I am taking no extra credit for this exceptionally simple and lovely recipe which was inspired by, and based on blog posts by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen and Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks. They do everything so beautifully–perfect food styling, perfect lighting and in the case of Deb Perelman, self-depreciating, humorous prose. No wonder they’re getting cookbook deals left and right. I’m posting this because I just want to make sure that all the rest of us have a recipe for roasted tomatoes. My requirements? It has to be simple and just as good as the big-time food blogger versions, but accessible. For most of us, 2 pounds of heirloom tomatoes are basically unavailable. That would cost about $45, wouldn’t it? So, that is my main adjustment to Heidi Swanson’s recipe. Deb Perlman roasted her tomatoes for 4 hours. The low heat was a good thing, keeps the house cool, and all. But the 4 hours is not workable—I get home from work about 6 and I’m not up for hitting the kitchen immediately, not to hunker down for supper at 10 p.m. Whether you have heirloom tomatoes from your own back yard [we would, if the squirrels weren’t eating them all], some organic grower, or, like me today, 2 pints of Minnesota grown grape tomatoes in clear cubic plastic boxes from the closest grocery, purchased for less than $2 a pop– you can and you should be roasting tomatoes. 
So good. So easy. No spendy fruit or 4-hour cooking window required. These babies go wonderfully on burgers, in sandwiches, on pizza, in salads or pasta, or on their own. 
Roasted Tomatoes – 1 hour, 350 degrees
Wonderful on Salads, Pasta, Pizza, Sandwiches and on their own.
Ingredients:
2 pints of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, halved top to bottom
A few tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Optional:
Sprigs of fresh Thyme or Rosemary, Parsley or Basil
4-5 cloves of Garlic, unpeeled
Method:
Place oven rack in top 2/3 of oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Half the tomatoes and toss lightly in oil until just glistening.
Arrange tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Season tomatoes and add herbs, aromatics and whole, unpeeled cloves as desired.
Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until partly dried out, sweet, juicy and tender. Store extra roasted tomatoes for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator, covered in olive oil.
ooo, that first picture is gorgeous. definitely putting this on the menu for next week! 🙂 oh and I LOVE that the garlic roasts itself in its little shell…YUM.
This recipe is on regular rotation for me, all year long, but especially in the summer months.
These look delicious! Thank you for “simplifying” the recipe for us ordinary folks with less time (and money!). Can’t wait to try it out! 🙂
If you try it out, let me know how it goes. It is so easy, and has only a few ingredients, with stunning results. Perfect for someone who is just getting into cooking. 🙂
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Wonderful! I made a huge batch with all the tomatoes from our garden…can I freeze this?
Hi Jan,
I am just days away from a tomato boom in my backyard, and I can’t wait to make this dish again. I am not a food preservation expert, but I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to freeze roasted tomatoes. I would probably use a quart-size freezer bag so that I can thaw one portion at a time. I would also recommend using the frozen package within a few months. With so much moisture in tomatoes, they tend to form ice crystals and go down in quality if you keep them too long. I hope you enjoy them, and have a very nice July.
Meg