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!
Dominique
Is it crazy that I’ve never roasted tomatoes to make sauce before?! This needs to change because you make it sound so amazing and so easy to do! I love the idea of having frozen tomato sauce ready and waiting for me all year long!
Homemade & Yummy
You can use these in SOOOO many different recipes. I am making more this weekend.
Toni
I love that you used fresh tomatoes!
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much, hope you give this a try.
Amanda
What a great idea to roast and freeze tomatoes, Gloria! I have been buying up as many of the farm fresh tomatoes I can at the market before they’re completely gone for the season, and this is a perfect way to save them for the winter. I can think of so many uses for these throughout the colder months. What a great treat to have some of the best of summer on hand until tomato season rolls back around again!
Homemade & Yummy
I know….so good. I just told my husband I am getting more this weekend. I really don’t like running out too soon before next harvest season. I use these in so many recipes. So much easier than traditional canning.
Stephanie Simmons
This looks like a great way to use up all the tomatoes I got from my mom’s garden this week! Yummy and simple!
Homemade & Yummy
Simple for sure…give it a try and enjoy those tomatoes later in the season.
Dan
I’m so happy you posted this method of preserving tomato sauce. We do this every season and find that it works very well for a way to enjoy fresh-tasting marinara and other tomato-based recipes throughout the year.
Homemade & Yummy
I know, this is so easy right? so glad you like the post. Enjoy your tomatoes!!
Cathleen
I just pinned this!! All I need to do now is eat away at the things I have in my freezer now to make room for this 😉
Homemade & Yummy
Yes…you need to make some of these for your winter cooking needs.
Dana
This is so great to have on hand for sauces on a whim! I don’t know why I’ve never done this. Really looking forward to making a huge batch once we’re settled in the new house. I bet it makes the kitchen smell amazing, too!
Homemade & Yummy
I am heading to the market again this weekend to get another bushel basket full.
Dawn
I’m ALL about those make ahead recipes, especially this time of year. Just last week, I pulled out some soup and chili from the freezer and it was so convenient…something homemade and healthy in no time at all. These roasted tomatoes look delicious and I could think of so many ways they would be put to good use. Love how simple it is too!
Homemade & Yummy
Simple is best…and these work so well in MANY recipes. Hope you freeze some before harvest is done.
April
This post is right on time. I have so many tomatoes that I need to use up before they go bad. It would be great to have fresh homemade pasta sauce ready when I need it. Tomato soup would be perfect too! I’ve Bookmarked this recipe for later!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…I have already told my husband that I will be getting more tomatoes at the market this weekend.
Jenni LeBaron
I’ve been roasting so many tomatoes the past two weeks. Using up the rest of the garden plus some! This is a great fragrant recipe and I love that you have great tips for how to store the tomatoes. Freezing them in bags flat is brilliant!
Homemade & Yummy
YES…flat in the freezer…you can pack more in that way!!
swathi
I like the idea of roasting and freezing tomatoes for future use. I like that you flavored the tomatoes with rosemary, spices . It is ready to use for making chili, stew and soup, I love it.
Homemade & Yummy
This is such an easy way to preserve those harvest tomatoes.
Tammy
Such a great and timely post with all those leftover tomatoes from the garden. Great tips…thanks for sharing!
Homemade & Yummy
This has become our favourite apple recipe by far!!
Marisa Franca
In days of yore, when I was canning and I had counters full of Ball jars and lids perking in the boiling water I wish we would have had a large enough freezer where I could have frozen them. It would have been much easier especially roasting them for the flavor first. Yep!! The good ole days when I wished I didn’t have to do all that canning — sigh– now I wish I could have all that fresh produce. Your tomatoes and method looks ideal.
Homemade & Yummy
I know….that was how my mom did it. Way to much work for me….roasting and freezing is so much easier. Plus, I don’t have a cold room to keep all those jars!!
Debra
Canning intimidates me, so I love love love this idea. Brilliant to leave the sauce kinda generic so you can use it for a variety of different things when you’re ready. I know I’ll be so happy come middle of winter to be able to thaw out a taste of summer and use it in many different recipes. Thanks.
Homemade & Yummy
For sure….these can be used so many ways. I really am going to get another 1/2 bushel this weekend and make more!!
Mahy Elamin
I LOVE tomatoes. This is really a great idea for me! Total comfort food! Thank you!
Homemade & Yummy
It is so easy…and I think I will do another 1/2 bushel next weekend…before the end of market season.