Reap the rewards of a bountiful harvest with this Simple Roasted Tomatoes Freezer Recipe.
Nothing beats oven-roasted tomatoes. This freezer-friendly recipe is the perfect addition to so many dishes. Wonderful intense, robust flavour.
DIY fresh herb salt is also a great seasoning for these flavourful tomatoes. You can even use it in tomato jam too.
Roasting tomatoes in the oven is so much easier than canning them in jars. All you need is olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and herbs.
I love having these ready in the freezer. Perfect for making my easy tomato crab bisque.
We use a lot of tomato recipes in our house. Pasta sauces, pizza sauce, soups, and of course chili. Fresh tomato puttanesca is a favourite for dinner here. Jarred sauces are convenient for sure, but nothing beats the taste of using fresh ingredients. Give this blistered tomato pasta sauce a try and see for yourself.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for roasting and freezing tomatoes are at the bottom of this post.
Slow roasting tomatoes is my favourite way to preserve them. Super easy to make. The oven does all the work, and your house smells like a little country kitchen in the heart of Italy.
In fact, I roast most of my veggies (other than grilling). YES, I do boil potatoes for making mashed potatoes, but that is about it. Roasting veggies is our favourite way to enjoy them. From side dishes to incorporating them into recipes. Here are a few of our family favourites:
Roasted Tomato Ingredients
Easy to find ingredients that produce amazing results. You will need:
- fresh tomatoes
- olive oil
- fresh herbs
- garlic
- salt and pepper
- seasoning
I absolutely LOVE my (affiliate)*Pampered Chef stoneware baking dish. In fact, I have two at a time in the oven during this slow roasting process.
They are super easy to clean at the end of the day. I simply scrub them with some (affiliate)*coarse salt, rinse with hot water and they are good to go.
How To Roast Tomatoes For Freezing
Roasting and freezing tomatoes is simple. Nothing fancy or complicated. You can’t get these flavours out of a can, even the fire-roasted tomatoes would be second place here.
Here is the condensed version, you will see just how easy it is:
- Visit the market and get a big bag of fresh tomatoes (I used Roma)
- While you are there, grab some garlic and fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary)
- Wash the tomatoes, and cut them up (the size is up to you, the bigger they are, the longer they need to cook)
- Put them in a roasting pan in a single layer (be sure not to overcrowd them)
- Coat them nicely with olive oil, salt, and pepper (I even used garlic powder and Italian seasoning too)
- Add in some garlic cloves and the fresh herbs
- Place in the oven and roast away (for about 1 ½-2 hours)
- Give them a stir now and again while they roast
- Once they are done, you can leave them in chunks, or give them a mash (like I did)
- Measure out into freezer bags
- Seal and date
- DONE!
Tomato Ideas
This is the fun part, so many places to use this roasted tomato recipe. In case you were wondering, here are a few:
- tomato soup
- roasted tomato sauce
- tomato salsa
- bruschetta
I use my freezer tomatoes in:
They would also be great in a sauce on top of homemade potato gnocchi.
Tips For Roasting And Freezing Tomatoes
As for the best kind of tomatoes to roast, honestly, I don’t think there is a wrong kind.
I used Roma (also known as plum or paste tomatoes), but you can also use cherry tomatoes, Campari (on the vine), or whatever your garden grows.
Some people core larger tomatoes to remove the seeds. I did not, I find the Roma tomatoes have fewer seeds anyway.
As for freezing I just measure the amount in (affiliate)*measuring cup and pour into (affiliate)*freezer bags. I try to get ALL the air out and make the bags flat. They stack in the freezer nice and neat.
Be sure to write the date on the bag. This makes it much easier to know which to use up first.
This easy recipe for freezing tomatoes is perfect for creating wonderful, delicious recipes all year long. ENJOY!
Here are a few great recipes using roasted tomatoes from some of my blogging friends:
- Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup
- Israeli Couscous Salad
- Asparagus and Fontina Quiche
- Pesto Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes
Roasted Tomatoes Recipe For Freezing
Ingredients
- 6 pounds tomatoes (I used Roma)
- 6 cloves garlic (or more if you like)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons pepper (I used spicy garlic)
- 1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400º F
- Wash tomatoes, and cut into chunks. You can also just cut in ½ or leave whole if you prefer. The large the pieces, the longer they take to cook.
- Divide the tomatoes into 2 roasting pans (you don’t want to crowd them)
- Divide the oil and seasonings between the two pans, distribute and mix well to coat.
- Add garlic cloves and fresh herbs to each pan.
- Roast for about 1 ½-2 hours. **Depending on the size you have cut your tomatoes,the amount of tomatoes you have placed in your baking vessel, and the heat of your oven, you may need to reduce the temperature to 375º after 30 minutes to avoid burning**
- Depending on the amount of moisture you still want in the tomatoes, the time will vary slightly. Also if you removed the seeds, you will have less moisture to cook out.
