Cherry Tomato Confit

Slow roasted Cherry Tomato Confit is the perfect way to save a taste of summer. Each bite of these vibrant tomato jewels is bursting with delicate sweetness and a touch of unami. You’ll be topping them on everything! Whole30 compliant, paleo, and gluten-free.

Essentially, tomato confit is slowly cooking cherry tomatoes in a rich extra virgin olive oil, with fresh herbs, and cloves of garlic. The fruity richness of the olive oil is infused with the sweet flavor of the slowly roasting cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs and garlic.

You’ll find yourself completely addicted to the sweet and savory combo of this very simple recipe. It truly is no-fuss and takes no time to put together. You will want to drizzle the olive oil on absolutely every thing you make.

And you can double the recipe to make extra for friends or a sweet neighbor. Another great part of this recipe is that it is flexible. Keep it mild, or you could even spice it up!

Why this tomato confit is a recipe you need in your life

The main ingredients are tomatoes and olive oil.

• No-fuss: in just minutes, you can have a casserole or baking dish of these incredible tomatoes slowly roasting away. The oven does all the work!
• Olive oil: the infused olive oil is what you will be dreaming about every day. You will be using in so many recipe.
• Whole30 compliant: if you are on a Whole30 cycle, these tomatoes will be right by your side every day. You can add them to salads, bowls, on top of any grilled meat or fish. Truly versatile and packed with unami! Slow roasting brings out the incredible flavors of every component.

What is Confit?

We will take a little trip to France to over the actual word “confit”…which derives from “confire” and which in French means “to preserve”.

So a confit could be a veggie, fruit or even meat that is preserved in a fat (we used extra-virgin olive oil with these cherry tomatoes).

What ingredients are needed to make this cherry tomato confit?

• cherry tomatoes
• extra-virgin olive oil
• garlic cloves
• basil leaves (or another fresh herb, like thyme or oregano )
• sea salt

How to make this tomato confit?

First thing you need to do is gather your ingredients.

The main ingredients are tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil.

Place tomatoes on a baking dish with garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper. Slowly roast them until they are wrinkled and just beginning to burst.

It’s really that simple to put together. The oven slowly roasts and magically transforms the tomatoes into a flavor bomb!

What are some tomato confit variations or substitutions?

• Tomatoes: it all began with the gorgeous rainbow cherry tomatoes I found at Costco (I know they also have them at Walmart). But any cherry tomatoes would be perfect. You could even use plum tomatoes or any heirloom tomatoes. If you do go with larger tomatoes, be sure to blanch and peel first before making the confit in teh oven. You don’t need to blanch the cherry tomatoes.
• Oil: We used what we have on hand, which is a Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil. You could use any sort of olive oil you have in your pantry.
• Fresh herbs: Fresh basil was snipped right from my herb garden, but next time I will make this with fresh thyme or even oregano (I just planted some new little plants).
• Spice: you could totally spice this up and make it hot! I kept it mild since the kids are eating it.
• Garlic: the garlic adds such a lovely element to the tomatoes. Paired with the fresh herbs, these tomatoes slowly roast away and the aroma is incredible. Add as many garlic cloves as you prefer. Even shallots would be delicious!

What to serve with tomato confit?

What can you not serve it with? Truly, the possibilities are endless! Unami deliciousness in every bite…you will find yourself eating it right out of the jar! My favorite way to enjoy them is in a fritatta.

Since the holidays are around the corner, you could make extra and can them for friends and family. Tomato confit makes an extra special gift. But here are some ideas on how to use it:

• Bruschetta
• Fritatta
• Cheese platter
• Hummus (try our easy homemade hummus)
• Pasta (use grain free to stay Paleo and add to this vegan cherry tomato pasta)
• Wrap
• Bowls
• Steak, fish, chicken

These beautiful jewels will be your new favorite flavor bomb from a jar. Their savory sweetness will brighten up so many dishes. And no judgement …if you end up spooning out a portion and eating them just as they are (like I do!)! Keep in mind to add a little extra olive oil (like I did), and you can add it to a separate jar and use it with so many different recipes.

Some other tomato recipes to enjoy:

• Sheet Pan Eggplant and Tomato Bake
• Tomato Gratin-Pomodori Gratinati
• Baked Cod with Caramelized Onions and Cherry Tomatoes

*This recipe is lightly adapted from the cookbook Gjelina.
*The recipe could be used as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

Originally published July 2021 and republished August 2022. 

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5 from 2 votes

Cherry Tomato Confit

Slow roasted Tomato Confit is the perfect way to save a taste of summer. Each bite of these vibrant tomato jewels is bursting with delicate sweetness and a touch of unami. You’ll be topping them on everything! Whole30 compliant, paleo and gluten-free.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: French

Keyword: confit, roasted tomatoes, Whole30

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Lora

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes stemmed
• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil or more
• 4 garlic cloves smashed or sliced
• ½ cup fresh sprigs basil leaves or another fresh herb like thyme or oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt or kosher

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the whole cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a baking dish.
• Sprinkle the smashed garlic, basil (or whatever fresh herbs you are using) around the cherry tomatoes.
• Pour the olive oil on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle on the salt.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until they begin to wrinkle up and become a little light brown around edges (mine was ready in about 40 minutes. I gave the tomatoes a stir a couple times to make sure they were evenly roasting).
• When the it cools down, transfer the tomatoes and oil into a sterilized jar (or airtight container). I keep the garlic and herbs, but toss out if you do not want to store with tomatoes. Make sure they are completely covered by the oil, to prevent air from reaching the tomatoes.
• Let tomato mixture cool to room temperature before storing with oil and accumulated pan juices in a sterilized jar (or airtight container). Can be used for up to 1 week (maybe longer).

Notes

-Tomato confit can be adapted to your taste. You could use shallots or onions in place of garlic. Switch up the herbs to what you like or have on hand.
-Tomato confit will last up to 1 week in a sterilized jar in your fridge and up to 3 in your freezer store in zipped lock bag in the freezer. Be sure to squeeze all the air out of bag before zipping closed).

-If you would like to have extra oil to use for other recipes, make sure to add a little more to this recipe. Because the tomatoes always have to stay stored with oil. I had about a cup extra and stored it (without tomatoes) in a small jar to drizzle on some dishes.
-Bring to room temperature if you are serving this as an appetizer with a dip (the oil does harden and will melt when its brought to room temp).

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