These sweet-and-tangy roasted cherry tomatoes make a delicious side dish. They are lovely for brunch or dinner.
Ready in just 30 minutes, this flavorful dish is an interesting variation on eating the tomatoes raw. The leftovers are great, too!
Tomatoes are lovely, whether raw or cooked. I adore them raw in tomato salad, cucumber tomato salad, Israeli salad, or Caprese salad.
I also love them cooked, and this recipe is a great example. Cooking concentrates and brings out the tomatoes' unique flavor, 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 needed 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.
- Minced garlic: It's best to mince it yourself, but jarred minced garlic also works.
- Olive oil: High-quality olive oil adds a lovely 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.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
Variations
- Instead of olive oil, you can use melted butter. It's excellent!
- Add a handful of pitted black olives to the tomatoes and sprinkle them with crumbled feta cheese before baking them.
- Replace the thyme with oregano. I tried both versions and liked them both.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with grated parmesan before baking - about 2 tablespoons.
- Add two tablespoons of capers.
- Garnish the tomatoes, after pulling them out of the oven, with chopped parsley or cilantro.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
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.
Bake the tomatoes until they are soft and beginning to burst, about 20 minutes. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving them.
Expert Tip
These tomatoes taste better after they've had a chance to rest. So, while it's OK to serve them immediately, it's best to let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. You can also serve them after they've cooled to room temperature.
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, they become soft and easy to handle with a fork, so there's no reason to slice them.
No, you shouldn't. Their skin is tasty, nonintrusive, and bakes well, so there's absolutely no reason to go through so much trouble.
You should bake them uncovered. Covering will make them steam in their own juices. We want them roasted, not steamed.
Serving Suggestions
Roasted cherry tomatoes make a lovely side dish. They go well with meat, poultry, and fish.
I often serve them with baked chicken breast, cooking the chicken and tomatoes in the same oven. They also make an excellent side dish to baked cod, pork roast, slow cooker beef ribs, and boneless short ribs.
Occasionally, I serve them for brunch with soft scrambled eggs and oven bacon or microwave bacon.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave, or serve them cold like antipasti.
Sometimes, I slice fresh mozzarella and serve it with these tomatoes as an impromptu Caprese salad. It's delicious!
More Tomato Recipes
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Recipe Card
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes - 2 cups
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Optional:
- 2 tablespoons parsley - chopped, for garnish, or cilantro
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. Let them rest for 5-10 minutes, garnish with chopped parsley (if using), and serve.
Video
Notes
- There's no need to peel and/or slice the tomatoes before cooking them.
- The tomatoes taste better after they've had a chance to rest. So, while it's OK to serve them immediately, it's best to let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. You can also serve them after they've cooled to room temperature.
- The leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave or serve them cold like antipasti.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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. 
Karen Chalmers
Absolutely delicious… had with a BBQ of steak salad and roast potatoes… will cook again… easy, healthy and yum
Vered DeLeeuw
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it, Karen! Thank you for taking the time to write a comment.
Sandy
The only problem with these tomatoes is with me trying not to eat them all before popping them into the oven! SO GOOD!
Vered DeLeeuw
Hehe I know what you mean, Sandy!
Esterina
Followed the recipe to the letter. It was absolutely delicious! One of the easiest recipes and the flavour was amazing!! Make it you’ll love it!!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Esterina! Thank you for the comment.
Lynn Branson
I made this recipe. The tomatoes were delicious! I put them in a spinach salad.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lynn! I love the idea of adding these tomatoes to a spinach salad.
Anne Berend
These tomatoes are fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly and they had so much flavour! I served them with rainbow trout - a perfect accompaniment, and I think would be equally as good with beef tenderloin or chicken. I will definitely be making these on a regular basis.
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Anne! Love your serving suggestions.
Lucy G.
Thank you for the healthy recipe! For some reason mine turned out to be too sour. I will give it another try without using balsamic vinegar and see if that suits my taste buds better.
Vered DeLeeuw
Sounds like a good plan, Lucy. I also recommend tasting the raw tomatoes before cooking them. Cherry tomatoes should be mildly sweet.
Courtney Maliwauki
You should not be heating EVOO, it becomes carcinogenic
Vered DeLeeuw
Hey Courtney,
Thanks for this comment! That's a valid concern, but recent research shows that extra-virgin olive oil is safe when cooked at high heat and is more stable at those temperatures than other cooking oils.
Sources:
Having said that, please feel free to use avocado oil, melted ghee, or melted butter. They all work in this recipe.
Pamela Farmer
I am just curious. What is the fresh herb that appears to be sprinkled on top of the dish after baking? I am excited to try this dish.
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Pamela,
Great question! I sometimes use chopped parsley or cilantro as garnish. I'll go ahead and add this info to the recipe.