Looking for a delicious way to use up and preserve your grape or cherry tomatoes? This 5-Ingredient Tomato Confit transforms your sweet tomatoes into a succulent tomato preserve that absolutely melts in your mouth and continues to build in complex flavor.
I love using cherry tomatoes in spreads and sauces (like in my homemade pizza sauce!) because they are less bitter when cooked, and the skin is much thinner and more delicate, making it break down more easily.
The word “confit” refers to a French cooking method of preserving food by slowly cooking it in fat (in our case olive oil), or in some cases, sugar syrup.
In this tomato confit, we submerge the grape tomatoes in a mixture of olive oil, salt, and honey (just to take the edge off of the natural acidity of the tomatoes) and cook it slowly at a low temperature.
This will result in a gorgeous, soft, luxurious texture. The low temperature maintains all of the moisture from the tomatoes, while still cooking it enough to break down the tough outer skin of the tomato.
It also infuses the oil with complex flavor from the tomatoes, garlic, salt, and honey.
As an environmental scientist, I always try my best to stick to seasonal eating when I can! It’s one of the simplest and most delicious ways to support local farmers and improve your carbon footprint.
Green tip: Seasonal and local foods have less associated transportation costs and fuel emissions. Check when grape tomatoes are in season in your area with this Seasonal Food Guide.
Confit Tomatoes Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Tomatoes. I love using grape or cherry tomatoes, but if you want to use any other variety, you certainly can. Just make sure to slice them into roughly bite-sized pieces.
- Garlic.
- Olive oil.
- Salt.
- Honey. You can substitute another sweetener like agave, or even sugar.
How to Make Grape Tomato Confit
Start by Combining Your Oil, Salt, and Honey
Add the oil, honey, and salt to your baking dish and use a whisk or fork to combine. The honey and olive oil will not readily combine, but that’s okay! It will distribute as it cooks.
Just use the whisk or fork to distribute the honey throughout the oil as best as you can. Combining the oil, honey, and salt right there in the baking dish allows you to make this whole recipe in just one dish!
Submerge the Tomatoes in the Oil Mixture
Make sure your grape tomatoes are rinsed and dried, and peel your garlic cloves before adding them. Submerge them in your oil mixture, making sure they’re spread out in a single layer.
At least the bottom half of the tomatoes and garlic should be completely submerged in the oil.
Heat Low and Slow
For a proper confit, we need to keep the oven temperature low. Add the submerged tomatoes and garlic to the preheated 250°F oven on the top rack.
Check on them after an hour and a half. It may take up to two hours for this to be completely done. You’ll know they’re ready when the skin of the tomatoes are wrinkly and the garlic is golden brown and tender.
How to Serve Tomato Confit
You can opt to keep your tomatoes and garlic whole for serving, or use a fork to mash and mix the tomatoes into the oil to give you a more jam-like texture. I personally like to keep it whole!
This tomato confit is absolutely bursting with flavor and totally melts in your mouth, it’s flavor building as you chew it. It’s so delicious that it really can elevate almost any dish. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- On rustic bread or crostini.
- Tossed into pasta with some Parmesan cheese or even a little bit of pesto.
- Atop baked brie or burrata cheese as a delicious appetizer.
- In lieu of tomato sauce or as a topping on homemade flatbread or pizza.
- On a salad, or in a homemade vinaigrette.
- As a flavor enhancer on a sandwich (try it in this Havarti grilled cheese!).
- On top of roasted fish or even chicken.
How to Properly Store Tomato Confit
So, how long does tomato confit last? Store your tomatoes and garlic, submerged in the oil in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze the confit tomatoes for up to 3 months. It’s best to allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator naturally before using them.
You will likely use up the tomatoes and garlic before you use up the olive oil, which in my opinion, is one of the best parts of this recipe! The oil itself will last up to a month in an airtight jar in the fridge.
The tomato and garlic infused salted honey oil is an amazing base to a homemade vinaigrette or a great way to boost the flavor of whatever you are cooking. Just use it in place of olive oil in any recipe that calls for it!
Green tip: Of the billions of tons of food wasted annually, 50% of food waste happens at home. Reduce your contribution to food waste by preserving your tomatoes with this confit method to give them a longer shelf life.
Why this Tomato Confit is So Dang Delicious
- The low and slow confit cooking method retains the moisture of the tomatoes and garlic, giving them a super succulent, melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also infuses the olive oil with tons of flavor!
- It elevates any dish! Add tons of flavor to any dish by spreading on this delectable tomato confit.
- It extends the life of your tomatoes. This preservation method will keep your tomatoes fresh for up to two weeks (or 3 months in the freezer!).
5-Ingredient Grape Tomato Confit
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEIngredients
- 1 pint grape tomatoes (1 pint grape tomatoes = approx. 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Rinse and dry your tomatoes and peel your garlic.
- To a 1.5-quart baking dish, add the olive oil, salt, and honey and use a fork to whisk. The honey and olive oil may not readily combine, but that's okay, just distribute it throughout the oil as best as you can.
- Add the tomatoes and garlic so that they are mostly submerged in the oil mixture.
- Place on the top rack of the oven for 1.5-2 hours until the outer skin is wrinkly, and the garlic is golden brown.
- You can opt to keep your tomatoes and garlic whole for serving or use a fork to mash and mix the tomatoes into the oil to give you a more jam-like texture.! Serve on bread, tossed in pasta, in a salad, on top of baked brie, on top of fish… the options are endless!
Pro Tips
- You can easily substitute any variation of tomato, just make sure to slice them into bite-sized pieces.
- You can sub in any type of sweetener like agave or sugar.
