Cherry tomato confit is a savory, flavorful condiment. This simple recipe requires minimal prep time and only a few ingredients.
Don't let tomato season pass without making tomato confit. It gets its complex flavor from slow-roasted tomatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, and a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil.
The tomatoes cook in fat at a low temperature until they're incredibly soft and their flavor is super concentrated.
What is Confit?
The word confit (pronounced cone-fee) is a French cooking method that means to preserve. This preservation method is a great way to enjoy fresh produce for longer.
Ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes - I like using ripe cherry tomatoes when making confit because they're naturally sweet and become really jammy when slow-roasted.
- Extra virgin olive oil - use a good quality oil, but it doesn't need to be the most expensive bottle since you will use a lot of oil.
- Garlic cloves.
- Fresh thyme sprigs.
- Kosher salt & black pepper - to taste.
How to Make Cherry Tomato Confit
Step 1. Wash and dry the tomatoes and add to a 9x13 baking dish with the smashed garlic, olive oil, thyme sprigs, and salt and pepper.
Step 2. Mix everything together with your hands or a spoon and spread it into a single layer.
Step 3. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes until the tomatoes are shriveled and soft. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 4. Remove the thyme sprigs and transfer the tomato confit to an airtight jar making sure to completely submerge the tomatoes in their cooking oil.
Step 5. Store in the fridge for 1 month or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this cherry tomato confit using what you already have? Here are some ideas...
- No cherry tomatoes? - you can also use grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or plum tomatoes. If using larger tomatoes, you'll want to cut them into halves or quarters depending on the size so everything cooks uniformly.
- No fresh thyme? - use fresh basil leaves or fresh rosemary instead.
- Add-ins - peeled whole shallots, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, etc.
Top Tips
Have leftover oil after you jar the confit tomatoes? Don't throw it away! It's infused with tons of flavor already. Use it to cook something else or make a homemade vinaigrette.
Use a baking dish, not a baking sheet. Not only do the tomatoes need to be submerged in the oil, but they also release their own juices as they cook, so you need the high walls of a baking dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Confit (pronounced cone-fee) is a French word that means to preserve. In this French cooking technique, an ingredient is cooked in fat at a low temperature for a long period of time.
Store the cherry tomato confit in an airtight container or jar with the cooking oil covering the tomatoes (this helps to properly preserve them) in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You want just enough olive oil so that the tomatoes are slightly submerged. They don't need to be swimming in it because as the tomatoes cook, they release their own juices. The amount you use will largely depend on how many tomatoes you use, so just eyeball it.
How to Use Confit
There are so many different ways to use cherry tomato confit. Here are just a few ideas.
You can make Margherita pasta or burst cherry tomato pasta, add it to pizza sauce for an oomph of fresh flavor, enjoy it on toast with almond ricotta or arugula pesto, add it to dragon bowls or grain bowls, put it on top of cooked protein or scrambled eggs, roasted vegetables, or serve over creamy polenta or with crusty bread and a pinch of sea salt.
More Tomato Recipes
- Dairy Free Tomato Soup With Basil
- Peach Tomato Salad
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken
- Italian Artichoke Salad
Cherry Tomato Confit Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-1½ pounds tomatoes cherry, grape, or heirloom are best
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme or fresh basil leaves or fresh rosemary
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more if needed, see notes
- kosher salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150℃.
- Wash and dry the tomatoes and add to a 9x13 baking dish with the smashed garlic, olive oil, thyme sprigs, and salt and pepper.
- Mix everything together with your hands or a spoon and spread it into a single layer.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes until the tomatoes are shriveled and soft. Let cool to room temperature.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and transfer the tomato confit to an airtight jar making sure to completely submerge the tomatoes in their cooking oil.
- Store in the fridge for 1 month or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Suzie says
I have to admit that I haven’t tasted it yet but the smell is tantalizing! I had a lot of tomatoes from my garden so used romas and some other small tomatoes rather than my cherry and pear tomatoes because we eat those like candy.
Vicki says
Try the Tomato Confit with grilled late summer veggies and mushrooms over brown rice. It's delicious! The confit adds richness and depth. Another time, I'll amp up the protein with quinoa rather than rice or top with a fried egg. This is a flavorful, versatile condiment!