Tomato Confit

Tomato confit takes 5 minutes to prepare, and you can make them with any small tomato.

The secret to the best tomato confit is slow roasting at a relatively low temperature for about 1.5 hours.

Confit (pronounced con-fee) is a cooking and preservation method where the food is cooked slowly, at a low temperature, usually with fat or/and sugar.

It comes from the french "confire," which means to preserve.

Cherry tomatoes are particularly suitable to be made confit. Roasting them slowly, at a low temperature, will boost their flavor while making them incredibly juicy and tender.

Cherry tomato confit have an intense, sweet, salty, aromatic, garlicky flavor, and they are a perfect umami booster on top of most other dishes.

You'll love them on top of our no-knead focaccia, piadina, naan, flatbread pizza, socca or farinata, and even polenta or pasta dished like garlic and oil pasta, zucchini pasta, and broccoli pasta.

Tomatoes

You can use any small fresh tomatoes to make confit.

Our favorites are cherry tomatoes, but you can also use date tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and grape tomatoes.

Of course, the tomatoes should be ripe to get incredibly sweet and juicy.

Olive oil

Best if you use extra virgin olive oil. As an alternative, you could use regular olive oil.

Sugar

Sugar helps caramelize the tomatoes, and it boosts their flavor. It also balances the acidity of the tomato, so we recommend it.

Garlic and oregano

That's all we use to season the tomatoes. If you don't have dried oregano, use dried or fresh thyme sprigs or other fresh rosemary or sage.

We recommend using fresh garlic, finely chopped or grated.

Salt

Sea salt and kosher salt are best.

We do not add black pepper to this recipe, but you can do so. And if you want spicy, confit tomatoes, add a pinch of chili powder or red pepper flakes.

Dietary note: this recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Preheat the oven to 300°F or 150°C. Prep your baking tray; you can use any as long as it fits all the tomatoes without overlapping. We use a quarter sheet pan.

You can line your baking dish with parchment paper, although unnecessary.

Rinse the tomatoes, cut them in half, and arrange them on a single layer without overlapping and facing up.

To a small bowl, add grated garlic, salt, dried oregano, sugar, and extra virgin olive oil.

With a teaspoon, sprinkle each tomato with the dressing.

Each tomato must get a bit of everything to make every bite as delicious as the next.

Tip: add more or less garlic depending on your tastes. You can make confit tomato without garlic if you prefer.

Slow roast in the oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes at 300°F or 150°C. They should be completely soft and juicy.

As a starter

The tomatoes are a perfect pairing with bread or flatbreads, such as:

• Freshly baked no-knead focaccia with rosemary.
• Homemade naan bread with garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
• Italian flatbread or piadina with stracchino cheese and arugula.
• Flatbread pizza with several toppings.
• Farinata or socca, a flatbread made with chickpea flour.

Or you can prepare an appetizer platter with other dips and spreads, such as:

• Caramelized onions (sugar, vinegar, white or red onions, olive oil, etc.).
• Crostini with olive tapenade or tofu cream cheese.
• Hummus (chickpeas, tahini, cumin, garlic, lemon juice, etc.).
• Muhammara (tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, etc.).
• Grilled zucchini and eggplant (zucchini, eggplant, garlic, dried herbs, olive oil).
• Homemade vegan ricotta (soy milk, apple cider vinegar, salt, and herbs).

As topping on pasta

This tomato confit recipe is excellent for boosting the flavor of your favorite pasta or main. Try them with:

• Aglio e olio (spaghetti, parsley, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, etc.)
• Mushroom pasta (white mushroom, cherry tomatoes, tagliatelle, fresh parsley, garlic, etc.)
• Broccoli pasta (broccoli, olive oil, red pepper flakes, pasta, etc.)
• Zucchini pasta (zucchini, olive oil, garlic, basil, parmesan, etc.)
• Lemon tofu (it's kind of a lemon chicken but with tofu slices)

For breakfast or brunch

They are also perfect for spicing up your breakfast. Have them with:

• Zucchini pie (chickpea flour, onion, zucchini, olive oil, pie crust, etc.)
• Vegan frittata ( chickpea flour, zucchini or other veggies, onion, olive oil, etc.)
• Tofu scramble (firm tofu, turmeric, olive oil, salt, etc.)
• Avocado spread or white bean dip: on a toasted slice of bread.

Make ahead: confit tomato is an excellent recipe to make ahead as they keep well in the fridge for days, and you can enjoy them cold or at room temperature.

Refrigerator: keep them in the fridge for up to 6 days. To store them, put them in a clean jar and add a little olive oil to keep them moist. Don't store it longer than that.

Freezer: We recommend freezing them in small airtight containers if you want to preserve them longer. Let them cool down completely before freezing them for up to 6 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Do not freeze multiple times.

Important: we do not recommend preserving confit tomatoes wholly submerged in oil in a sealed jar for more than six days unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Preserving food in oil, if done incorrectly, can create the right environment for botulism bacteria to grow, which we don't want to encourage.

If you want more ideas on how to cook with tomatoes, here are some easy dinner ideas:

• Tomato Bruschetta (bread, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc.)
• Marinara sauce (garlic, whole peeled tomatoes, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, etc.)
• Sundried tomato pesto (walnuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, jarred sundried tomatoes, etc.)
• Creamy tomato risotto (risotto rice, tomato passata, dried oregano, onion, garlic, etc.)
• Pasta Pomodoro (tomato passata, spaghetti, fresh basil, white onion, garlic, etc.)
• Tomato cucumber salad (heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, etc.)

Upgrade your pasta and salads with these easy homemade topping ideas:

• Homemade croutons (stale bread, olive oil, garlic, dried herbs, etc.)
• Caramelized onions (sugar, salt, vinegar, onions, etc.)
• Fried tofu (cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, olive oil, etc.)
• Dukkah (hazelnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, dried oregano, etc.)
• Roasted chickpeas (canned chickpeas, paprika, curry or garlic powder, oil, etc.)

For many more side dishes ideas, check out our sides category page.

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