Slow Roasted Cherry Tomato Confit

Without question, cherry tomatoes are my favorite kind of tomato. And my favorite way to cook these sweet bursts of sunshine? Slow roasting them in a warm, luxurious bath of olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlic. This method is called a confit (pronounced con-FEE ), which is a culinary technique where an ingredient is slow cooked in liquid fat. And when I say slow cooked, there's an emphasis on the world slow – as this recipe needs 2-3 hours in the oven.

That being said, this couldn't be easier to prep – just toss your cherry tomatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, herbs, garlic, and some flaky sea salt. The end result is a bevy of cherry tomatoes bursting with juicy, caramelized sweetness – not to mention the leftover olive oil that's infused with glorious tomato-garlic-herb-iness. The slow roasted tomatoes (and the aforementioned infused olive oil) are fabulous on toasted bruschetta, incorporated in bright summer salads, topped on warm ricotta or polenta, or served alongside grilled meats, fish, or chicken. The recipe (which was slightly adapted from the wonderful blog ful-filled) is very forgiving, so feel free to change it up / use what you have on hand. 

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SLOW ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO CONFIT

CHERRY TOMATO CONFIT

PREP + COOK TIME:

Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Flaky sea salt

    • Instructions:
    1. Pre-heat oven to 275F.
    2. Fill a rimmed baking tray with whole cherry tomatoes. Add olive oil, garlic, thyme, and rosemary to the tray and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
    3. Roast, uncovered for 2-3 hours until the tomatoes are swollen and the skins are wrinkled (total time will depend on the size of your tomatoes).
    4. Cool tomato mixture to room temperature, discard the rosemary, thyme, and garlic (this lengthens the shelf life of the tomatoes). Store tomatoes with oil and accumulated pan juices in an airtight container (I use mason jars) in refrigerator up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 2 months. Bring tomatoes to room temperature before serving (as the olive oil will harden in the fridge/freezer).