Bunches of cherry tomatoes, heavy glugs of olive oil, a handful of garlic cloves, a few herbs… That’s all you need for this beauty coming out of your oven… Cherry Tomato Confit!!
Luxuriously soft, melt-in-your mouth, juicy and bright flavor bombs. Welcome this summer delight into your life and it will add savory sweet deliciousness to any dish.
These perfect beauties are what your typical summer time roasting would look like. Make a giant batch, as they freeze beautifully and can last for months.

These beautiful roasted and blistered cherry tomatoes won’t take hours, like some of the old fashioned slow roasting methods. They will be ready in under 30 minutes or so. Wow… How?
Simply roast them at a higher temperature. We promise, they look and taste exactly the same as slow roasted at a lower temperature.
Why wait and heat up your oven that long, when this method yields the same intense delicious flavors in a considerably shorter time!
What is Confit?
Confit (kon-FEE) is a French word that means ‘preserved’. It’s a classic slow-cooking and preservation method used for centuries. The most well known example is duck confit, where duck legs are slow-cooked in duck fat until the meat is meltingly tender.
Well, in the case of tomato confit, fat gets replaced by olive oil and it’s cooked with major flavor boosters like garlic and a few fresh herbs.
Baking them in good quality extra virgin olive oil results in bursting them slightly, releasing some of their juices into the oil. Their flavor intensifies, making them irresistibly sweeter.
They retain their structure, yet they are softy, creamy and spreadable. Confits like these are then stored in sterilized jars or canned. This allows you to enjoy the fresh flavors of the roasted tomatoes for a longer time.
Though Confit is traditionally cooked slow on low heat, that takes a couple of hours of roasting time. We dabbled with different temperatures and came to conclusion that you can get the same ultra flavorful, perfectly roasted cherry tomatoes much quicker if you roast them at a higher temperature.
Quick prep time + quick oven time + same delicious confit = Win, Win for us
Try this method and you will wonder why you used to wait for hours to roast these colorful tomatoes
Ingredients for Cherry Tomato Confit
- Cherry Tomatoes – We used multi colored cherry tomatoes (though this recipe will work with any cherry tomato variety), as with more the colors it just comes out more prettier and even more flavorful. Peak-season cherry tomatoes are ideal for this recipe, as they are sweetest and best.
- Garlic – We used whole, peeled garlic, “slightly bruised” so they roast perfectly in a shorter time. We like them a lot, so used 8-10 cloves, but this is easily adjusted up or down according to your love for garlic.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use a nice quality oil, but you don’t have to use the most expensive bottle from your pantry. The amount of olive oil might seem a lot, particularly after cooking, but tomatoes need to be completely submerged in the oil when stored. Plus, this oil can be used in so many future dishes.
- Fresh Herbs and Seasoning – Any fresh herbs you like can be added to this confit. This time, we used fresh thyme, rosemary and basil. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper according to taste.
How to Make Tomato Confit
This wonderful tomato confit is the easiest thing you can make in your kitchen. It’s basically throw everything in your baking pan and leave the oven to do your work.
Place the whole cherry tomatoes and bruised garlic cloves in a baking dish. The tomatoes should be in a single layer, so you’ll need a pan large enough to accommodate them.
Pour extra virgin olive oil into the dish all over the cherry tomatoes. Nestle the herbs into the tomatoes, and season everything with kosher salt and pepper.
Bake it in preheated oven at 450 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Take it out, give it a stir and pop it back in for about 5-10 minutes. This final time would depend on your oven.
The confit is ready when the tomatoes are soft, the skins are wrinkly, and just beginning to burst here and there. We stopped cooking them at this point, as we prefer to bite into whole, luscious tomatoes, rather than falling apart ones.
Once they’re cooked, let them cool completely in the oil at room temperature before storing. You can serve them a little hot over a bed of some goat cheese so the cheese is melty when scooped with crusty crostini or bread.
How to Use Cherry Tomato Confit
This cherry tomato confit is a great condiment or side that can jazz up any kind of meal. Here are a few easy ideas once this confit is ready to go
- The oil is wonderful to dip into, and even drizzled over just about anything.
- Swirl the cherry tomatoes and oil through pasta for an easy dinner option ready in minutes.
- Load them up on toasted baguette, or crostini spread with creamy ricotta, goat cheese or cream cheese.
- Use them as a side or topping to grilled meat, chicken or fish.
- Spoon it over risotto.
- Top it over creamy polenta.
- Serve it as a part of mezze platter, or with a cheese or charcuterie board.
- Serve the confit alongside soft scrambled eggs, or use it to top an egg sandwich for breakfast or brunch.
- Dress herby yogurt with it, or creamy layered hummus.
- Use it in salads or grain bowls, wraps and sandwiches.
- Use the tomatoes in a tomato tart.
- Make it a part of toppings for pizza or flatbread.
- And last but not least… that confit oil. Infused with garlic, herbs, and tomato juices, it makes a fantastic base for vinaigrette.
Now you see, the endless possibilities for all different kinds of meals with this super simple confit. How cool!
Storage
Cherry tomato confit keeps well for about two weeks, tightly-covered, in the refrigerator. Clip top glass jars are ideal to store it in your refrigerator.
When filling the jars with the tomatoes, be sure to leave enough space at the top for the confit cooking oil. You’ll want to make sure they’re completely covered by about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil. This way, the preserved tomatoes should last several weeks.
Can You Freeze Tomato Confit?
Yes, you can. Simply fill freezer-safe containers with the confit tomatoes and store in the freezer for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before using.
Even better, freeze the confit into ice-cube trays and then you can pop out as much as you need and chuck straight into sauces, or whatever you’re cooking, to reheat.
This recipe is coming out just before summer, when all your gardens are brimming with beautiful, plump cherry tomatoes. Make the most of nature’s bounty, and enjoying if for a longer by “confitting” this summer.
Try this cherry tomato confit when you don’t know what to do with all those tomatoes, and very soon this would be your favorite summer pass time… Baking those tomatoes till they’re just about to pop with amazing flavors. Have fun…
Cherry Tomato Confit, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other amazing cherry tomato recipes!
Scallop Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry Tomato Gratin
Balela Salad
Sicilian Pasta
Tomato Basil Chicken
Pesto Bruschetta Chicken
Welsh Rarebit with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry Tomato Confit (Under 30 Minutes)
Celebrate summer's bounty with this amazing Cherry Tomato Confit. It's so easy to make and is amazingly versatile.
Ingredients
- 24oz cherry tomatoes
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6-7 fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- In a single layer, place cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves in a baking dish. Pour extra virgin olive oil into the dish all over the cherry tomatoes. Nestle the herbs into the tomatoes, and season everything with kosher salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Take it out and give it a stir and bake another 5-10 minutes. This final time would depend on your oven. The confit is ready when the tomatoes are soft, the skins are wrinkly, and just beginning to burst here and there.
- Once they’re cooked, let them cool completely in the oil at room temperature before storing.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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