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Easy Tomato Confit (Garden-to-Table)

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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. www.savingdessert.com

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!

 

Sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme. www.savingdessert.com

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.

 

Sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme. www.savingdessert.com

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!

 

Sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme. www.savingdessert.com

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.

 

Sweet summer tomatoes are slow cooked in the oven with olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a handful of fresh thyme. www.savingdessert.com

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. www.savingdessert.com

 

Easy Tomato Confit

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
Yield: 12
Course: Appetizer
Author: Tricia
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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.  

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  • 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!

Recipe Notes

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:

The small print: If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you have a terrific weekend.

Tricia

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40 Comments

    • Tricia Buice says

      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!

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