato confit super flavorful and ideal to use in many dishes.
Celebrate summer and the abundance of fresh tomatoes and prepare a batch or two of these confit tomatoes. You’ll find these roasted tomatoes will help bring everyday recipes to life with their intense flavor.
If you love this tomato confit recipe, I know you will love this Burrata Caprese, this Burrata Bruschetta, and this recipe for Fermented Tomatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Cherry Tomato Recipe
- Flavorful: Slow roasting cherry tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness so they are bursting with flavor. Cherry tomato recipes are always the best!
- Colorful: Adding a dollop of this tomato and garlic confit to your favorite dishes will add a burst of bright red color.
- Versatile: Tomato confit can be used on top of meat, bread, salads, pasta, and eggs, the options are endless.
Ingredients
- Garlic: Use a whole head of garlic, and cut across the top about ½ - ¾ of the way down to make this tomato garlic confit.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are sweet, tart, colorful, and ideal for roasting.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is the best to mix with the tomatoes and garlic but any type of oil will work.
- Basil: Use fresh basil or substitute it with rosemary, thyme, or oregano for a pop of green and a fabulous flavor.
- Lemon zest: A touch of lemon zest adds a slight zing to the confit.
- Salt and pepper: Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For serving: burrata or mozzarella, fresh basil, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, balsamic glaze, etc!
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Stir in some spice: Sprinkle the tomatoes with red chili flakes or mix with some fermented jalapeños.
- Use different color tomatoes: For a more vibrant and colorful confit, use a combination of yellow, red, and orange tomatoes.
How to Make Cherry Tomato Confit
Preheat the oven and get your baking dish ready.
Step 1: Prepare the tomatoes. Place your whole cherry tomatoes and basil across the bottom of the dish.
Step 2: Add the olive oil. Cover everything with the olive oil, ensuring it is all fully submerged. Bake the tomatoes. Check the tomatoes at the 1-hour mark to make sure they look baked but have not burst.
Step 3: Transfer to a jar. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool completely before gently transferring them to a glass jar with a lid or airtight container.
Step 4: Serve. Serve on toasted bread with your choice of burrata or mozzarella, fresh basil, and balsamic glaze.
Serving Suggestions
This tomato confit goes well with loads of recipes. Here are some great examples of how to serve it.
- Pair the confit with your favorite eggs to add color and flavor for breakfast or brunch.
- Make for an appetizer alongside this Italian Charcuterie Board with some crackers or crusty bread.
- Prepare and serve on top of your favorite pasta dish.
- Garnish with this Rosemary Salt for a hint of rosemary flavor.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overcook the tomatoes: The cherry tomatoes should not burst open while they bake so don’t let them bake too long.
- Ripe tomatoes: For the best-flavored confit use just ripe tomatoes.
- Store leftovers: This cherry tomato confit recipe will keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks or freezer for 2-3 months. Keep the tomatoes submerged in olive oil. Allow the tomatoes to come to room temperature and check that the center of the tomatoes is not frozen before serving.
- Add the confit to your favorite recipes: Stir into soups, and stews to add flavor or use it to top pizza or flatbread.
- Zero Waste Tip: Don't waste the leftover olive oil you can use it as a dipping sauce for bread, drizzled over salads, or used to make your own salad dressings.
Recipe FAQs
Whether to eat the confit warm or cold is up to you. It can be eaten straight from the fridge, at room temperature, or warm.
The beauty of this tomato confit comes from the long cooking time at a low temperature. This allows the tomatoes to slowly carmelize without bursting apart. So, please don’t compromise on the cooking temperature or cook time.
Yes, if you want to slow-cook other vegetables that will help enhance the flavor of the confit you can add whatever you like. Anything from the onion family will work well like shallots, red onions, white onions, or leeks.
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Cherry Tomato Confit
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic cut across the top about ½ - ¾ of the way down
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 3 cups olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh basil or rosemary, thyme, oregano
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- For serving: burrata or mozzarella fresh basil, flaky sea salt, cracked black pepper, balsamic glaze, etc!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 F / 120 C.
- Using an oven proof baking dish, place your whole cherry tomatoes and basil (or other fresh herbs of choice) across the bottom. Cover everything with the olive oil, ensuring it is all fully submerged.
- Bake for 1 ½ - 2 hours. The oil will bubble a bit as it is cooking. Check at 1 hour the cherry tomatoes will look baked but will not be burst open or falling apart.
- Once finished, remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely before gently transferring to a glass jar with a lid (or other airtight container) or serve!
- Serve on toasted bread with your choice of burrata or mozzarella, fresh basil, balsamic glaze, etc!
