Tomato Confit is the ultimate way to capture peak-season cherry tomatoes in rich, garlicky olive oil. Cherry tomatoes are slow-roasted until meltingly tender, making them perfect for spreading on toast, finishing summer tarts, tossing with pasta, or topping grilled proteins.
Tomato Confit is one of those magical recipes that feels fancy but couldn't be easier with just a few minutes of prep and a low, slow roast in the oven. Summer’s sweetest tomatoes transform into jammy, deeply flavored jewels bursting of flavor in infused olive oil. The garlic is tender, mildly nutty, and caramelized.
Tomato confit is a flavorful dish made by slow-cooking tomatoes, typically cherry or grape tomatoes, in olive oil with garlic, herbs (like thyme, basil, and oregano), and seasonings. The word "confit" comes from the French verb confire, meaning "to preserve," and the technique involves cooking food slowly in a fat or oil at a low temperature. This method preserves the food and enhances its flavor.
The smell of slow-roasted tomatoes and garlic in the kitchen is my signal that summer is at its peak. This is the recipe I make when the garden baskets are overflowing. I started making tomato confit to use up the mountain of cherry tomatoes that ripen by the POUNDS each week in our Arizona garden. Now I make extra every summer to gift to friends—it’s that kind of recipe.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Peak-season flavor with abundant harvests of sweet cherry or grape tomatoes. Also perfect for limp cherry tomatoes that have just come out of the freezer.
- The infused olive oil is delicious with garlic and fresh-picked herbs from the garden. Drizzle extra olive oil on a caprese salad!
- It's truly minimal effort. Just toss everything together in a baking dish and the oven does all the work. It's a perfect low effort way to get an appetizer on the table.
- Endlessly versatile and can be served with toasts, pasta, salads, summer tarts, or bowls. And don't forget that olive oil is liquid gold that can be used on meat, in vinaigrettes, or drizzled over cheese.
- Preserves the harvest! The confit keeps in the fridge for weeks as long as it's covered in a protective layer of fatty olive oil to prevent molding. It’s a garden-to-table staple that celebrates the harvest and extends tomato season just a little longer.
If you’ve ever picked so many cherry tomatoes you can’t eat them all fresh, this is the best way to save their flavor at its peak. Sometimes an unmanageable indeterminate bush will have you cursing your decisions until you try a recipe that makes it worth it!
Ingredients
- Tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work well for their sweetness and size, but you can also use larger varieties, cut into wedges or halves. Larger varieties will also require a longer time in the oven due to less water content. I'm using a mix of Sun Gold, Sweet 100, and a volunteer determinate tomato variety
- Fresh Herbs - Use summer herbs that are abundant in the garden, like thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, and garlic chives.
- Olive Oil - Use a high quality olive oil. Olive oil has a low smoke point, so it's important to keep the oven at a lower temperature.
Add other mild aromatics like shallots, saffron, or red pepper flakes for different flavor variations. A splash of balsamic vinegar is also delicious.
How to Make Tomato Confit
Preheat the oven to 250°F. Wash and pat dry all of the tomatoes and herbs.
- Step 1: Mix together the tomatoes, herbs, saffron, salt, pepper, and sliced garlic in a baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil until just about covering the tomatoes.
- Step 2: Bake the tomatoes for 1.5 hours until they're just bursting and the garlic is tender and golden brown, or 2 hours for more soft, spreadable tomatoes.
Serving Suggestions
- Topping: Serve it over a cherry tomato pasta with mozzarella, on grilled fish or roasted chicken, or even over eggs.
- With cheese: Pair it with soft cheeses like ricotta or goat cheese, or use it in a Caprese salad with mozzarella or burrata.
- On toast or a pizza topping: Spread it on toasted bread or crostini, either on its own or with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar.
- In sandwiches: Use it in a whole-wheat sandwich with grilled veggies and goat cheese.
- With vegetables: Cook it with other vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, and onions and serve it in a grain bowl.
- Grazing boards: Include it as part of a grazing board with crackers, cheese, and charcuterie.
Tomato confit makes a lovely edible gift. Spoon it into small jars, top with extra olive oil, and tie on a handwritten label or sprig of fresh thyme.
Top Tip
- Low and slow is key. Don’t rush the roast in the oven—it concentrates flavor of the tomatoes and the herbs and garlic infuse the olive oil, which also has a low smoke point.
- Use ripe, firm tomatoes. Overripe ones may collapse too quickly.
- Choose quality olive oil.
- Don’t discard the oil. It’s liquid gold for drizzling and cooking.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks after allowing it to cool to room temperature. Always keep tomatoes covered with oil to preserve freshness and use a clean spoon every time.
Once you see bubbling or an odor, it's time to toss it. Garlic is a low acid ingredient so if it's stored in a warm environment in oil it can produce the toxins that cause botulism.
Freezer: Freeze in small jars or ice cube trays for up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge before use.
More Tomato Recipes to try
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Tomato Confit
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Rinse and dry the tomatoes. Place them in a baking dish in a single layer.
- Scatter the smashed garlic cloves, herbs, and saffron over the tomatoes. Season generously with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Pour olive oil over the tomatoes until they’re mostly submerged but not fully drowned.
- Transfer to the oven and roast uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours. The tomatoes should be soft, blistered, and just starting to collapse at 1.5 hours or burst and more spreadable at 2 hours, with the garlic tender and browned.
- Let the confit cool completely in its oil. Transfer to a clean jar or container, ensuring tomatoes are covered with oil. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
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