Follow This Golden Rule For The Best Roasted Tomatoes Every Time

Summer tomatoes are the vegetables — or fruits, if you prefer — that I look forward to all year. Their flavor is unparalleled compared to the tomatoes you pick up out of season. They're scrumptious in their fresh, raw state, sliced and sprinkled with sea salt; enjoyed in tomato sandwiches on white bread; or layered into a classic BLT. But roasting tomatoes arguably makes them even better, especially when you use smaller varieties like cherry or grape tomatoes.

Bite-sized tomatoes are naturally sweeter than their larger counterparts, and when you roast them in the oven, their natural sugars concentrate, intensifying their flavor. The resulting caramelized tomatoes are sweet and jammy — perfect for tossing into pasta, slathering on a slice of good toasted bread, or spooning over almost any protein, from steak to chicken to fish. When you roast tomatoes, your oven does all the work, making this dish incredibly easy. A simple version involves drizzling your tiny tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasting them on a sheet pan until they burst and begin to brown on top. But there are plenty of ways to make them even more flavorful — try adding garlic or shallots, tossing in herbs like thyme or rosemary, or drizzling in some balsamic vinegar to sweeten them even more.

Think of a batch of roasted cherry tomatoes as a way to add a sweet, acidic punch to almost any recipe. Because they're bursting with such intense flavor, you can build an easy appetizer around them. Try dolloping roasted tomatoes on top of whipped ricotta, goat cheese, or cream cheese. Add some chopped basil on top and you'll have something delicious to serve with crunchy crackers, crusty bread, or fresh vegetables. I also like to use roasted tomatoes instead of pizza sauce whenever I make pizza on the grill or calzones.

Consider spreading some of these flavorful tomatoes on your next BLT instead of using a fresh slice. Similarly, add a spoonful — plus a drizzle of balsamic vinegar — to seriously elevate avocado toast. Mix them into softened butter with some chopped shallot and tarragon, and you'll have a wonderful compound butter that's perfect for melting over steak or fish. Incorporate them into salad dressings, or puree them to use as a base for tomato soup.

One of my all-time favorite ways to use a batch of roasted cherry tomatoes is to add them to a pot where I've quickly sauteed shallots and garlic. After adding the roasted tomatoes, I puree everything with an immersion blender to create a sauce. Then I add a can of white beans and a handful of fresh basil leaves, letting everything heat through on the stove. Once the beans are warmed, I remove the basil leaves and serve the beans in tomato sauce topped with a chunk of burrata cheese and a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts. You can use a spoon, but I prefer slices of fresh sourdough bread to scoop it all up.