Oven “Sun-Dried” Tomatoes | Gimme Some Oven

This homemade sun-dried tomatoes recipe is super easy to make in the oven and irresistibly delicious.

Trying to figure out what to do with that end-of-the-summer bumper crop of tomatoes from the garden?!

Make a batch of sun-dried tomatoes! ♡

They’re super duper easy to make in the oven, and can be customized to be as herby, garlicky, spicy or plain as you prefer.  They can be made with your preferred types of tomatoes, either small batch (with just a handful of tomatoes) or large batch (filling up an entire baking sheet or two).  Homemade sun-dried tomatoes are also usually significantly cheaper than those expensive little jars sold at the store.  But best of all, they are just so incredibly flavorful, especially made with juicy ripe tomatoes at the height of peak season.

We’ve been making batch after batch of these oven-dried tomatoes this past month, and have loved tossing them in everything from salads to soups, pastas, pizzas, frittatas, sandwiches, biscuits, pestos and more.  We’ve also found that — if you happen to make an extra batch while you’re at it — people love receiving these little gems as summertime gifts.  And if you pop a freshly-dried batch in the freezer, they can keep there for up to 3 months as well.

Let’s make some!

Sun-Dried Tomato Ingredients:

To make a batch of oven “sun-dried” tomatoes, you will need the following ingredients:

• Fresh tomatoes: I’m partial to cherry or grape tomatoes, which cook the fastest and also have the most concentrated sweet flavor.  But roma (plum) tomatoes also work well for this recipe is the pulp is hollowed out.
• Sea salt: This is the only other ingredient that I would say is a must, in order to bring out those delicious flavors.  Keep in mind, though, that the tomatoes will dry up to less than half of their original size, so sprinkle on your desired amount of salt accordingly.  (Basically, don’t over-salt!) ♡
• (Optional) Olive oil: If you do not plan to use your sun-dried tomatoes right away, I recommend storing them in a jar filled with olive oil so that the sun-dried tomatoes stay fresh.

Additionally, there are all sorts of seasonings that you are welcome to add to this recipe — either during or after roasting — to give your sun-dried tomatoes extra flavor.  See notes below for some of my favorite suggestions.

How To Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes In The Oven:

To make sun-dried tomatoes in the oven, simply…

1. Prep your tomatoes. Super simple — just slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise*, spread them out in an even layer cut-side-up on a parchment-covered baking sheet, then season with salt.
2. Slow roast. Now comes the patient part — the tomatoes will need to slow-roast in the oven for about 2.5 to 3.5 hours at low heat (250°F), or until they reach your desired level of dryness.  You don’t need to flip or rotate the tomatoes during this time, but I do recommend keeping an eye on them near the end to ensure that they do not burn.
3. Serve or store. Then once your tomatoes are done, they’re ready to serve or add to a recipe right away!  Or see below for storage instructions.

*If you decide to use roma tomatoes (instead of cherry or grape tomatoes), you will need to also hollow out and discard the pulp before transferring the tomatoes to the baking sheet.

Possible Seasonings Ideas:

This oven sun-dried tomato recipe is actually incredibly delicious on its own, seasoned simply with sea salt.  But if you would like to add in some extra seasonings, feel free to get creative!  For example, you can…

• Season the tomatoes while roasting.  During the last hour of roasting, feel free to sprinkle on some chopped fresh herbs (such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, etc).  Or during the last half hour of of roasting, you can sprinkle on some dried herbs and seasonings (such as Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red chili flakes, etc).
• Season the tomatoes after roasting.  My preference is to season the tomatoes in a jar with olive oil after they have finished roasting.  I always add a bay leaf to my jars, plus a garlic clove or two.  But you are also welcome to add whatever fresh or dried herbs/seasonings sound good to you (including the ideas listed above).

How To Store Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

If you do not plan to use your batch of sun-dried tomatoes right away, you can either:

• Refrigerate sun-dried tomatoes. Place them in a small jar then drizzle with olive oil (you will need quite a bit) until the tomatoes are completely submerged.  Place a lid on the jar to seal, then refrigerate for up to 1 week.
• Freeze sun-dried tomatoes. Spread the sun-dried tomatoes out in an even layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet or plate.  Then transfer to the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until the tomatoes are frozen.  Remove and transfer the tomatoes to a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out any extra air, then freeze for up to 3 months.

How To Rehydrate Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes stored in olive oil are perfectly edible (and delicious!) served right out of the jar.  But if you would like to rehydrate and plump them up a bit, just soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain.  Or better yet (I learned this trick recently in Copenhagen), soak them in tomato juice to really amp up that tomato flavor.  So delicious!

How To Use Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

There are so many delicious ways to cook with sun-dried tomatoes!  I especially love adding them to salads, soups, pastas, pizzas, frittatas, sandwiches, biscuits, pestos and more.

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