Prep Time- 10 minutes | Cook Time- 2-4 hrs+ | Makes about 2-4 Cups
LOW AND SLOW roasted tomatoes for Next-Level caprese sandwiches, sauces, or soups!
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes (you pick: 8 roma tomato’s or similar size OR 2 Cups of cherry tomatoes or similar sized. Basically, will you choose to roast either a very small tomato, or a medium size tomato. I have not tried this with very large tomatoes yet).
- 1/4 Cup EVOO (more or less)
- 3-4 Cloves of Garlic– minced
- 1 Tsp dried Thyme
- 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes (more or less per preference)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
* See notes at the bottom for ingredient alternatives and other ideas!
Instructions:
1- Gather all ingredients and set the oven to 200°F (or about 93°C) and mince your garlic. Gather a baking sheet and a wire rack that fits on the baking sheet (if you don’t have a rack, it’s fine to go without, but don’t line the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil).
2- For the very small tomatoes: you can choose to leave them whole or cut them in half long ways (I cut them).
For the medium sized tomatoes: you will cut them long ways in half, and you can choose to cut them long ways again if they are on the larger side. There is no harm in leaving them larger, but they may need to roast longer.
3- Mix your tomatoes in a large bowl with some salt and let them sit for about 5- 10 to allow excess moisture to get drained out. Do not skip this step by just squeezing out the seedy areas- this is not necessarily the excess moisture you are looking to remove.
Once ready, put them in a colander and gently shake and toss the tomatoes so that the excess moisture drips out (over your sink), then take a paper towel (or kitchen towel) and gently pat the tomatoes dry, and dry off the bowl they were in. Put the tomatoes back into the bowl.
4- Add all the other ingredients and make sure all the tomatoes are well coated. Place them cut side UP into the wire rack or directly onto the baking sheet. I like to make sure to scrape out all the seasoning and minced garlic bits and put them on top of the tomatoes.
5- Place the tomatoes in the center of the oven and roast: small cherry sized tomatoes will roast for about 2 hours, medium roma sized tomatoes will roast about 3-4 hours. They should not be blackened but they should shrivel a bit. If they are larger, or have a lot of moisture they will take a little longer to roast. I have had a batch of roma tomatoes roast almost 5 hours before I deemed them acceptably roasted. This is a LOW AND SLOW process that should not be rushed. Make sure you have the TIME to make these before you begin.
6- Let them cool and store them with all the oil in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 3 weeks, if they last that long HAH.
NOTES:
WAYS TO ENJOY– In a salad, on a sandwich, add to soups or casseroles, add to pasta or any kind of red sauce, enjoy with charcuterie on a cracker… Our favorite way to enjoy these are on a nice warmed ciabatta role, with some pesto, arugula, fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. YUM!
ALTERNATIVES– You can use as much or as little garlic, or spices as you like- the only one that really matters to me in the end is the salt. You can use fresh or dried herbs, and play around with different flavors. You can also try using large tomatoes and tell me how that works!
