Cherry tomatoes could easily be called the overachievers of the gardening world. One plant can often grow to be 10 to 15 feet long if it is left unpruned and kept well fertilized and watered. And in the course of a growing season that one plant can produce hundreds of yummy little tomatoes, though sometimes it can seem like there’s thousands of them!
Cherry tomatoes are also very versatile in the kitchen. At Happy Acres we love them on (and in) salads, and lots of them get dehydrated and slow-roasted for use long after tomato season is over. You can also make a great Cherry Tomato Salsa with them. And of course many of them get eaten straight from the garden, not to mention all those that actually get eaten out in the garden. Now that’s what I call dining alfresco!
(click on any image to enlarge)
This simple side dish pairs tomatoes with a couple of their natural companions: garlic and basil. The tomatoes are tossed with olive oil and garlic plus a little salt and pepper and quickly baked until the skins start to shrivel and burst. Add a little basil and you’ve got a quick, easy and tasty side dish. These tomatoes are also great tossed with pasta. Add some beans or meat to the pasta and you’ve got a complete meal that’s ready in no time!
Baked Cherry Tomatoes
Baked Cherry Tomatoes 
Print This Recipe
adapted from several recipes
1 qt cherry tomatoes, whole
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1/4 tsp kosher salt
pepper to taste
2 tbsp basil leaves
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine all the ingredients except the basil in a roasting pan. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are just bursting. Carefully transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and add basil. Serve warm or cold.
Servings: 6
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 65 calories, 42 calories from fat, 4.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 88.2mg sodium, 242.1mg potassium, 5.5g carbohydrates, 1.2g fiber, <1g sugar, 1g protein, 10.2mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
Outstanding! We do something very, very similar. We also freeze the baked goodies in single serving bags to pull out later and put in winter dishes. Without this, we wouldn’t know what to do with all those cherry toms!
I do exactly the same thing, only I like to let them roast even longer and then use a fork to mash them up and the resulting beautiful tomato paste is just exquisite on a thin crust pizza baked in a very hot oven. 😀 Yum!
The picture makes it look as though you’d pulled the skins off. Are my eyes deceiving me?
Nope, the skins are still on there! I think the olive oil clings to the skin and makes it look glossier than usual.
Isn’t it amazing how good something so simple can taste. The classic combinations are often the best aren’t they?
You are so right!
We did your recipe with chopped rosemary since we had no basil……fantastic! It’s all I want to eat everyday!