How to Make Roasted Tomatoes, 4 Easy Ways

Roasted tomatoes are one of the most delicious ways to cook fresh tomatoes. They add brightness and balance to so many dishes, and you can enjoy summer tomatoes far beyond their season. Juicy-sweet roasted tomatoes are endlessly versatile—pile them over pizzas and pastas, tuck them into sandwiches and wraps, or serve them as a side to hearty mains like chicken, pork chops, and fish. They also enhance other roasted veggies like asparagus, broccoli, and zucchini.

So whether you need roasted tomatoes for soups, pastas, salads, or as a standalone side dish, we have you covered. Below, we breakdown how to roast tomatoes four different ways: roasted roma tomatoes, baked tomato slices, fire-roasted tomatoes, and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Roasted Roma Tomatoes

Also called roasted plum tomatoes, roasted roma tomatoes are especially tasty. Buy roma tomatoes that are similar size to ensure they cook evenly. You can roast romas in halves and enjoy them as is or sliced up for salads, soups, and more.

Here's a basic way to roast roma tomatoes in the oven:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F .
2. Remove the core from each tomato with a paring knife. (To see a quick and easy way to remove the core, watch this helpful video.) Gently scoop out the seeds from each tomato half with a spoon or your fingers.
3. Toss tomato halves with olive oil, salt, and pepper—plus any desired flavorings (such as balsamic vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder).
4. Place tomatoes on a sheet pan and roast until softened and slightly browned, about 40 to 45 minutes.

For an extra burst of flavor, sprinkle chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil over top these roasted tomatoes when they come out the oven. Master the basic recipe, then mix it up by trying the below recipes, which feature roasted romas in soups, salads, and as a yummy side dish.

• Roasted Tomato Salad
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Roasted Roma Tomatoes and Garlic

Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

Fire-roasted tomatoes pack a charred flavor and make a great base for pasta sauce, chili, soup, and salsa. Typically, you'll find them canned at the grocery store—but they're even simpler to make at home. You can fire-roast tomatoes over the grill or the flames on a gas cooktop, but we prefer to broil them—it's faster, there's less mess, and it's completely foolproof.

The best tomatoes to use for fire-roasting are large roma tomatoes and any type of fresh tomato from the farmer's market. Here's an easy way to fire-roast tomatoes:

1. Set broiler to HIGH.
2. If using large roma tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes—slice in half and place skin side up on a sheet pan. If your tomatoes are smaller, leave them whole and place them bottom side up on a sheet pan. Brush olive oil over top of tomatoes.
3. Broil on HIGH for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to LOW and broil another 5 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and carefully transfer tomatoes to a bowl or plate. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove plastic wrap and carefully pull off the skins with a pair of tongs, then use as desired.

Try substituting fire-roasted tomatoes in any recipe that calls for canned fire-roasted tomatoes. Here are several delicious ways to enjoy them:

• Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Fire Roasted Tomato and Feta Pasta with Shrimp
• Ditalini with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese

Baked Tomato Slices

Baked tomato slices are delicious enough on their own, but they also make a great addition to sandwiches, burgers, crostini, and more. Any medium- to large-sized round tomato—like juicy beefsteaks tomatoes—are perfect candidates for this method. Don't slice the tomatoes too thin, otherwise they will fall apart in the oven.

Try this basic recipe for Baked Tomato Slices.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. For each tomato, remove the core with a paring knife, then cut into ½-inch thick slices
3. Arrange tomato slices on a sheet pan, then brush both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper, and desired seasonings (such as Italian seasoning, fresh herbs, chopped fresh garlic).
4. Roast until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.

• Roasted Tomato, Avocado, and Fresh Mozzarella Crostini
• Parmesan Tomatoes
• Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

You'll find two types of pint-sized tomatoes in grocery stores—grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. For roasting, they're basically interchangeable. Grape tomatoes are smaller and oblong-shaped, while cherry tomatoes are rounder and a bit larger. Whichever ones you roast, both roasted cherry tomatoes and roasted grape tomatoes make delicious toppers for pasta, pizza, risotto, and more. They're also divine piled over toasted bread spread with goat cheese for a quick snack.

You can slice grape tomatoes in half for roasting, but we prefer to roast them whole—they're faster to prep and they retain more of their juiciness. Try this easy recipe for roasted grape tomatoes:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Place tomatoes on a sheet pan. Roast until skins are shriveled, about 40 to 45 minutes, shaking pan halfway through.

If you want to make roasted cherry tomatoes instead, you can follow the above basic method, or you can try this simple recipe. Now, enjoy them in these delicious recipes. Use either cherry or grape tomatoes in these recipes—whichever you have on hand.

• Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Angel Hair Pasta
• Spaghetti with Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Want to slow roast your cherry tomatoes? Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at a low temperature (200 to 250 degrees) for about three hours. Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes taste something like sweet tomato candy—and they're great for snacking too.

How to Freeze Roasted Tomatoes

Say you buy a plethora of fresh tomatoes and roasted them, but you don't use all of them—what are you going to do with the leftovers? Freezing roasted tomatoes is an easy way to enjoy them any time of the year. Whether you've made fire-roasted tomatoes or roasted cherry tomatoes, simply place them in heavy-duty freezer bags, then freeze, and use however you like, whether it's for sauce, salsa, or soup.

Check out our collection of Tomato Recipes.