We didn’t grow tomatoes this year, but rather purchased them in bulk directly from farmers. If you have a glut of tomatoes in your garden, or can find them in a larger quantity, tomato confit is a great way to preserve that summer flavour.
This confit is simply slow roasted tomatoes with plenty of olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Covered in oil and stored it lasts longer than fresh tomatoes, and concentrates the taste so you can use less.
See below for an outline on how to use and store your homemade confit and bottle a bit of summer.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes: fresh, in season tomatoes are best – make this in the summer and store for later.
- Garlic: several cloves, but just for fragrance. It’s not garlic confit.
- Thyme: fresh if you possibly can.
- Spices: sea salt, black pepper, and (optional) cayenne pepper.
- Olive Oil: extra virgin, though a cooking oil can be used in a pinch.
- Vinegar: balsamic or apple cider vinegar. This is optional but improves the flavour.
Step by Step
Place the ingredients in a large baking dish. Roast on low for about two hours, until significantly reduced.
How to Use Tomato Confit
Confit can be added to just about anything you might usually add fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce too. With pasta for a quick meal, over toast to make a kind of bruschetta, or to top hummus for a summery twist.
Sauces and soups benefit from a scoop, too. Anything that could use an extra pop of flavour, even if it already includes tomatoes in some form.
Add confit as a topping to salads, wraps and sandwiches, veggie burgers, or simply mixed with cooked grains like quinoa.
How to Use Leftover Oil
Don’t waste that olive oil! It can be used as a normal cooking oil for roasting vegetables, making tomato sauce, or in your everyday use. It adds a slight garlic tomato flavour so I wouldn’t add it to sweets, but it works well in most savoury applications.
Try using it in savoury baking, like these sourdough crackers or zucchini cornbread. Add some to a salad dressing – it’s particularly good with hearty grain salads – or served over dips.
Simply use the oil as the tomato level goes down in the jar. Any extra can be frozen in ice cube trays once all of the confit has been used – add it to soups and sauces or pop a cube in the pan to melt before sautéing vegetables.
Notes and Substitutions
I roast the garlic with the skin on and peel before storing the confit. This caramelises the garlic more effectively and adds a sweeter flavour, but it can be peeled beforehand if you prefer.
Pictured are field tomatoes, which are larger and must be cut before roasting. Cherry or plum tomatoes are great and can be roasted whole or halved – use whatever you have.
Change up the herbs as you like (see substitutions for thyme). Oregano is nice here, finely chopped, but I don’t recommend very soft herbs like basil.
Storing Confit
Roasted tomatoes can be refrigerated for a couple of weeks, if fully covered in olive oil. I recommend placing the cooled confit into jars, topping with extra olive oil if needed, and storing in the refrigerator.
While tomatoes are, of course, quite safe to can in a normal water bath, garlic is a bit trickier. If you have a pressure canner then it’s no problem. You should be able to can in a water bath (boil, then simmer about 40 minutes) using 250-350ml sterilised jars – but I’m always hesitant to give concrete canning advice despite being a keen preserver.
That being said, confit freezes very well, and can be frozen in airtight containers for several months. I typically use canning jars to freeze recipes like this and it works well.
More Tomato Recipes
Roasted Tomato, Zucchini, and Eggplant Soup
Summer Harvest Vegan Burrito Bowl
Mexican Lentil Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Summer Greek Chickpea Salad
Oven Roasted Tomato Garlic Saffron Soup
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Tomato Confit (Slow Roasted Tomatoes)
Ingredients
- 1 kg. cherry tomatoes
- 4-6 cloves garlic peeled
- Handful fresh thyme
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 130°C (265°F).
- Place the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper into a large, deep baking dish. A casserole dish is perfect.
- Us a wooden spoon or your hands to mix until the tomatoes are well coated in oil, tucking the thyme under the tomatoes to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Cook for 2-2.5 hours. After this time, the tomatoes should be significantly reduced in size, and there should be a large amount of liquid in the bottom of the dish.
- Spoon the confit into clean jars, making sure the tomatoes are fully covered in the oil mixture* at the top of the jars.
- Cool to room temperature before sealing and storing in the refrigerator. The confit will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to six months.
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This post was first shared in October 2015. It has been updated with some improvements to the recipe as of August 2021.
Penelope says
It has been cloudy and cold but no real snow for seasonal fun. So, sprung for organic baby toms and and fresh thyme to make this promise of summer gift. IT SMELLS GREAT ON A COLD DAMP WINTER DAY. IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. TOMATO CONFIT, IN JANUARY, TASTES LIKE MEMORY AND HOPE. Thank you for such a charming recipe. I will put up some in season!
Alexandra Daum says
I’m so happy to hear that this brought you some joy, Penelope!