These beautiful, sweet-yet-tangy roasted cherry tomatoes make a delicious side dish and are just as wonderful for brunch as they are for dinner.
Ready in just 30 minutes, this flavorful dish is an interesting variation on eating the tomatoes raw. The leftovers are great too!
I think tomatoes are wonderful whether raw or cooked. I adore them raw in a tomato salad, cucumber tomato salad, Israeli salad, or in this amazing Caprese salad, but I also love them cooked.
Cooking concentrates and brings out the tomatoes' unique flavor. And it has a way of making them more savory than sweet. It's a very different experience than eating them raw.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
- Cherry tomatoes: Try to pick ripe yet firm and bright red tomatoes. None of those pale mealy ones!
- Minced garlic: It's best to mince it yourself, but jarred minced garlic also works.
- Olive oil: High-quality olive oil adds wonderful flavor to this dish.
- Balsamic vinegar: This is such a flavorful vinegar. It gets caramelized as it bakes and becomes almost sweet. I don't recommend using any other vinegar in this recipe.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use by half, or the dish could end up too salty.
- Dried thyme: Make sure it's fresh. This herb is quite potent when dried, and a stale herb can easily ruin a dish - speaking from experience!
Variations
- Instead of olive oil, you can use melted butter. It's really good!
- Add pitted black olives to the tomatoes - about ¼ cup.
- Replace the thyme with oregano. I tried both versions and liked them both.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with grated parmesan cheese before baking - about 2 tablespoons.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Instructions
This is such an easy recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. (Photos 1-3).
- Stir to coat. (Photo 4).
- Transfer the tomatoes to a small, 1-quart baking dish. (Photo 5).
- Bake the tomatoes until they are soft and beginning to burst, about 20 minutes. (Photo 6).
- Divide the tomatoes among plates and drizzle them with the cooking juices. Serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
There's no need to slice them. When serving them raw it's a good idea to slice them because they tend to slide off forks. But when cooked, there's no reason to do so.
No, you shouldn't. Their skin is tasty, non-intrusive, and bakes well. There's absolutely no reason to go through so much trouble.
Absolutely. In fact, I feel that they taste better after they've had a chance to rest for a little while. So while it's fine to serve them immediately, you can also serve them after they've cooled to room temperature.
You should bake them uncovered. Covering them will make them steam in their own juices rather than roast.
Serving Suggestions
These tasty tomatoes make a wonderful side dish. They go well with meat, poultry, and fish. I often serve them with baked chicken breast, cooking both the chicken and the tomatoes in the same oven. They also make a nice side dish to baked cod, pork roast, slow cooker beef ribs, and braised boneless short ribs.
They are also surprisingly good when served for brunch. I like to serve them with soft scrambled eggs and oven bacon or microwave bacon for a delicious, complete morning meal.
Storing Leftovers
The leftovers keep quite well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. You can gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave.
Or you can serve them cold like you would serve antipasti. Sometimes I slice fresh mozzarella and serve it with these tomatoes as an impromptu Caprese salad of sorts. It's really good!
More Tomato Recipes
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Recipe Card
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add the garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Stir to coat.
- Transfer the tomatoes to a small, 1-quart baking dish.
- Roast the tomatoes until they are soft and beginning to burst, about 20 minutes.
- Divide the tomatoes among plates and drizzle with the cooking juices. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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