Oven roasted tomatoes are an easy and simple way to use summer tomatoes. They’re delicious on their own, in a salad, or with a piece of crusty bread. Roasting brings out their flavor and sweetness. Like most of the recipes I post, this one has just a few simple ingredients. When you have good tomatoes, there’s no need to mask their flavor with lots of ingredients. While the recipe takes just a few minutes, they roast overnight in the oven or start them in the morning and they’re ready by dinner. If you have a lot of cherry tomatoes this is a tasty way to use a pound!

Moonblush Tomato Salad is the perfect light meal, using fresh garden tomatoes, healthy arugula, mint, and creamy goat cheese! | from @whatagirleats — Moonblush Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese and Mint.

Ingredients for oven-roasted tomatoes

Just a little sugar brings adds to the savory sweetness of this simple recipe. This recipe also works with larger tomatoes like plum or Campari tomatoes. For larger tomatoes, cut them in thirds or quarters.

1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes.
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar

How to oven roast tomatoes

Once you’ve prepared the tomatoes, the rest of the recipe is completely hands off. They start in a hot oven. They oven is then turned off, and then continue cooking for 8 hours as the oven cools down. So no need to worry about leaving them unattended. I prefer a stoneware of glass baking pan to a sheet pan as the former hold their heat longer than a sheet pan. A cast-iron skillet would work as well, for a half pound of tomatoes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut tomatoes in half. For more oblong tomatoes, but them in half lengthwise. Place halved tomatoes in single layer in an oven-proof baking dish, flesh side up.
Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, sugar and fresh thyme.
Put them in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 300 degrees and continue roasting around 30 minutes.
Since the tomatoes are not fully dried when they’re done, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Substitutions

If you don’t have fresh thyme substitute dried thyme. Use 1 teaspoon dried thyme instead as dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh.
Substitute other fresh herbs! Dried or fresh oregano is another great compliment to slow roasted tomatoes.
For some extra heat, sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Add 2 or 3 fresh garlic cloves.

Here’s an easy way to serve these tomatoes

This is a simple side dish any time of the year.

Scatter the tomatoes over a bed of arugula.
Crumble goat’s cheese over the tomatoes.
Add 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped mint.
Drizzle with red wine or balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Season with kosher or sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Add some tomatoes to avocado toast.
Serve them in a small dish as part of a Charcuterie Board.
Replace the raw tomatoes on this Nicoise Salad with roasted tomatoes.
Add the to Caprese Pasta Salad.

Looking for more tomato dishes?

Here are some of my favorite recipes.

Pappa al Pomodoro

Creamy Tomato Soup with fresh basil.

Panzanella Salad

Tomato Cheese Tart

Tomato and Fresh Mint Salad