Aug 10 2010
Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes
With the abundance of cherry tomatoes growing in our garden, we had to come up with different ways to eat it or we’d be left with rotten tomatoes! One of my favorite ingredients to add great flavor to dishes is sun-dried tomatoes. They really stand out in pasta salads or as a topping to pizza. To make the most out of our harvest, we made a huge batch of oven-dried tomatoes that took about 4 hours to dry and turned out to be the best dried tomatoes I’ve ever had! I just figured drying it out in the oven will be more sanitary than leaving it out in the sun for dirt and bugs to get to it. It still results in the same awesome flavor… and of course, it definitely helps to use fresh and tasty tomatoes with the right kind of seasonings.
On a baking sheet, we halved our cherry tomatoes along with garlic cloves and drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled a blend of Italian seasonings on it with some salt and pepper. We popped it into a 225-degree oven and slowly dried it for about 3-4 hours. The time will depend on how juicy your tomatoes are. Just keep an eye on it every so often.
They should look like this when it's done, all shriveled up and ready to be eaten. The seasonings really gets absorbed into each tomato and the dehydration process just makes the flavors very concentrated. And yes, they still keep their nutritional value!
We made little appetizers to eat with our home-made Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes. We simply took a pita bread and cut them into triangles, then added freshly grated smoked gouda cheese and topped it with the tomatoes. We crisped up the bread and melted the cheese in a toaster oven to achieve a delectable appetizer to enjoy.
If you prefer goat cheese like me, then you can spread it on to the crispy pita and top it with the oven-dried tomatoes for a delicious treat. If you don't have pita bread on hand, you can just use crackers. Either way, you will never want to eat store-bought sun-dried tomatoes again when you can make fresher ones that taste 10x better. To preserve it, just add olive oil to the jar. Another good idea: make a lot, jar it, and give it away as gifts! Who wouldn't appreciate that?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by G4R – Jeanne, The Food Addicts. The Food Addicts said: Oven-Dried Cherry Tomatoes http://goo.gl/fb/M82px [...]
What a wonderful idea! They are the perfect bite-sized flavor additions for pizza, pasta, etc. Will be trying this!
.-= Alisa´s last blog ..Peanut Butter Truffles and Cheap PB Cup Molds =-.
Wish my cherry tomato plant was at fruitfull that it would be worth doing this. Great idea.
.-= Evelyne@cheapethniceatz´s last blog ..Raspberry Heaven =-.
Fabulous idea! We have soooo many cherry and grape tomatoes that we will definitely be trying this one. Thank you!
.-= Chris and Amy´s last blog ..Cocktail Time! The Milan Mule =-.
DELICIOUS! Oh my, so beautiful!
What an awesome idea, just fab!
.-= CC Recipe´s last blog ..Crispy Roasted Edamame =-.
They look just perfect, and you’re right about them making great gifts but I think it may be a little hard to part with them, no? Maybe make up some batches that aren’t quite so goodlooking so it’s not too hard to give them away
Fingers crossed I get enough tomatoes on my (yet ungrown) plants once we get some warm weather!
.-= Conor @ HoldtheBeef´s last blog ..When the going gets tough- the tough get vegan =-.
Yummy! I love sun-dried tomatoes..and these sounds even more delicious!
I have to hit the farmers markets when I return and make these again…it is a slow process, and they are good smoked too! Slow grill, very wet wood, and watch…YUMMY on these!
.-= Chef E´s last blog ..Warning Steak Lovers =-.
looks delicious
.-= torviewtoronto´s last blog ..Cucumber salad with yogurt =-.
This is great! Wonderful way to preserve summer treats
.-= Magic of Spice´s last blog ..Express-ive Meals – Whole Baby Clam Fettucine with Butter Sauce =-.
I was just wondering if you could make oven dried cherry or grape tomatoes… now I know! I love the colors.
.-= Dana´s last blog ..Easy Couscous Salad =-.
Great idea. Too bad my cherry tomatoes are still green.
Now this looks great I’ll try this, I’m thinking on pizza, yummy
.-= Gail´s last blog ..Commercial Kitchen Swinging Doors =-.
They look fantastic! It’s going to take some willpower to keep from scarfing all of ours down before they make it to the oven but worth the effort!
.-= Ruth´s last blog ..Week 11 – Halfway Point =-.
I meant to make some oven-dried tomatoes last summer, but never got around to it. You make it sound so easy. These pretty little appetizers looks fantastic!
