Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

Next time you have an abundance of cherry or grape tomatoes try making this simple but delicious garlic roasted tomatoes side dish. You can eat these as is or add them to make fancy appetizers or or main dishes. Juicy ripe tomatoes roasted to perfection with garlic and herbs to create a dish full of flavor. Easy, healthy and tasty.

You might also like these easy delicata squash fries.

Sometimes I notice that I have a lot of an ingredient and try to make up recipes to use them up. This usually happens when I but something from Costco and I don’t want to waste anything. That is what happened today when I made these garlic roasted tomatoes. I found these beautiful small and colorful tomatoes and Costcos and delicious they would be delicious as a side dish.

I made these as a side dish to go with some smoked pork chops we were having however these garlicky tomatoes are very versatile. You can use them to make an appetizer or add a starch to make a main dish. Below I will give you even more ideas of how to use this recipe.

When roasting tomatoes they caramelize and burst and concentrate all that delicious sweet tomato flavor along with the roasted garlic flavor and it’s just a delicious but simple combination. This recipe will come in hand during the summer months too when you have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden or farmers market.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used were tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic cloves, dried thyme, kosher salt and hot pepper flakes.

Fresh Tomatoes
Below you can see the beautiful small fresh tomatoes I bought at Costco. Aldi often has heirloom tomatoes like this as does Trader Joe. However you can just use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes if you want. And if you have larger tomatoes you can just cut them in half or fourths and use them. I did something similar in this recipe.

Garlic, Thyme and Hot Pepper Flakes
I think it is important to use fresh garlic cloves for this recipe because it adds so much flavor. I used two big cloves but if you only have small cloves I would use 3-4 of them. I used dried thyme but you could substitute with basil or even Italian seasoning if you want.

You can even use fresh herbs from the garden if you have them. Either substitute them for the dried (1 teaspoon of dried = 1 tablespoon of fresh) or add some minced fresh basil, parsley or sprigs of thyme as a garnish at the end.

And while I used hot pepper flakes for a bit of spice and heat, you can just use ground black pepper if you don’t like spiciness. My husband makes his own hot pepper flakes and they are really good. If you have a lot of peppers in your garden check out all his pepper recipes and growing tips.

Olive Oil
I usually just use regular olive oil which is lighter in flavor and color but today I wanted that rich olive flavor and used a little better quality extra virgin olive oil. However if you don’t have any you can use whatever you have. You could also use avocado oil which is nice and rich.

How to make garlic roasted tomatoes.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F. Get out a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish and spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2: Get out a large bowl and add all of your tomatoes, crushed garlic cloves, seasonings and olive oil. Mix well so all the tomatoes are coated with the oil and spices.

Step 3: Spread out everything evenly in one layer on the prepared baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the start to caramelize, burst and deflate. Check on them every once in awhile to make sure they don’t burn.

Step 4: When they are done you can spoon them into a bowl and eat them as a garnish, topping, side dish or use them for another recipe. See below for more ideas.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

Ways you can use garlic roasted tomatoes.

Like I mentioned above I used these as a side dish with our pork chops. It’s a great side dish to eat with a meaty main dish especially if the meat is on the drier side like lean pork or chicken breast.

Other ways you can use these are:

• Serve over cooked meats like chicken breasts, pork chops or even steak to add another layer of flavor.
• Mix goat or feta cheese with cream cheese to make a spread and add this as a topping. Serve with crostinis or sliced baguette bread for a tasty appetizer or even lunch.
• Toss with pasta, quinoa, rice, couscous etc. to make a vegetarian main dish. Or add protein too for a complete meal. (You can also eat any of these dishes cold as a flavorful pasta salad.)
• Add to leftover cooked vegetables like steamed zucchini, green bans or broccoli to create a more delicious side dish.
• Put in a food processor or blender and make into a pasta sauce. Add a bit of cream to make more of a vodka sauce if you want.
• Make flatbreads or pizzas by spooning them on naan bread, pizza crusts or already made flatbreads. Add some fresh mozzarella or shaved parmesan and some fresh herbs to make a delicious pizza.

I know this was a very simplistic recipe but sometimes simple recipes are the best ones. I just wanted to share this with you to show you how much flavor you can get from simple ingredients and then use them for various other dishes. 

I hope you like these simple but delicious garlic roasted tomatoes as much as we did. They were great with our smoked pork chops! And I loved them with my homemade crispbread. Enjoy!

Bookmark this recipe for next tomato season when you have an abundance of fresh produce and don’t know what to do with it.

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