Roasted tomatoes seem to always be lurking in my kitchen. I use them in soups, tuck them into panini and top them on bruschetta. They are both sweet and savory and can be used in a myriad of dishes. The beauty of this recipe is your tomatoes don’t have to be ripe to end up with gorgeous roasted ‘maters. My experience with grocery store tomatoes, and sometimes even the ones purchased at farmer’s markets, is a usually a huge disappointment. No flavor and a dry, mealy texture is the norm today. This recipe forgives the gassed tomato and the farmer that dared tout his product as “vine ripe from the farm”. Let me make clear though, nothing, but nothing, will save the rock hard, pale pink fruit if it is carted to market before it’s time.
But your average grocery store tomato will sing when prepared this way. I serve it as a side along side other vegetable dishes and my family is happy, happy. Any leftovers are roughly chopped and made into soup or bruschetta. The flavors ripen with a bit of time so the following day these roasted tomatoes are sublime…warm, hot or cold. They’re great on homemade pizza, in omelets and salads. Juicy and full of flavor, they pair well with grilled beef and fish, as well as grilled zucchini and stuffed into grilled portobello mushrooms. Over pasta? You’ll think you died and went to heaven. I hope you try these. So good and so easy!
Herb Roasted Tomatoes
- 12 plum tomatoes
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme or herbes of provence
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 5 or 6 fresh thyme sprigs
- Pre-heat oven to 400°.
- Slice tomatoes lengthwise in half, slice out the core if you wish. I leave it as it softens and sweetens as it roasts.
- Hold one half over the sink, cut side up and run your index finger through the tomato sections, scooping out and discarding the seeds and finish by placing in a large bowl. Continue until all the tomato halves have been seeded. Set aside.
- In a small bowl combine garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and olive oil and mix well.
- Pour the garlic mixture over the seeded tomatoes and, using your hands, toss well making certain the garlic and herbs cover all surfaces of the seeded tomatoes.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil and cover with non-stick spray.
- Place the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet. Pour any garlic-olive oil mixture over the tomato halves and scatter the fresh thyme sprigs randomly over the tomatoes.
- Bake 45-55 minutes.
- Serve immediately or cool completely, store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
The Irreverent Kitchen 
This Meemaw” Snowbird” just made a pan of these here in Fort Lauderdale…and I stuck them in the frig last week and forgot about them! I’ll pull them out tomorrow and do SOMETHING with them…I promise! (LOVE your blog…Would love to meet you this winter!)
I know you will! Keep me posted as to what you’ll do with them. Oh, the possibilities!