How to Make: Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Bring the flavor back to out-of-season tomatoes by roasting them.

The summer bounty of tomatoes is officially over. And well, it has been for quite awhile.

I know if I were to truly eat local–or seasonally, at the very least–I would eschew tomatoes until next summer. However, sometimes a girl just wants to buy some fresh tomatoes, even if they did have to travel a far piece to get to my local grocery store.

And okay, more often than not, the taste of those out-of-season tomatoes is terrible given the long journey they had to make.

The best way to rejuvenate and concentrate that tomato taste? Roast them in the oven. I love how a little olive oil, salt, and pepper renders nearly-tasteless tomatoes into delicious candy-like treats. (Okay, that may be overstating it slightly, but a caramelized tomatoes is truly tasty.)

I like to add these tomatoes to a simple pasta dish tossed with olive oil and fresh mozzarella. Or they are delicious on their own as a savory-sweet snack, too.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes (printer-friendly version)
makes about one cup

1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the tomatoes on a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Shake the pan gently to evenly coat the tomatoes in oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, until the tomatoes are soft.
4. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to one week.

(lightly adapted from this Barefoot Contessa recipe)