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Roasted cherry tomatoes are quick, easy, and turn into caramelized morsels, bursting with sweet, concentrated flavor. Pair with garlic, herbs, and balsamic vinegar for the ultimate summer appetizer, side, or topping you can enjoy in just 30 minutes!
Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic, Balsamic, + Herbs
There’s no vegetable we can think of from the top of our heads that doesn’t benefit from roasting. However, whereas roasting asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts may help to bring out their flavor and add subtle caramelization and crispiness, the transformation between raw and oven-roasted tomatoes is mind-blowing.
Why? Because roasting cherry tomatoes is the perfect way to bring out their natural sweetness and cook away some of the liquid for a concentrated flavor that turns them into tender, flavorful morsels quite literally bursting with flavor. Even your veggie-wary family members might enjoy these.
Combined with garlic, fresh herbs, and balsamic, these baked cherry tomatoes may even outshine the rest of your breakfast, brunch, and dinner table! So whether you have a glut of tomatoes to use or need a way to bring life back to out-of-season or slightly old tomatoes, get ready to fall in love with these garlic and balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes!
The Ingredients
- Tomatoes: While we’ve focused on cherry tomatoes this time, you can use this method for roasted grape tomatoes, mini plum tomatoes, and other similar-sized mini tomatoes.
- Olive oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil if you can, as the combination of EVOO and tomatoes increases nutrient and antioxidant absorption.
- Garlic: Don’t be shy with the garlic cloves. Roasting will mellow their flavor.
- Fresh herbs: We used a combination of minced basil and Italian parsley, but you could use just one. Other herbs that pair well with baked cherry tomatoes include thyme, rosemary, or even dried Italian seasoning.
- Seasonings: You only need a little sea salt to help the baked cherry tomatoes flavor shine. Add red pepper flakes for some spice, if preferred.
- Balsamic vinegar: Roasted balsamic tomatoes are a heavenly thing. The vinegar will caramelize and sweeten in the oven while providing bright flavor and depth. However, omit the vinegar if preferred.
What Else Could I Add to Oven Roasted Tomatoes?
You could add to the roasted cherry tomatoes recipe in several ways, including adding:
- Black pepper—to season
- Bell peppers—finely chopped for extra flavor
- Pitted black olives
- Nutritional yeast (or a shreddable vegan parmesan)—for ‘cheesy’ flavor
How to Roast Cherry Tomatoes
Follow just four fuss-free steps for this recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes.
- 1) First, preheat the oven to 375F/190C and prepare either a parchment paper-lined baking tray or a high-sided baking dish.
- 2) Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes in half (or leave them whole), chop or mince the garlic, and mince the fresh herbs (keep some aside for garnishing the roasted cherry tomatoes).
- 3) Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss well to combine.
- 4) Transfer to the prepared baking tray in a single layer, and roast the cherry tomatoes in the oven for 25 minutes, until tender.
What to Serve With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes?
You can enjoy oven roasted cherry tomatoes warm or at room temperature in dozens of ways. It’s become one of our favorite sides to pair with practically any meal. We particularly enjoy these roasted balsamic tomatoes with:
- Focaccia or crusty bread—for dipping/spreading, like a bruschetta appetizer
- Over avocado toast
- Over pasta (like pesto pasta) or zoodles
- With rice and risotto
- With savory oatmeal or polenta
- In vegan sandwiches, wraps, and burgers
- Alongside scrambled tofu, in vegan omelettes, savory crepes, etc.
- Turn into a pasta sauce
- Add to salads—like caprese salad, leafy salads, and buddha bowls
- To garnish hummus, white bean dip, and other dips
FAQs
Cherry tomatoes are packed with vitamins C and K, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. Even better, though, when cooked in olive oil, the antioxidant lycopene is more easily absorbed by our bodies.
Air fryer cherry tomatoes are simple, delicious, and take less than 15 minutes to cook. Line the air fryer with parchment paper/foil (with sides to catch juices). Air fry at 400F/200C for 12-15 minutes.
A quick 25-30 minutes of roasting is perfect for enhancing the flavor and creating juicy flavor bombs. Slow roasting, though, reduces the temperature and increases the cooking time to up to 2+ hours, really concentrating the flavor while cooking out excess liquid for even sweeter, more flavorful, but ‘chewier’ tomatoes.
Top Recipe Tips
- Roast whole or halved: Whole roasted cherry tomatoes tend to burst so they don’t look as pretty but taste great.
- Don’t discard the roasting liquid: This is packed with flavor and can be served with the tomatoes or separately for dipping with bread, over pasta or rice, etc.
- To add a smoky flavor: Use the broiler on the oven roasted tomatoes right at the end.
Storage Instructions
Allow the roasted balsamic tomatoes to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze the oven roasted tomatoes in freezer bags or containers for 4-6 months. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight when needed.
To reheat them, either add them directly into the pan when cooking or reheat them in the microwave (1-2 minutes), oven (at 350 degrees F until warm), or stovetop. If they seem a little dry, add a splash of water and note they will fall apart more while reheating.
More Vegan Tomato Recipes
- Stuffed tomatoes
- Sweet tomato chutney
- Creamy vegan tomato basil soup
- Spicy tomato basil pasta
- Vegan tomato bisque
- Tomato mushroom polenta
- Pasta, bean, and tomato soup
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups of halved cherry tomatoes
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of minced Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon of minced basil
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- ¼-½ teaspoon of salt (depends on your saltiness preference)
- ¼-½ teaspoon of red chili flakes (optional for spice)
- Fresh minced basil and minced Italian parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and thoroughly mix together
- Place the tomato mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until all the tomatoes look roasted.
Notes
- Roast whole or halved: Whole roasted cherry tomatoes tend to burst so they don’t look as pretty but taste great.
- Don’t discard the roasting liquid: This is packed with flavor and can be served with the tomatoes or separately for dipping with bread, over pasta or rice, etc.
- To add a smoky flavor: Use the broiler on the oven roasted tomatoes right at the end.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
These tomatoes are amazing, especially if using your own cherry tomatoes from the garden or from the farmer’s market. Yum!
Right?! So fresh and simple to whip up too!
These roasted tomatoes have such a wonderful flavor and texture … so delicious!
Right?! The flavor is so spot on!
This recipe would be so good to avoid wasting oldish cherry tomatoes!
Definitely a great way to use up cherry tomatoes!
Love these roasted tomatoes served on top of some crusty bread—so yummy!
Oooo love that combo! Will have to try that out soon!
Love how flavorful these roasted tomatoes turned out!