These Tomatoes Slow-Roasted with Basil Pesto is absolutely delicious spread over toast, spooned over pasta, served with cheese and crackers or served alongside chicken or fish. And it’s a great topping for pizza, the uses are limitless.
In this dish, ripe tomatoes are simmered in an oil and basil pesto sauce until they achieve a tender, melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The slow cooking process allows the tomatoes to absorb the herbal essence of the pesto, enhancing their natural sweetness with layers of aromatic basil and garlic flavors. As the sauce reduces, it intensifies, creating a rich and savory flavor.
In This Post
- What Is Confit
- Traditional Confit Cooking Methods
- Ingredients
- Instructions
- Recipe Top Tip
- Ways To Use Tomatoes Roasted with Basil Pesto
- Get Free Recipe Updates!
- Substitutions and Variations
- How To Store Leftovers
- Garlic and Botulism
- FAQ
- Tomatoes Slow-Roasted with Basil Pesto (Confit Method)
- https://thewholeserving.com/comments/
What Is Confit
This slow-cooked method I used for this recipe is a variation of a method called confit.
So what is confit?
Confit is a traditional French cooking method used to preserve and flavor food by slow-cooking it in fat at a low temperature. The word "confit" comes from the French verb "confire," which means "to preserve."
Confit is most commonly associated with duck (duck confit), but the method can be applied to other foods.
Traditional Confit Cooking Methods
Protein Confit
Proteins like meat, poultry and fish are cured in salt to draw out the excess moisture before submerging them in fats and slowly cooking them on a low temperature.
Vegetable Confit
Vegetables should be clean and dry before submerging them in the oil, and adding herbs and spices to add flavor.
Fruit Confit
Unlike meats or vegetable confit, fruit confit uses simple syrup instead of fats as the cooking liquid.
Ingredients
The typical tomato confit recipe is tomatoes, olive oil and fresh garlic. However, in this recipe I added pesto sauce and omitted the fresh garlic because there is garlic in the pesto sauce. I also added some sugar to help with the caramelizing of the tomatoes and balance the acidity.
- cherry tomatoes
- olive oil
- pesto sauce
- sugar
- red pepper flakes
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Prepare oven and tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes, using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
Place tomatoes in baking dish
Place the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a rectangular baking dish.
Combine oil mixture
Combine olive oil, pesto sauce, and sugar into a small mixing bowl, whisk (affiliate link) to combine.
Roast the tomatoes
Pour the olive oil mixture over the tomatoes. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1-1½ hours. The oil will bubble slightly as it cooks.
Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
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Recipe Top Tip
Use the right size baking dish or pan. The tomatoes should be submerged in the oil. Using a baking dish or pan that’s too large will not allow the tomatoes to be submerged in the oil.
Ways To Use Tomatoes Roasted with Basil Pesto
There are countless ways to use this delicious recipe, below are just a few ways I enjoy using it.
- Use in place of canned tomatoes in a recipe
- Serve over pasta or add it to your pasta sauce
- As a pizza topping
- Serve with or over eggs
- Spread over toast
- Serve it with beef, poultry, or fish
- Add to your charcuterie board
- Serve over hummus or other dips and spreads
- Serve over cream cheese or other soft cheeses
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Substitutions and Variations
Garlic: If you are a garlic fan, you can add some fresh garlic to the baking pan.
Tomatoes: You can sub the cherry tomatoes with any small tomato variety, such as grape, angel sweet, or plum to name a few.
How To Store Leftovers
Place the cooled tomatoes in an airtight glass container, spoon oil over the tomatoes and store in your refrigerator. Use within 5-7 days.
Any remaining oil can be used in recipes. So store in a glass airtight container in your refrigerator. The oil will harden as it cools in the fridge. When you’re ready to use the oil remove from the fridge and allow to liquidify.
Garlic and Botulism
Because garlic is a low-acid vegetable when stored in oil at warm temperatures there is a risk of botulism. The pH of garlic is between 5.3 and 6.3. . Botulism can form at a pH of 4.6 or higher. If you added fresh garlic to the tomatoes, I highly recommend removing the garlic from the tomatoes once cooled and storing the garlic in a clean airtight container in your refrigerator and use within 1-2 days. For more info on Botulism check out this article on the CDC website.
FAQ
Certainly, I suggest freezing it in an ice cube tray for easy single serving. Use within 3-4 months. When you’re ready to use, pop out to use in a recipe or defrost and use as a condiment.
It should last up to 2 weeks in your fridge if stored in an airtight container.
No, you can cook it in a pan on your stovetop on a low simmer.
Tomatoes Slow-Roasted with Basil Pesto (Confit Method)
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Ingredients
- 20 ounces fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes, using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
- Combine olive oil, pesto sauce, and sugar into a small mixing bowl, whisk (affiliate link) to combine.
- Place the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a rectangular baking dish.
- Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1-1½ hours. The oil will bubble slightly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.
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