One of my favorite things to make is oven roasted tomatoes. I roast them in the toaster oven if I don’t want to use the oven. I love this dish because it’s super easy to, it makes off-season tomatoes taste sun-kissed and ripe, and, once made, they are a great addition to salads, omelets, and sauces. The options are endless, really. And roasted tomatoes are actually healthier than tomatoes in the raw, though few would deny that deliciousness that is a sun-ripened tomato fresh from the garden.
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. Some fruits and vegetables are better for you raw – the important nutrients and antioxidants are lost. Not so with tomatoes – lycopene in cooked tomatoes is released and dissolved in fat, like oil, to be more easily absorbed by our bodies.
Oven Roasted Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
- Fresh Rosemary – a couple of sprigs
- Thyme – dried or fresh
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 5 medium sized tomatoes (organic)
- Red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 325.
- In a baking dish, drizzle the oil and sprinkle a little salt on it.
- Cut the tomatoes in chunks, if they’re smaller tomatoes, cut them in half, and if they’re bigger, I cut them in thirds.
- Rub a little sea salt on them. Arrange the tomatoes in the dish, turning them so they have oil on both sides, and tops with the fresh and dried herbs. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if you want.
- Slow roast for about 2 hours. Season with a little more sea salt and top with extra-virgin olive oil. Allow to cool. I put them in a glass jar with fresh basil, if I have any, and more olive oil. They keep for several days.
