How to Oven-Roast Tomatoes

Dry extra tomatoes in the oven.

Oven-roasting tomatoes is a great way to use up a harvest at the end of the season or make the most out of ho-hum produce once the peak growing season has ended. It coaxes out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, perfumes your home and gives you a wow-worthy base for sauces. These tomatoes can be kept for a couple of days in the refrigerator and need to go in the freezer if you want to keep them around longer. Use them on sandwiches or salads, or puree with a little water to form a paste to use in sauces.

Things You'll Need

• Baking sheet
• Cooking spray
• Small bowl
• 3 cups of any tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Dried herbs, such as tarragon, thyme, basil or oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 F. Wash and dry the tomatoes.

2. Halve miniature tomatoes. Core and slice larger tomatoes into chunks.

3. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add herbs, garlic and sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the tomatoes and distribute the seasonings.

4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with foil or parchment. Arrange the tomatoes in the pan, skin-side down.

5. Oven-roast the tomatoes 40 to 60 minutes, or until shriveled and lightly charred. Smaller tomatoes will dry faster, so start watching them after about 30 minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose tomatoes that are not over-ripe or overly juicy.

• Seasonings will better adhere to tomatoes when they're dry.