- Be sure to mix several times during roasting.
- Once done, remove from oven.
- Remove any large stems from the herbs.
- If you like, you can leave your tomatoes in large chunks, or mash slightly with a potato masher. Mash the garlic cloves too.
- When cool, measure into your desired amount, place in the freezer bags, seal, date, and place in freezer.
- DONE!
Natalie
This is the perfect way to preserve tomatoes from my grandma’s garden. I love the herbs you used here and the method – the baking. I always cook tomatoes. I need to try this.
Homemade & Yummy
This is super easy…hope you give it a try. You can never have too many tomatoes put away.
Veena Azmanov
I love roasted tomatoes and this looks delicious. If I had home-grown tomatoes I would have these in my fridge all year round instead of buying canned tomatoes. So much better. Love the deep red color too.
Homemade & Yummy
I need to visit the market again this weekend, and put more in the freezer.
Marisa Franca
I used to curse canning and freezing all the veggies we used to get in our garden. Now I miss it so much. It’s wonderful simply going to your pantry and freezer to get what you need. Your tomatoes look wonderful — beauties to be sure. Just think of all the wonderful dishes you’ll be able to make. And roasting the tomatoes certainly makes a big difference in flavor!!
Homemade & Yummy
Oh yes….and of course you would know a thing or two about tomatoes. I think I will visit the market again this weekend, and roast up another 1/2 bushel.
Sharon
OMG, I have sooo many tomatoes from this year’s harvest, more than I know what to do with. This is such a good idea to roast, prepare and freeze them. It’s effortless too!
Homemade & Yummy
It really is super easy…and your house will smell amazing.
Sarah
This is so smart!! I always devour all our summer tomatoes, but I need to go to the Farmer’s Market soon and buy more! I bet it’s amazing to have these frozen for winter.
Homemade & Yummy
YES….for sure grab some at the market before the season is done. I am getting more next weekend.
Tina
What a delightful way to capture the bounty of summer at the farmer’s market year round. I’ve always canned tomatoes, and love this tutorial on how to freeze them. This is a great idea!
Homemade & Yummy
My mom was the canner…I am NOT. This is my version!!
Carmy
I just pinned this! Great idea on making your own – I always find myself wanting to make something using tomatoes and realize too late that I don’t have any on hand and would have to go to the store. This way I’ll never be caught without any!
Homemade & Yummy
I need to visit the market again an make another batch!!
Claudia Lamascolo
I have never canned anything before, and love the idea of freezing. I freeze everything . I have never froze tomatoes and now I have agreat reason too. This is brilliant my friend thanks!
Homemade & Yummy
YOU have never frozen tomatoes….you are in for a treat!!
Catherine E. Brown
Everyone should know how to make a great tomato sauce from scratch… roasting and freezing is the easiest way to accomplish this. I love this method and am looking forward to getting some sauce made soon. Thanks for sharing your process!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give this super easy method of freezing tomatoes a try soon…before the season comes to an end.
Jacqui
Totally agree with you – there is hardly a wrong kind of tomatoes for the roast recipe. It is more about personal preference, season and price. Great recipe and tips.
Homemade & Yummy
YUP…all work….hope you give this recipe a try soon.
Lisa
I’m sorry your farmer’s markets are closing for the season — ours won’t open up until October… South Florida. So your roasted tomato recipe is going to coincide perfectly with our season. Truth be told, the tomatoes won’t hit their peak until December, but I can think of so many things to do with this recipe that I’ll be making it long before the crop is perfect… I like that you’re freezing the roasted tomatoes, but I don’t have a lot of freezer space. How do you think they’d do if I canned them?
Homemade & Yummy
As I mentioned in my post…my mom CANNED all the time. I find this much easier…but if freezer space is an issue…then by all means….CAN AWAY!!
Jolina
This is such a great idea. We roast tomatoes all the time but buy canned tomatoes all the time too. Freezing fresh is the way to go.
Homemade & Yummy
I really think I have to pick more tomatoes up!!
Amanda
This post comes at the perfect time. I have too many tomatoes on the vine to use before we call it quits for the season, but I don’t want them to go to waste. Thanks!
Homemade & Yummy
This is such an EASY way to preserve those tomatoes for recipes all year long.
denise
Oh I wish we had some more tomatoes from the garden! This looks yummy and would really be apprreciated in the winter months. I’ve never tried freezing tomatoes before. What a great idea!
Homemade & Yummy
SO easy….much easier than canning!!
Stine Mari
This roasted tomato sauce looks so easy to make yet with a lot of flavor. I bet your baba made a lot of delicious yet simple food. I will definitely be making this the next time I have a lot of tomatoes on hand. (And I loved the thought of my house smelling like a country kitchen in Italy)
Homemade & Yummy
OMG it smells wonderful in here when I make these.