Nice way to prepare the tomatoes and I like the pita wedges even more!
.-= Chris´s last blog ..Chimichurri Steak Kebabs & Cilantro Lime Rice =-.
Great recipe, I am bookmarking for future reference!
.-= fooddreamer´s last blog ..Wet Digital Camera with a Side of Dry Rice =-.
The oven must have concentrated the essence of cherry tomatoes so well
Wow….great idea to make your own sun dried tomatoes. Thanks very much for sharing.
.-= MaryMoh´s last blog ..Spicy Aromatic Baked Chicken =-.
What a coincidence! I made a batch yesterday–just with olive oil and salt. They were lovely and I put them on a platter of roasted vegetables for dinner. But my family decided that while they were really good, they were too tart-tasting to eat on their own. I love your ideas–the cheeses and the pita will make them perfect. Thank you.
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Grilled Artichokes with Soy Mayonnaise =-.
This is a great idea. I had so many last year I was giving them away.
In an effort to eat better, I’ve been searching for delicious ways to utilize the vegetables from our garden. These look amazing! You’ve inspired me and now I have a batch in the oven. I’m using regular-sized tomatoes, but I’m hopeful they’ll turn out yummy, too. Thank you for inspiring me!
I’m definintely going to recommend this oven dried tomatoe to Ma-Sa-Man’s Bakery BKK for their use on their pizza. After all, they have a large bakery style oven and it makes a world of difference to a pizza. Thanx
Mmmmm…that looks good! I’ve grown to like tomatoes over the years! Thanks for the recipe!
.-= Kung Food Panda´s last blog ..Test Kitchen- Red Medicine By Jordan Kahn Los Angeles =-.
These look amazing! I must try this!
.-= The Budget Socialite´s last blog ..10 Great Drugstore Beauty Finds Under 10 bucks! =-.
I just made these and they are amazing! lke eating candies.
.-= Rita´s last blog ..Sweet Corn! =-.
Again, beautiful food. I’m going to try these, but I want to add in some spice–maybe some cayenne or something, and see how the combo works. As they are, though, they look delicious.
.-= Edmund Mokhtarian´s last blog ..Ray’s Hell Burger =-.
Edmund,
What a great idea! They were so rich and flavorful why not add a kick to them. We love spicy food so this would be a great addition.
Daniel@The Food Addicts
your oven-dried tomatoes look so beautiful!
I do exactly the same thing every fall with my load of extra garden tomatoes. I posted about it last fall (under preserves in my recipe index). Mine are a little wetter, on purpose, but either way, they ROCK!
)
I love to see how people to things similar to me, yet differently. (Here I thought I was the only oven roasting genius
I learn so much that way. Thanks! These look deadly!
Valerie
PS – I actually have some in the oven as we speak.
.-= A Canadian Foodie´s last blog ..Floating Islands- Snenokle in the former Yugoslavia =-.
Great idea! I’v been loving the heirloom tomatoes at every meal. How long do you suspect over dried tomatoes will keep in the fridge?
Can you give me the canning process for this recipe? Did you can them?
Thanks!
Andrea,
We did not end up canning them. They tasted so good we had nothing left over to can with. After you dried the tomatoes you can store them in olive oil if needed. You just want to make sure you are working with sterile equipment when canning.
Daniel@ The Food Addicts
A friend just posted this on fb. I love the thought. We have so many small tomatoes growing I just didn’t know what to do with them.
I would like to save these in a jar when they are done being oven dried. I saw where you said they can be stored in olive oil. Could you explain to me how you would do that?
I’m new to fresh homegrown gardens! lol
Thanks so much!
Hi Toni,
If you follow 3 basic rules to storing tomatoes in a jar you will have no problem
1. Ensure the jar is clean. I suggest cleaning the jar and lid with soap and water. Then boil the jar and lid in hot water. Let cool before filling with tomatoes.
2. When storing tomatoes make sure the tomatoes are fully covered with oil. This will protect the tomatoes from being exposed to oxygen which could promote bacteria growth.
3. Refrigerate tomatoes.
Let me know how it turns out,
Daniel@ The Food Addicts
[...] I made a corn salsa with those tomatoes and some of the peppers, and I oven dried the rest like this recipe. The green beans and the lima beans were blanched and put in the freezer. I also put up some okra [...]
Looking forward to making these! Do you know about how long they last jarred w/ olive oil and refrigerated? Do they also freeze well?