the roasted tomatoes i stock my freezer with, 2 ways

I’m sharing these recipes out of season for posterity! Don’t buy tomatoes from the grocery store to make this! Wait until tomato season!!!

Roasted Tomatoes

For pasta, toast, eggs, salads, whatever! This is an especially good way to “rescue” tomatoes that might be a little withered, soft, or otherwise worse for wear. Tomatoes come out soft, sweet, and great for all occasions.

Preheat oven to 425℉. 

Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet, cut side up. Peel and crush a few cloves of garlic and add to pan along with any fresh or dried herbs you like: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper, etc. Drizzle enough olive oil to lightly coat tomatoes. Season with salt and black pepper, toss to coat while keeping tomatoes cut side up. Roast until tomatoes are slightly shriveled and a bit caramelized on top, about 20-30 minutes. 

To preserve: Let cool, then pack into deli containers, freezer bags, or freezer-safe jars, cover with good quality olive oil, and freeze. Defrost in fridge and add to meals as desired! 

Roasted Tomatoes with Peppers & Onions

This low-fuss method of “putting up” tomatoes for winter sauces is truly simple, mostly hands-off, and sets you up for fresh-tasting tomato sauces and soups all winter long.

Tomatoes (any variety, any amount)

Garlic or onions (whatever is on hand)

Peppers (optional; I usually use a mix of sweet and hot peppers, but whatever is on hand)

Fresh or dried herbs (I recommend oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram)

Salt and pepper

Good olive oil

Champagne or red wine vinegar, optional

Start by washing and coring your tomatoes. This recipe is great for any tomatoes that are too soft for slicing, but you can really use any ripe tomatoes. Half, quarter, or chop the tomatoes so that they are all the same size; 2-3 inch pieces are good.

For each pound of tomatoes, use approximately half a medium sized onion or 4 garlic cloves. Slice your onions into ½ inch thick half-moons. Peel and trim garlic cloves and smash them. I will include peppers if I have them on hand, and include them at about a 3:1 ratio (tomatoes to peppers). De-seed and de-stem peppers. Chop sweet peppers into slices like the onions or 1-2 inch pieces. Mince the hot peppers so that they will be well distributed in the mixture.

Combine your chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic, and peppers into a baking dish (or multiple dishes) so that there isn’t too much overlap. Really you want to avoid more than 2 layers of tomatoes so that the sugars in the onion especially have an opportunity to caramelize and not just stew.

Pour in a few glugs of olive oil and a splash or two of vinegar, sprinkle in some salt (I use 2-3 teaspoons of salt per 9×13 baking dish) and half that of black pepper, and then add the herbs. For fresh herbs, use 2-3 sprigs of what you have per baking dish. For dried herbs, a teaspoon or 2 will do. Toss everything with your hands and make sure the fruit and veg are well-coated. Add more olive oil if necessary.

If you read ahead, preheat your oven to 275-300F if you have a few hours at home and air conditioning. If you don’t, preheat to 350 degrees F. If you didn’t read ahead, it will take a little longer, but turn your oven on to 300-350 degrees F based on the above time recommendation. Put the baking dish in, it is not an issue to start in a cold oven. Roast for at least an hour and longer if you have time. I like to make sure my tomatoes are bubbling, at least half the onions have signs of caramelization, and my whole apartment smells like I need to put water on for pasta right this moment.

Allow the mixture to cool and then pack into freezer safe jars or bags. Label with the date of preparation, the ingredients used (peppers or not, onions or not, etc), and the amount in each container so that it’s easy to use in recipes months in the future. Freeze!

When it is cold outside and you are ready to use those summer tomatoes, move the container from the freezer to the fridge to thaw the day before. When fully thawed, puree in a blender and use as you would any tomato sauce. To make tomato soup, simply combine 3-4 cups of your tomato sauce prep with 2 cups of vegetable (or chicken) broth, heat, and puree. To make it creamy, add cream (or oat or full-fat coconut milk) to taste. Thank your summer self for putting up these fresh tomatoes for this gray day.