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As tomato growing season starts to slow down, it’s time to start stocking for winter! The best way to keep your summer crop fresh enough to eat in November, is to roast and freeze tomatoes. When that cold weather hits, you’ll be glad you saved the fresh summer tomatoes for your Tomato Soup!
I am a big believer in reducing food waste, I like to buy good quality fresh ingredients, so I hate having to throw them away. The spring and summer growing seasons produce beautiful fruits and veggies, and this is my favorite way reduce waste and have the freshest tomatoes year round.
Roasted Tomatoes are simple to prepare and incredibly versatile. You can defrost them and add them to all kinds of different dishes. This method really brings out all of their sweet, fresh flavor so it’s perfect for soups, sauces, chilis and stews.
I already have several bags stacked in my freezer and I’ll continue adding to my stock pile for the next couple weeks. So, if you are like me and love fresh tomatoes, head to the farmers market this weekend and load up…there are only a few beauties left!
Ingredients Needed To Roast Tomatoes
- Fresh Tomatoes – washed and quartered
- Olive Oil
- Onion – roughly chopped
- Garlic Cloves
- Salt and Pepper
How To Roast Tomatoes
Begin by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place quartered tomatoes onto it. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes, then sprinkle on salt and pepper, amount will depend on personal preference.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until they start to brown on top, keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Remove tomatoes from oven and let cool.
Once the tomatoes are fully cooled, transfer them to a Ziploc freezer bag. Label and date the freezer bag and store for up to 6 months.
People Often Ask…
After you’ve roasted your tomatoes, you can place them in an air tight freezer bag and they will keep for up to six months! Make sure that you date the bag, I like to write the date I froze the tomatoes as well as the date they’ll expire by six months later.
The best part of roasting and freezing tomatoes is that it reduces food waste. If you see that your tomatoes are about to go bad, this the best thing you can do with them.
So, I would say any tomatoes you have are good for roasting, but these are a couple of my favorite types of tomatoes…
– Roma Tomatoes
– San Marzano Tomatoes
– Campari Tomatoes
– Plum Tomatoes
Ways To Use Roasted Tomatoes
There are so many wonderful recipes you can make with roasted tomatoes! Whether you’re adding roasted tomatoes to a chili or making a spaghetti sauce, this recipe is a go-to.
The ingredients in this recipe are very simple, and therefore super versatile, you can add these tomatoes to all kinds of different dishes with a variety of flavors. You can use these Roasted Tomatoes as a substitute for crushed tomatoes in so many recipes, here are a couple of my favorites…
- Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Award-Winning Southern Soul Chili
- Easy Baked Spaghetti
- Bloody Mary Chili Recipe
- Easy Taco Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 – 7 medium tomatoes – washed and quartered
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Place tomatoes, onions and garlic on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes or until tomatoes start to brown on top – being careful not to burn.
- Remove tomatoes from oven and let cool
- Place tomatoes in a freezer zip lock bag. Label and store in freezer for up to 6 months.
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Do you need to peel the tomatoes before you roast them?
Hey there Sylvia!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to enjoy it, this is the best way to save your beautiful summer tomatoes! Personally, I don’t peel the tomatoes before roasting them, I don’t mind tomato skins. That being said, this recipe is all about personal preference, if you want your tomatoes peeled then you can totally peel them. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out!
~Donya
What are the onion and garlic used for? Don’t see them used in recipe.
Hey there Steve!
Thank you so much for pointing that out, I have edited the recipe to include the garlic and onions. The garlic and onions are placed on the sheet pan with the tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and then roasted to give the tomatoes a deeper flavor. I hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out if you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
I will miss the tomatos…my first year of growing so many and different varieties. Tomatoes everywhere and sharing to the ones that love them as well. Thank you for the tips. I am a rookie when it comes to canning and freezing for the winter. 👍