Last year I discovered that homemade goodness of oven roasted tomatoes. It’s a delicious way to preserve a surplus of tomatoes, especially the little guys. It’s crazy easy, but just takes a bit of oven time.

While I could easily eat them all as soon as they are cooled, I prefer to save most of them for later. Put them in a sandwich, put them on a pizza, on a salad, in a soup … (I suddenly feel like I’m channeling Dr. Seuss) … you get the idea. Oven dried tomatoes have a million uses and when you make them yourself they’ll beat the store bought variety hands down when it comes to flavor.

Oven Dried Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl toss the halved cherry tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Spread out the seasoned tomato halves onto the baking sheet. You want a single layer without any overlap between the halves.
5. Slip it into the oven and roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on how juicy the tomatoes are, so keep checking them and adjust accordingly. You want the tomatoes to be shriveled and dry, but with a little juice left inside.