If you make one thing with your summer tomato haul, let it be this tomato confit recipe. It’s a simple, hands-off method that turns just a few ingredients into something truly special: jammy, silky, and bursting with savory-sweet richness.
This confit tomato recipe is inspired by the tradition of preserving summer’s bounty. Cooking little tomatoes whole, submerged in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and herbs, brings out their deepest flavor.
As the tomatoes cook, they soften, their skins wrinkle, and they become beautifully concentrated. Each one a little burst of savory-sweet intensity, while the resulting infused oil is liquid gold: perfect for drizzling over grilled vegetables, dunking crusty bread, spooning over yogurt or labneh, and layering on sandwiches.
A side benefit to preparing tomatoes this way is that, once submerged in oil and refrigerated, they keep well for two weeks. That said, stash a jar in the fridge and you’ll find endless ways to use it. It’s the flavor of summer, captured and ready whenever you are.
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What is Confit?
While this recipe might at first sound similar to other roasted tomato recipes, like these oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, confit is a specific method with a distinct purpose.
The word confit comes from the French confire, meaning “to preserve.” In this case, it refers to cooking whole cherry tomatoes slowly, at a low temperature, nearly submerged in olive oil.
This gentle method not only concentrates the flavor of the tomatoes, but also preserves their soft, silky texture and infuses the oil with tomato essence and those of garlic and herbs. The oil itself becomes just as delicious as the tomatoes!
What is in Tomato Confit?
With just a few humble ingredients and a little time in the oven, you’ll end up with something deeply flavorful, endlessly versatile, and honestly, kind of magical. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy cherry tomato confit.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Use the ripest, sweetest cherry or grape tomatoes you can find. Their natural flavor concentrates as they roast, resulting in a rich flavor and an almost jammy texture.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A generous pour of high-quality olive oil is essential here. It surrounds the tomatoes with gentle warmth and becomes infused with the flavors of tomato, garlic, and herbs, and once the tomatoes are gone, you can use any remaining oil in salad dressings, dips, or to drizzle over finished dishes.
- Garlic: Whole cloves slowly mellow in the oil, adding a soft, fragrant depth without overpowering the dish. Love garlic? Add more.
- Fresh herbs: Sprigs of thyme or rosemary infuse the confit with earthy, aromatic notes. You can also try it with other woody herbs, including oregano, marjoram, or even a few bay leaves.
- Salt: Just a bit to enhance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and bring all the flavors into balance.
How to Make Tomato Confit?
This tomato confit recipe couldn’t be easier to make. It’s a mostly hands-off recipe that lets the oven do all the work. Just layer everything in a baking dish, slow-roast until the tomatoes are soft and jammy, and enjoy the sweet, savory payoff. Here’s how to make it:
- Get ready. Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C). Place 2 pints (about 600g) cherry or grape tomatoes in a medium baking dish or oven-safe skillet in a single layer. Tuck 6 peeled and lightly smashed garlic cloves and 4 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary among them. Pour in 1 cup (240ml) extra virgin olive oil until the tomatoes are mostly submerged. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Roast the tomatoes. Roast, uncovered, until tomatoes are wrinkled and completely tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours.
- Cool and store. Transfer tomatoes and oil to a clean jar or airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, making sure tomatoes remain covered in oil. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
What to Serve with Tomato Confit
There are so many ways to enjoy this tomato confit. Once you have a jar in your fridge, you’ll start putting it on everything. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Use as a topping: Add to grain bowls for a pop of brightness and depth of flavor. Spoon over ricotta toast, whipped feta, or a dish of homemade labneh with pita chips for a quick and satisfying snack.
- Add to pasta: Toss both the tomatoes and the tomato-infused olive oil with your favorite pasta, whether homemade or store-bought, and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan—so easy, so flavorful.
- Make it a side: Serve tomato confit alongside grilled meats or fish to balance rich, smoky flavors. It’s perfect with grilled chicken, grilled trout, or lamb chops.
- Pair with cheese: Sweet and tangy tomato confit is a delightful pairing with creamy cheeses like burrata, fresh mozzarella, or fresh chevre. Use them together as part of a beautiful summer mezze platter or charcuterie board. You could even replace the blistered tomatoes in this grilled halloumi recipe with tomato confit.
- Make salad dressing: Once the tomatoes are gone, use any remaining oil to add extra umami flavor to your favorite salad dressing recipes.
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Tomato Confit
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C). Place cherry tomatoes in a medium baking dish or oven-safe skillet in a single layer. Tuck garlic cloves and herb sprigs among the tomatoes. Pour in olive oil until the tomatoes are mostly submerged. Sprinkle with salt.
- Confit the tomatoes. Roast, uncovered, until tomatoes are wrinkled and completely tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours.
- Cool and store. Transfer tomatoes and oil to a clean jar or airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months making sure tomatoes remain covered in oil.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- Can you use larger tomatoes? You can use this same method to confit larger tomatoes as well, though you will need proportionally more oil to submerge them. Larger tomatoes have a higher moisture content, relative to their surface area, so you may find you need to halve or quarter them and roast them for longer (3 or 4 hours) to achieve similar texture results.
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