Easy Tomato Confit ~ sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme.
If you find yourself with a bucket of cherry, grape, heirloom or any other small sweet tomatoes in abundance, this is a terrific way to preserve the fruit for later use. Confit, often associated with duck, means to preserve in fat or oil. Here the tomatoes are slow roasted at a low oven temperature just until they start to burst. There is just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan and keep the garlic from drying out. The oil soaks up the flavors from the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and crushed red pepper so be sure to keep every last drop!
Tomato confit will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks or you can freeze a jar for up to 2 months. Come October, I’ll be thrilled to thaw out a jar of these tasty tomatoes. The tomatoes are a terrific addition to any sandwich, especially grilled cheese. You can toss the tomatoes and oil in a bowl of hot pasta, or use them as a topping on a naan pizza for a quick appetizer or light dinner.
We served the Tomato Confit on toasted baguette slices topped with goat cheese for a super easy, flavorful appetizer. Use orange or red tomatoes, or a combination of both. We are covered up with grape tomatoes so that’s what I used here, with terrific results!
Tomato confit is just a little different than slow roasted tomatoes. The confit tomatoes are not cut in half, and in the end, are a lot more juicy . They’re also cooked in olive oil instead of being lightly coated. This ends up being more like a sauce of whole tomatoes covered in a garlic and thyme infused oil that tastes absolutely amazing. Be sure to have extra bread on hand for dipping.
The uses for tomato confit are only limited by our imagination. While I wouldn’t put it in my oatmeal, I may have it on my morning toast with eggs!
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Sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme.
- 3 pounds grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 12 cloves garlic, sliced or crushed (less is cloves are large)
- handful of fresh, tender thyme sprigs
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spread the tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet. They should just about fill the pan in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and sugar. Toss gently to coat.
Add the garlic to the pan making sure it is in the olive oil. If the oil does not cover the bottom of the pan, add a little more so there are no dry spots. Add the thyme sprigs under the tomatoes so they are also in the oil. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until some of the tomatoes have burst.
Cool to room temperature. Spoon the tomatoes into jars, discard the thyme sprigs, then pour the garlic, oil and any tomato juices into the jars to cover the tomatoes.
Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze for up to two months. Serve as a topping for bruschetta, with goat cheese or ricotta. Use as a topping for pizzas, or toss with hot pasta for a delicious dinner. Great on grilled cheese sandwiches too!
Thanks Cooking Light for the inspiration!
Looking for a few more ways to use up your summer tomatoes? We crave this Tomato Cobbler and can’t wait to make it every summer. Our Spicy Summer Tomato Jam is a fantastic topping for just about anything – but especially smeared on a grilled cheese sandwich! Love this Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce from FoodieCrush and this amazing Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho from Sue at The View from Great Island. And if in doubt about what to do with all those tomatoes, put them in a pie – like this gorgeous Fresh Tomato Tart from A Spicy Perspective.
We love our wide mouth Weck Jars for recipes like this! Click on the photo for more information:
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Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a terrific weekend.
Tricia
1/4 of a teaspoon of crushed red pepper, is this chilli or bell pepper or something else ?
Hi Helen. The label on the spice jar just reads Crushed Red Pepper. It is dried chili peppers – here’s a link that might help. Thanks for the great question! Click HERE
My garden is bursting with cherry tomatoes right now and I am so exciting to try your recipe, Tricia! Mouth-watering photos!
Yeah – I know you’re going to love it Susan – thanks so much!
Roasting brings out the best in tomatoes. You list so many ways to use this confit and they all sound delicious! With grilled cheese or tossed on pasta sound especially wonderful to me.
I agree Wendy. Going to have some of these tomatoes over pasta tonight. Love how easy it is to prepare, and eat!
Looks yummy!????????????
Can this tomato prep be canned? If so, how long in a warm water bath, please?
Thanks!????
Hi Lorna – So sorry but I don’t know the answer to that question – it’s the olive oil that may be a factor. I’m sorry! Have you ever canned anything preserved in olive oil? I made a very good tomato jam that can be canned. You can find it HERE. Let me know if you try it and I’ll add it to the notes. Thanks!
This is one of those “greater than the sum of its parts” recipes. Yes with eggs. GREG
You are right Greg – that sums it up!
Great idea Tricia, looks delicious.
Thanks Larry 🙂
It seems the only tomatoes I’m getting are the wee ones! This would be perfect for those! Great idea and I can’t wait to try it this weekend!
Sorry about the wee maters Abbe – but they’ll be great in this confit! Have a lovely weekend.
Beautiful clics!!
Not a banner tomato yr here..
almost fall..almost all summer:(
I cannot remember a worse one..:(
Thank you Monique! Sorry about your tomatoes – but your flowers have been outstanding! Hope the garlic did well this year too 🙂
I can think of so many ways to use your tomato confit and I will definitely make it . Pinned!
Thank you Gerlinde! Hope you’re having a fantastic trip 🙂 We need photos!
Looks delicious! Now I know what I’m doing with those leftover cherry tomatoes in the fridge 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Tara – this is a great way to use up ripe tomatoes and still enjoy them! Thanks for stopping by!
I wish we had a decent tomato crop! But there’s always the farmers’ market!!! This confit sounds divine!
Tomatoes are great some years and others we can’t get a descent sandwich out of the whole lot! Hope you find some sweet little tomatoes to try this confit. Thanks Liz!
So lovely! I can think of dozens of uses for these lovely tomatoes 🙂 Will be making up a few jars of these!
Me too Jennifer – yeah! I hope you love this confit too 🙂
This looks and sounds heavenly and I think it will go just perfectly with toast and eggs !
Thanks Linda – so tasty!
My goodness, do these ever look delicious! Your photos are beautiful, and I am with you – I’d be one happy camper to pull a jar of these out of the freezer come October. Pinned and tweeted!
Thanks Monica – vegetables are such fun to shoot!
I have a whole bowlful of little plum shaped yellow tomatoes and it gets replenished every day. Now I know what to do with some of my bounty. This looks wonderful!!
Thanks Chris 🙂 I bet you have some beautiful tomatoes from your perfect garden!
One of my favorite ways to preserve tomatoes!!
Me too Pam – thanks!
Yes! Tomatoes. I would love to add these on my over easy eggs for breakfast.
Exactly Calleigh! These are great on everything and for any meal of the day!
Yikes this looks and sounds delicious ~ and such a nice way to preserve those gorgeous summer tomatoes. I’ve done this with sliced tomatoes, but i really like how you’ve left them whole, that just makes for a juicier bite!
Very juicy tomatoes Sue – but I love that part 🙂 Thank you!
Fresh from your own garden, this confit must be extremely delicious!
It has loads of flavor Angie – love your beautiful tomato tart recipe today! That is a must make for me 🙂