No matter the season, roasted vine tomatoes are a picnic champion.
Let’s face it, even though summer is the season for gorgeous homegrown tomatoes, vine tomatoes are available all year round.
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Ways to Use Roasted Tomatoes
While these sweet little gems make a lovely addition to salads and sandwiches as they are, roasting them takes them to a whole different level.
Much like grilled or roasted peppers, I love having roasted vine tomatoes on hand in the fridge. They are so easy to make, bursting with concentrated flavor, and have many uses, especially as picnic food.
Let’s look at the myriad of ways roasted vine tomatoes will jazz up your picnic food.
- Add them to salads for a delicious flavor boost: They are especially great in make-ahead salads that do well after soaking in acidic juices. Some salad ideas are Herbed Cous Cous and Tofu Salad. They make a great addition to pasta salad recipes, as the juices impart loads of flavor into the pasta when allowed to sit. Try it with my Arugula and Chickpea Pasta Salad or Pesto Orzo Salad.
- Add them To Sandwiches: I use them in my Roast Beef Sandwich for the added flavor. They also make a great addition to a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich or Pesto Caprese Sandwich as an alternative to fresh tomatoes.
- Whip them up into a picnic soup or a sauce. You can also use them to make a Mexican Salsa Roja Sauce instead of blackening Roma tomatoes on a griddle; the flavor will be just as good.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Optional Addition of Garlic: I include whole garlic cloves (unpeeled) to roast with the tomatoes. You don’t have to add it, or you can add an herb of your choice, such as fresh thyme, during the roasting process.
I find adding the garlic imparts great flavor during the cooking, and the roasted garlic makes a great addition to salad dressings, like my Broccoli Potato Salad with Roast Garlic Vinaigrette, squeezed and spread over bread with the roasted tomatoes or even peeled and tossed through salad.
Add Balsamic: If you want sweet and sticky roasted tomatoes, drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, along with the olive oil and salt, before roasting.
Tomato Varieties: You can experiment with different tomato varieties, such as plum or cherry tomatoes on the vine. If possible, I prefer a slightly larger vine tomato to the tiny sweet cherry tomatoes—something like a vine plum tomato. I find they roast better and hold on to the vine better after cooking. They also have a more robust flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
I have used plum vine tomatoes, but this recipe applies to any kind of tomatoes. Cooking times will vary for the larger tomatoes.
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375℉
Step 2: Wash the tomatoes carefully and keep them on the vine.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes and garlic cloves (if you choose to use garlic) to a baking tray
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Step 4: Roast for around 20 minutes or until the tomatoes look shrunken and soft and the skin starts to crack. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your tomatoes.
If roasting with garlic, ensure the garlic cloves – still in their skin are soft in the centre.
Step 5: Remove the tomatoes and garlic from the oven and carefully transfer them to a serving dish or an airtight container until ready to use. Do not drop the tomatoes from the vine unless you want to remove them before serving.
When transferring to an airtight container, pour the tomato juices from the bottom of the pan into the container with the tomatoes.
Recipe FAQs
Stored in an airtight container, I recommend using your roasted tomatoes within 5 days. If you want to keep them longer, preserve them in a sterilized jar covered in olive oil. They should last up to two weeks in the fridge.
If you preserve them and have included garlic as per the recipe, remove the garlic before preserving them. It may contaminate them and lessen their shelf life.
Expert Tips
Drain the Juices: After roasting, there will be juices in the pan. Make sure you retain these juices. The tomato juices make a flavorful addition to salad dressings or can be added to a dish with a splash of olive oil and balsamic as a bread dipper.
Freezing Roasted Tomatoes: If you have made a big batch, you can freeze them. They won’t retain the same texture but will hold all their flavor. Great for adding to dips, sauces, frittatas, etc.
Simply remove them from the vine, spread them out on a cookie sheet, and freeze them so they don’t stick together. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a zip lock bag or store them in a container with baking paper separating the layers.
Related Recipes
Did you try these Roasted Vine Tomatoes?
Please leave me a ⭐ rating below and let me know in the comments how you enjoyed them.
Roasted Vine Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces vine tomatoes. - More or less depending on your needs.
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher or flaky sea salt
- 6-8 whole garlic cloves - skin on *optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉
- Wash the tomatoes being careful to keep them on the vine.
- Add the tomatoes and garlic cloves (if you choose to use garlic) to a baking tray
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Roast for around 20 minutes or until the tomatoes look shrunken and soft and you can see the skin starting to crack. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your tomatoes.
- Make sure the garlic cloves – still in their skin are soft in the centre.
- Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the tomatoes and garlic to an airtight container until ready to use. Try not to drop the tomatoes from the vine unless you plan on removing them before serving.
- When transferring to an airtight container, pour the tomatoes juices from the bottom of the pan in the container with the tomatoes.
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