03 September 2020

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer / www.delightfulrepast.com

Freezing oven-roasted tomatoes is one way to take advantage of a bumper crop. Of course, if you're growing a lot of tomatoes, you might need to can them. 

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer (this image, a watercolor sketch) / www.delightfulrepast.com
My watercolor sketch of a tomato from the garden

But for me it was just a matter of having several pounds more than I needed all ripe at the same time. So early this morning before it got hot, I preheated the oven and roasted two half sheet pans of tomatoes yielding 5 half-pint jars. I'll likely be doing another batch in a few days.

You can freeze the roasted tomatoes in whatever size portion you need for the recipes you make. In my case, I went with half-pint jars. Whatever size you choose, be sure they are straight-sided jars. Jars with "shoulders" are more prone to breaking in the freezer.

Why nothing more than extra virgin olive oil, salt and coarsely ground pepper on the tomatoes? Because I'll be using them in American, British, Indian, Italian and Mexican dishes, each requiring different aromatics, herbs and spices. So just keeping it simple! 

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer / www.delightfulrepast.com
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Oven-Roasted Tomatoes


(Makes 1 half sheet pan, 2 or 3 half-pint jars)

2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce/30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
About 2.5 to 2.75 pounds/1.13 to 1.25 kg ripe tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon or more salt
1/8 teaspoon or more coarsely ground black pepper

1 Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Preheat oven to 400F/205C/Gas6.

2 Wash and dry tomatoes, cut away the stem and stem scar. Slice tomatoes about 1/3 inch/1 cm thick. Place in a single layer on the parchment-lined and oiled half sheet pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the tomatoes, rubbing it around with your fingers, or brush it on. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3 Place in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or more, depending on the thickness and juiciness of the tomato slices. When they are done to your liking, at least shrunken and a bit shriveled, let them cool on the pan for a few minutes. Spoon them into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headroom, put on the lids.

Simple Roasted Tomatoes for the Freezer / www.delightfulrepast.com


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Jean

62 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

I should do the same and make a huge batch too. So easy and fuss free to reserve sweet juicy vine tomatoes.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Yes, Angie, you should. You can easily do a few pounds at a time.

Lorrie said...

Roasted tomatoes in the freezer is like having money in the bank. Sadly, my tomato crop has been abysmal this year and I don't know if I'll get any done. The farmer's market will have some, though.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Lorrie, "like having money in the bank"—I love that! Funny how our gardens have good and bad years. I'm probably due for a bad one next time around!

TONY said...

Is that watercolour of a ,"beefsteak," tomato, Jean? Roasting, or in the case of an English Breakfast, fried tomatoes are brilliant. That's an idea, Jean. What would your version of a " Full English Breakfast," look like? I like the idea of keeping jars of roasted tomatoes. Is that a way of making tomato puree? I always put loads of tomato puree in my bolognaise sauce.
Another great idea Jean. Brilliant stuff.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Tony, I think a beefsteak tomato is much larger. There are lots of "bumpy" varieties. I always plant smaller tomatoes. My idea of a full English breakfast is 2 eggs (fried or scrambled), back bacon, sausage, baked beans, grilled tomato, mushrooms, toast, orange juice and tea. But that is way more than I can eat, so I would simply have 1 or 2 scrambled eggs, a piece of bacon, toast and tea. If you want to freeze tomato puree, it's a simple matter of pureeing the tomatoes before putting in jars. But I just plop the slices down into the jars and decide what I'm going to do with them when I take them out of the freezer.

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

What a wonderful way to preserve the taste of summer. BTW, I've been having trouble commenting but have found a way...I hope. I don't think it links back but at least you know that I'm following along.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Karen, thanks so much. And, yes, your comment came through, and with a link back to your blog. I'm sorry you had trouble commenting, but it seems to be fine now.

ellen b. said...

Future yumminess!

Thomas "Sully" Sullivan said...

Jars with shoulders more prone to break in freezer -- never thought about that. Makes sense when you visualize freezing and expansion. Is there any vegetable as vulnerable as the tomato? Your family tree (vine) is either pureed, squished, sliced, liquefied, roasted or turned into soup. And, of course, all tomatoes aspired to be made into my mom's secret chili sauce. Wish I knew where that recipe is...

Sonia said...

Jean, Roasted tomatoes and freezing it sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Ellen. I love having a freezer full of "future yumminess!" 😂

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sonia, thanks. I really like to maximize my limited freezer space.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Sully, yep, freezing and expansion. Gotta watch out for it. We might be able to uncover your mom's secret chili sauce recipe. I'll just need a few details.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Tomatoes roasted are just the best in my opinion! I really like the idea of freezing them in straight sided jars- brilliant. Your watercolor is charming, Jean.

Jeanie said...

Jean, could I freeze them in freezer bags instead? I'd love to make these but don't have much of a freezer. The bags stack so well. Maybe I'll buy extra tomatoes at market this week and do them next week at home.

By the way, I adore your painted tomato. It's really quite perfect -- you got the shading and the light so well!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Martha, thank you so much. AND for noticing my little watercolor! I really love freezing stuff in jars.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Jeanie, yes, you could easily use freezer bags for this. Let me know how it works out for you. And I'm glad you liked the painting!

Tamago said...

Your roasted tomatoes look so fresh and irresistible! I probably would eat maybe half of them before freezing :-)

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Tamago. And, yes, I couldn't resist eating quite a few. Would have had another jar to freeze if I had resisted temptation.

