If you're like me, you're probably wondering what to do with all those cherry tomatoes your plants keep producing. This guide will show you what I do with my deluge of cherry tomatoes.
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Every year, I harvest over 100lbs of cherry tomatoes! Yes! That was not a typo! Red ones, orange ones, yellow ones and black ones. Round ones, pointy ones, long ones and really small ones.
The issue of course is that we tend to revert back to the same recipes and preparations which is neither interesting nor appealing. There are so many things we can do with small fruited tomatoes if we think outside the box.
Bake Them in Focaccia
One of my favorite ways to enjoy cherry tomatoes is by baking them in focaccia. After transferring my dough to the baking tray and giving it a good dimpling with my fingers, I nestle small tomatoes within the valleys.
The tomato focaccia will bake up, the cherry tomatoes will concentrate in flavor and the whole thing will just be delicious and comforting. You can use your favorite focaccia recipe for this preparation or use my easy No-Knead Tomato Foacaccia. Add some herbs, olives, good olive oil and you've got yourself a winning dish!
Enjoy Them Fresh in a Salad!
Step up your salad game! I love using cherry tomatoes in fresh salads like my Authentic Fattoush (a Middle Eastern tomato, cucumber, pita and sumac salad). They work really well with burrata, that creamy unctuous Italian cheese. Try my Burrata Caprese.
You can use cherry tomatoes in place of standard tomatoes in many salad recipes like my Jerusalem Chopped Salad and Fiesta Salad. They can also be added to Homemade Hummus and Homemade Labneh.
Bruschetta and Crostini
Another perfect vehicle for cherry tomatoes is the humble bruschetta, crostini or toast! It's a wonderful quick lunch or elegant appetizer for a dinner party. My Burrata Bruschetta or Bruschetta Pizza are both excellent ways to enjoy fresh cherry tomatoes! You won't be disappointed! You can also use them in my Eggplant Bruschetta recipe.
Another great way to enjoy them fresh is Tomato Toast! Whether you pair them with cheese, avocado or even mayo (yes, tomato and mayo open faced sammies are amazing!), the possibilities are endless.
Bake Them into a Tart!
Another great way to quickly use up your cherry tomatoes. All it takes is 3 simple ingredients. Store-bought frozen puff pastry, herbed cream cheese, and cherry tomatoes. Check out my recipe for Tomato and herbed cheese puff pastry tart here.
Bake Them in a Galette?
A Rustic Tomato Galette is a wonderful way to feature the delicious and fresh taste of summer tomatoes. Although the recipe calls for slicer tomatoes, you can certainly try making it with cherry tomatoes! Change up the flavoring and base. Instead of cheese, you can use pesto (recipe in my book, Seed to Table).
Pickle Them!
Pickling is a great way to preserve cherry tomatoes. Pickling is a traditional preservation method that involves immersing food in a solution of vinegar, salt, and spices. The result is a tangy, flavorful condiment that can be used in a variety of dishes. Check out my recipe for Pickled Cherry Tomatoes. You can also pickle green tomatoes!
Confit Cherry Tomatoes
Confit means to cook a protein in its own fat at a very low temperature for a long time. This is usually done with duck legs, a traditional French preparation. As tomatoes don't have their own fat, cooking them in good extra virgin olive oil is the preferred method.
In a rimmed baking dish, place a single layer of cherry tomatoes. Add whole (or chopped, whatever your preference is) garlic cloves. Add some herbs (I like thyme as it can withstand long cooking times). Drizzle olive oil all over the cherry tomatoes. You don't want the tomatoes to be fully submerged in fat. A thin layer of olive oil should do. Roast low and slow until the cherry tomatoes start bursting. You're not looking for them all to burst. You want the confit to have some body. Cool and then transfer to a mason jar.
Included in my book, Seed to Table, is a recipe for garlic confit that can be adapted for cherry tomatoes.
Enjoy your confit tomatoes on toast or crostini. I like pairing it with a dollop of ricotta. You can also turn the confit tomatoes into a quick pasta sauce. I also love including confit tomatoes on a charcuterie and cheese board.
Roast and Turn Them into Sauce (for preservation)
My go-to preparation for cherry tomatoes when I need to preserve the harvest. Follow the same procedure as I described for confit tomatoes, except this time, you want to cook the tomatoes high and fast. You want the tomatoes to burst. You want them to cook down and concentrate their juices.
If you need a more detailed ingredient and method for this recipe, check out my recipe for Roasted tomato sauce here. Or use my dedicated roasted cherry tomato sauce:
Make jam with them!
Have you ever had tomato jam? I highly recommend making a batch. I would normally make tomato jam using paste or plum tomatoes, but you can certainly make it with cherry tomatoes as well (you'll just need to cook it down longer).
Tomato jam is a perfect accoutrement to a charcuterie and cheese board. It also makes a great sandwich spread. I made a big batch of tomato jam last year but did not document it for the blog. Another recipe to add to the list!
Freeze Them!
When I'm not motivated to cook and need to put away large quantities of cherry tomatoes, I freeze them for future use. You can freeze cherry tomatoes whole in freezer bags. They won't be suitable for fresh eating as they will fall apart when they thaw, but they make perfect additions to stews and sauces throughout the winter months. This is a wonderful way to enjoy summer flavors throughout the winter!
Can Them!
Canning tomatoes safely is a contentious topic. There are many techniques and recipes out there. I don't personally share canning or fermenting recipes because you can never guarantee that people will actually follow the directions perfectly. Canning is a science, so make sure to follow approved recipes like the ones from Ball, Kerr or Bernardin. Your country/region may have a food safety authority and recommendations around canning and preservation. Do your research.
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Stephanie Alden
Thank you so much for all these ideas. Do you ever dehydrate them?
Luay Ghafari
You can definitely dehydrate them too. Simply follow the instructions provided by your dehydrator manufacturer.
Susan
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Luay Ghafari
You're welcome!
Anita
These look great! What seasonings do you put in your tomato jam? There are so many recipes out there, I was curious what you like the most.
Luay
I've made tomato jam before with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Definitely used ginger too.
Jared
You’re awesome! Thank you so much for sharing these ideas. Every year I have more cherry tomatoes than I know what to do with. You’ve given me some great ideas to help prevent any of them from going to waste this year.
Luay
You’re welcome. Stay turned for more recipes and idea this summer.