Easy Cherry Tomato Confit
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Turn seasonal tomatoes into an easy and delicious cherry tomato confit. Heirloom cherry tomatoes are slow roasted with garlic and fresh herbs until sweet and jammy. Serve the confited tomatoes as an appetizer with crusty bread and soft cheese, toss them with pasta, add them to eggs, and so much more. This simple recipe requires only 10 minutes of hands-on time but will totally impress your friends!
One of my favorite ways to spend a summer Saturday is wandering the stalls at the Charlotte farmer’s markets and stocking up on bright, beautiful, fresh produce.
It’s a fun and relaxing way to start my day; I love walking through rows of fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies, chatting with the people that grew them, and dreaming up what delicious creations I can make with our farmer’s market buys for the week.
One of my favorite farmer’s market creations is this cherry tomato confit recipe. It screams summer with seasonal tomatoes and fresh herbs from the market, plus packs a little extra punch of flavor from slowly roasted garlic.
The tomatoes, garlic and herbs need to be roasted low and slow to maximize flavor, so you can just “set it and forget it,” making it a super easy, hands-off summer entertaining recipe.
What is cherry tomato confit?
“Confit” is a French culinary technique where an ingredient is cooked low and slow in fat.
Duck confit is one of the most famous examples of this, but you can confit any variety of foods!
In the case of this cherry tomato confit, heirloom cherry tomatoes are roasted in olive oil at a low temperature for about 90 minutes. During the slow roasting process, they become sweet and jammy, totally transforming them from their raw state.
The roasted tomatoes can be served with bread as an appetizer or used as a component in other recipes.
Even though they might seem fancy, they are actually super easy to make. This is a recipe that you can use all summer to highlight seasonal produce and impress your friends.
Testing notes and tips
- Heirloom cherry tomatoes are extra pretty, but regular cherry or grape tomatoes will work, too. Use any variety of small tomatoes you can find or that you have growing in your garden.
- Use a good olive oil. Since the oil is a key component of the confit, it will add a fair amount of flavor to the recipe. If you don’t like the flavor of your olive oil on its own, you won’t like what it brings to the tomatoes, either.
- Feel free to experiment with the herbs. Fresh thyme and basil are my family’s favorite combination, but oregano, rosemary, and even tarragon are great options, too.
- You’ll know it’s done when the tomatoes are beautifully blistered and the garlic has a slight caramel color to it. All of that color is rich, added flavor that will contrast with the sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Feel free to make this ahead of time if you don’t plan to serve it hot. The roasted tomatoes keep well in the fridge when stored in their cooking oil.
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How to make it
When I make tomato confit, I like to cut the heads of garlic in half horizontally, exposing each of the garlic cloves. Add the halved garlic heads into a big, shallow baking dish with the cherry tomatoes. I typically use a 9×13-inch pan for this.
Pour the olive oil over everything and season with the salt and pepper, then tuck the herbs in among the tomatoes.
Bake at 300℉ for about an hour and a half. You want the tomatoes to be soft and blistered and the garlic to have some beautiful golden color on it.
If you plan to store the confit for later, I recommend letting it cool and then squeezing the roasted garlic cloves out and discarding the skins. If you plan to serve it right away, you can leave the garlic in the skins and let guests remove the cloves themselves. Totally up to you!
Serving suggestions
The best part of making this cherry tomato confit is how versatile it is. It’s incredible on its own as an appetizer. Serve it up with some crusty bread and let guests spoon on the confit as they desire.
You could also pair the confit with a soft cheese, such as burrata, or include it as part of a caprese salad platter or a bloody mary bar.
It also makes the perfect component to other dishes. Add to pizza, toss it into pasta, add it to quiches, or spoon it over a savory dutch baby. You can also serve it with roasted vegetables or use it as an accompaniment for proteins, such as air fryer steak bites, sheet pan chicken thighs, or pan-seared halibut.
My dad might not approve of this, but I also think it would be delicious on top of grilled brats.
If you ask me, the only wrong option is to not make it at all!
Storage
Store confit in jars in the refrigerator, covering the tomatoes in their cooking oil. Kept this way, it will stay good for up to 2 weeks.
The cooking oil may harden in the fridge, but will melt once it comes back to room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, although you need to do so gently so you don’t destroy that perfect jammy texture. Place the confit in a baking dish and cover; place in a low oven just until warmed through.
Cherry Tomato Confit
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 2 heads garlic sliced in half horizontally
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/2 to 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉.
- Spread tomatoes out in a large baking dish in an even, single layer. Nestle the halved heads of garlic among the tomatoes.2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes, 2 heads garlic
- Drizzle the tomatoes and garlic with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Tuck the fresh herbs throughout the baking dish.1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Roast, uncovered, for about 90 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, slightly wrinkled, and blistered. The garlic should also be very soft.8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs, 1/2 to 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Allow to cool slightly. Before serving, you can squeeze the garlic out of the skins (discarding the skins) and stir into the tomatoes, or you can transfer everything to a serving platter and allow guests to spoon out the garlic themselves.
- Serve spooned on top of crusty, toasted bread.
Notes
Ingredients
- You can use grape tomatoes in place of the cherry tomatoes.
- Feel free to experiment with the fresh herbs. Oregano, rosemary, and even tarragon are all great options.
Make ahead and storage
- If you plan to serve the tomato confit chilled or at room temperature, feel free to make it ahead of time.
- Tomatoes can be stored covered with their cooking oil in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
about chrissie
I’m Chrissie — a full-time public defender, food lover, North Carolina explorer, toddler wrangler, and lifelong cheese enthusiast. I love the beach, craft beer, Mexican food, and trashy reality TV. Catch me chasing my kids, laughing too loudly, sipping margaritas on a nearby patio, and telling my husband “just one more quick picture.” Learn more ➤