Richard Sheppard said...

We've done this twice already this summer, great minds think alike ;-) They make great spaghetti sauces, yum. Nice watercolor too! :-)

Phil in the Kitchen said...

Excellent way of keeping your sunshine harvest for use during the darker, colder days. I'm sorry to say that I don't have enough tomatoes to store this year.

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

Hi Jean. Thanks so much for this. I never knew of or thought you could store tomatoes like this. I'll be roasting tomatoes next week!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Richard. It's the last thing I painted. Can't seem to get started. Been extra busy dealing with tomatoes, I think!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Phil. Maybe next year. Sometimes it seems like gardeners have alternate good years.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Lea Ann, that's super! I'll want to hear all about it!

Cranberry Morning said...

Jean, I love the watercolor! And what a good idea for the tomatoes. Hopefully I can find a spot to raise tomatoes next year and keep the chipmunks from them.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Yummy tomatoes, and a great way to preserve them! It would be wonderful to have them on hand in jars and ready to use in a recipe. Thanks for sharing, Jean.

Amy Marie Orozco said...

Thanks for the tip on the straight sided jars in the freezer. I've had a few "shoulders" break in the freezer; I thought it was because I filled them too high. I will try your recipe, and I will remember the straight sided jars tip.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Judy! And I can't wait to see what you come up with to keep the chipmunks out!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Sandi. I just don't have the energy this year to get into a big deal with canning huge amounts. But this you can do just a few pounds at a time. Perfectly painless!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Amy, I'm so glad I had a solution for you! That always makes my day. Stay safe and well.

jellie @ real ordinary food said...

Tomatoes are super cheap and in season right now so this is such a timely post, thank you!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Jellie! Love the name of your blog and the tagline!

April J Harris said...

I've never actually canned anything, and I'm a bit intimidated by the whole process, so I really love this recipe, Jean! There's nothing like the deep flavour roasting gives tomatoes, and I love the idea of having a taste of summer on a fall or winter's day. Thank you for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

April, canning can be a lot of fun, but who wants to drag out all the pressure canning equipment for less than 20 to 30 pounds of tomatoes? I hope you'll try this soon and let me know how it worked out for you. Love #HearthAndSoul!

Karen said...

Thank you for this recipe! I saw it this morning before I left for the farmer's market. I bought some tomatoes while I was there and they are roasting in my oven as I type! Thanks again

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Karen, that's wonderful! Do let me know how they turn out for you.

Irene said...

A very timely recipe to preserve the summer harvest!

Kitchen Riffs said...

What a great idea! The problem with having a garden is for a long time you get almost no harvest, then all at once you gets tons and tons of everything. So you gotta scramble to use it all!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Irene!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, John. You're so right. And I'm scrambling now!

Gerlinde de Broekert said...

What a great idea. I can see these roasted tomatoes being a culinary delight during the cold season.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Gerlinde. And I'm going to *try* not to use them all up in the first two months after the tomato season is over!

David Scott Allen said...

What is simple and beautiful way to preserve these tomatoes for the winter. So smart of you to keep it simple so that you have more flexibility when using them later. Also, that watercolor of the tomato is beautiful!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

David, thank you so much! It's the last thing I painted; must get busy. And I'll be roasting more tomatoes yet.

Lowcarb team member said...

I do like your watercolour and love the look of your roasted tomatoes.

All the best Jan

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks so much, Jan! I think my next harvest in a few days will be the last of them!

Nic said...

I love oven roasted home grown toms. I still wistfully remember the summer of 2010 when I had trays in the oven, all 4 hobs in use and the slow cooker for chutney making to deal with my tomato glut! Enjoy your Tom's x

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Nic. There are so many uses for tomatoes, they never get boring!

handmade by amalia said...

Our tomatoes are awful is now, no flavor, not sure why. The ones from the market, I mean, I don't grow my own though I keep meaning to give it a try. But as soon as I find decent tomatoes I'm giving this a try, it will be lovely in the middle of winter.
Amalia
xo

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Amalia. And then be prepared to plant just one tomato plant (they can even be grown in a pot on a sunny patio or balcony) when planting time comes again. Don't plant from seed, just get a little tomato plant—cherry tomatoes or another smallish tomato—and plant just the one. You'll be hooked for life!

Hasin said...

Jean
Considering the amount of tomatoes I use in my kitchen, your post is only helpful and great time saver too! Loved your tip about not using the shoulder bent jars as they have cracked in my freezer before. Thanks!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Hasin, thank you so much. I do much more freezing than canning, so I learned that one the hard way!

Dee | GrammysGrid.com said...

Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 16, open until September 26!

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thank you, Dee.

Cheryl said...

That is interesting about the round shoulder jars. I have a new love for the straight jars this year. I'll have to give your recipe a go. Thank you for sharing.

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Cheryl. And it's great when you don't have enough tomatoes all at once to bother with dragging out the canning equipment.

Shelbee on the Edge said...

Yum. I love roasted tomatoes for making creamy tomato soup! But I never really have enough to store afterwards. Thanks for sharing and linking up with me!

Shelbee
www.shelbeeontheedge.com

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

Thanks, Shelbee. Ooh, now you've got me craving a nice big bowl of tomato soup!

Kavey said...

Seeking paintings like a treasure hunt! 😁

Jean | DelightfulRepast.com said...

You are amazing, Kavey! Thank you.