Sometimes, there are so many things to do. I’ve still been making enough time to cook recently, but some things just keep slipping through the cracks, like the bananas sitting on the counter waiting to be turned into bread, or the granola I’ve been meaning to make for a month.
Have you had one of these weeks recently? Or maybe one of these months, where everything seems super hectic, day after day? You’re certainly not alone.
This recipe for oven-dried tomatoes almost fell to the wayside with all of my busy-ness, but thankfully I got to them before they went bad. I bought the big container of grape tomatoes from Costco with this recipe in mind, and I would have really hated to see them rot!
The funny thing is that I kept putting it off, thinking it would take too much time to make these. But it was really the easiest thing in the world to do.
It does take awhile for all of the liquid to evaporate, but they can hang out in the oven while you make dinner, prep for the next day, eat dessert, and get ready for bed. Just a few hours after some quick prep, you’ve got some uber-tasty dried tomatoes on your hands, perfect for adding to hummus or pasta with chicken, asparagus, and pesto.
Remember that fresh produce in tip-top shape is always best for dehydrating. Be sure to discard any mushy or moldy fruit before you get started.
All you need to do for these guys is cut them in half, sprinkle on a bit of freshly ground salt and pepper, and pop ’em in the oven for a couple hours. Then stuff them in a jar, cover with olive oil, and you’re golden. You can adjust the amount of seasoning to your liking, and even omit the pepper or the olive oil if you so choose.
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Oven-Dried Tomatoes
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 0.8 oz. 1x
Description
The easiest and most delicious oven-dried tomatoes recipe ever – made in your own oven at home!
Ingredients
- 1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (or more)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (or more, to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper (or more, to taste)
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Rinse the tomatoes well in a colander, then cut them in half lengthwise through the stem end. Place in rows without any overlap on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. This isn’t an exact measurement for the spices; just make sure each tomato gets a little love.
- Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 2 hours, rotating halfway through, until shriveled but not blackened at all. If you notice any starting to burn, immediately remove the smaller ones that are already done from the pan, and continue cooking the rest.
- Allow to cool on the pan, then transfer to a jar. Pour in olive oil until it just covers the tomatoes. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tomatoes can also be stored without the additional oil, in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
It’s recipes like these that make me love cooking. Maximum flavor for minimum work – just what I need to get through these busy times.
Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to tell us about it in the comments, and give it a rating below!
And if you’re not a fan of leaving the oven on unattended for long periods, check out our recipe for dried tomatoes made in the dehydrator. Don’t have one of these handy appliances? It’s a worthwhile investment for preserving the harvest!
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Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on February 16th, 2015. Last updated: August 1, 2022 at 14:32 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
Thanks for the recipe Raquel. It’s healthy even though the appearance is really good 😀
★★★★
Can you use other tomatoes. I have lots of Roma and big boy tomatoes I was interested in dehydrating. Your process is something I want to try instead of buying a dehydrator.