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 them raw. Leftovers are great too!
I don't know about you, but I think tomatoes are wonderful whether raw or cooked. I adore them raw in a tomato salad or in this amazing Caprese salad, but I also love them cooked.
Cooking really concentrates and brings out their 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
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to roast cherry tomatoes in the oven. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Cherry tomatoes: Try to pick ripe yet firm and bright red tomatoes. None of those pale mealy ones! 🍅
Minced garlic: I'm lazy so I use the stuff that comes in a jar. You can obviously mince it yourself. It will definitely taste better!
Olive oil: This is my favorite oil to use for cooking. But if you worry about its relatively low smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead, or you could try melted butter.
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, or the dish could end up too salty.
Dried thyme: Make sure it's fresh. This herb is quite potent when dried. A stale herb can easily ruin a dish - speaking from experience!
Instructions
Oven-roasting cherry tomatoes is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Your first step is to coat the tomatoes in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and spices.
Then you bake them in a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes. That's it! See? I told you it was an easy recipe!
Frequently asked questions
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.
Variations and substitutions
Here are a few ideas for some tasty variations on the basic recipe:
- Instead of olive oil, use melted butter. It's really good!
- Add pitted black olives to the tomatoes - about ¼ cup.
- Replace the thyme with oregano.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with grated parmesan cheese before baking - about 2 tablespoons.
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.
They are also surprisingly good when served for brunch. I like to serve them with eggs and with oven 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!
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Recipe card
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Balsamic Vinegar
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 degrees F.
- Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to coat.
- Transfer the tomatoes to a small, 1-quart baking dish.
- Roast until the tomatoes are soft and beginning to burst, about 20 minutes.
- Divide the tomatoes among plates and drizzle with the cooking juices. Serve immediately.
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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. 