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!
KathyS
Looks delicious, but I want to know — what about canning the tomatoes rather than freezing them? If that is possibly would you change anything in the recipe? My freezer is packed!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Sorry, I wish I could answer your question. Canning is not my area of expertise…I do “quick pickles”. I find preparing them this way works best for me. I do not have a cold room and nowhere to store all the jars. Also….this is way less work than traditional canning for sure. My mom did it when I was young. LOTS of work for sure.
Cathe Reams
Holy cow. If you cook this recipe for anything – cook it for how it makes your home smell for hours after! My garden provided a bumper crop of tomatoes and now at the end of the season I just can’t get through them all (and my neighbors are waving the white flag for me to stop :). This recipe was super easy. I cheated a bit and bought the pre-packaged roasting herbs from the store (fresh rosemary, thyme, Italian parsley) and I tripled-down on the fresh garlic. I also used every tomato I had so some were beefsteak(ish), some were Roma and some yellow cherry. I did cook the cherry ones on a separate pan because they cooked quicker. SOOOOOO glad I found this recipe!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
OMG thanks so much for swinging back to let me know how much you enjoyed this recipe. It is one of my favourites for sure. You will have lots of tasty dishes this winter.
Sharleen
Can I put the finished product through a sieve to get fid of the seeds. I cannoteat seed or skins.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Yes you sure can. You could even use a blender turn this into a smooth sauce.
Neha Khanuja
Oh this is such a fantastic idea! I love roasted tomatoes so much so this trick is gonna come handy. Can’t wait to have this in my freezer.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
My freezer is always stocked with these tomatoes.
Jacque Hastert
A great way to have tomatoes all year long. Freezer space is not an issue at our place, so this is just perfect!
Homemade & Yummy
Mine is stocked full now…good for the winter months.
Aditi Bahl
great idea. i usually pan roast my bath but this looks even simpler to put together. can be used in all curries.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes they can be used in all kinds of delicious recipes..and they are so flavourful too.
Holly
I love your uncomplicated recipe! This is pretty much how I freeze my garden tomatoes and they are perfect all winter long.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes, my freezer is now stocked!!
Julie
Tomato season is officially over around here so I can’t find any more fresh ones. But hopefully I’ll remember this trick for next summer!
Homemade & Yummy
I got my last bushel from the market on the weekend…and I was busy freezing all Saturday. My freezer is now stocked.
Sri Mallya
Love the idea of roasting and freezing fresh tomatoes. Plus the recipe sounds so flavorful. I can’t wait to give this a try. Pinned.
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you do try these. So easy to make and perfect for cooking all winter long.
Anne Murphy
I love roasting tomatoes to freeze – it intensifies the flavor and they don’t then come out mushy! I never mashed them like this, though – much better for storage. Sounds delicious!
Homemade & Yummy
You don’t have to mash them, but most times I am using them in sauces, so it just makes it easier for storing in the freezer.
Emily Leary
Oh yum. These look so good with the herbs and I bet they taste incredible.
Homemade & Yummy
I just make another batch yesterday…should be set for winter.
Sharon
I love the idea of having fresh, homemade tomatoes anytime I want them throughout the colder months. This looks like a great way to make that happen.
Homemade & Yummy
Get those harvest tomatoes before it is too late. This is such a great way to enjoy them all year long.
Eileen Kelly
My favorite time of the year is when I get to can or freeze my garden tomatoes. I love how you roast yours with garlic and herbs. So many wonderful recipes come from these roasted tomatoes, The fresh flavor of the tomatoes is amazing.
Homemade & Yummy
I know…I just did another batch yesterday. I should be set for the winter months of great recipes to use them in.
lauren
Such a great idea! Our tomatoes did so well this summer, we had a ton leftover and I was running out of ideas. I wish I had done this! I’ll have to pin for next summer.
Homemade & Yummy
I just went to the market today and got another 1/2 bushel. I will be making more tomorrow!!
georgie
this is a great way to use up tomatoes! and love that it’s freezable too! tomatoes are beautiful at the moment and this is great way to make them last!
Homemade & Yummy
I just got another basket at the market today….I really like doing them this way.
Chef Mireille
I love preserving and using summer tomatoes when they are all super sweet and fresh is the best time of year to do it
Homemade & Yummy
I know, and this is such a great way to use them in recipes all year long too.