This Tomato And Garlic Confit is packed with rich, slow-roasted flavors that make any meal better. Sweet tomatoes and mellow garlic are slow-cooked in olive oil, making it the perfect topping for toast, pasta, or roasted meats. Ready in just 2 hours with minimal hands-on time, this recipe transforms simple ingredients into a versatile kitchen staple.
Confit tomatoes and garlic are the perfect way to use up an abundance of ripe cherry tomatoes during peak season. I started making this simple recipe after planting a few too many tomato plants and ending up with more than I knew what to do with!
While confit sounds super fancy and difficult, you need not stress—this is a very simple recipe. Confit is a French cooking technique that involves slow-cooking food at a very low temperature, (typically meat or vegetables) in fat. The slow cooking process brings out the natural sweetness and creates a versatile condiment that adds so much flavor to any meal.
You can spread it on Whipped Cottage Cheese Toast, use it to top Traeger Grilled Salmon, or serve alongside a Whole Smoked Chicken.
If you are looking for more tomato recipes, check out my Heirloom Tomato Galette, or Vitamix Sheet Pan Tomato Soup.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Just tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and herbs create an incredibly flavorful dish.
- Keeps Well: It stores well in your refrigerator. You can make a large batch and use it for the next couple of weeks.
- Elevates Almost Any Dish: It's a sweet and flavorful combination that can be used to top fish, and meats or added to pasta.
Ingredients
- Cherry Tomatoes: You can certainly confit any type of tomato, but sweet cherry tomatoes are my favorite. They are super sweet and flavorful. Grape tomatoes or plum tomatoes would also work well.
- Garlic: You will need to use fresh garlic cloves in this recipe. You can also adjust the amount, use a full head of garlic, or only a few whole garlic cloves. It’s up to you!
- Thyme: I really love using fresh thyme in this recipe, but you can try adding other fresh herbs like fresh rosemary, oregano, or sage. Fresh basil would also be wonderful.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: You will want to use good quality organic extra virgin olive oil. This does not need to be a top-shelf, drizzling olive oil, but a good quality oil that you use for cooking. The amount of oil needed will depend on the size of the baking pan that you use.
- Flaky Sea Salt: Tomatoes love salt, so you will want to add a good amount of flaky sea salt to flavor the tomato confit. If you don't have flaky salt, you can use pink salt or kosher salt.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions And Variations
- Mix Up The Herbs: I like using thyme, but you can change up the herbs and use whatever you enjoy. Rosemary, sage, and oregano would be good options.
- Garlic: Play around with the amount of garlic you use. If you enjoy garlic go ahead and use an entire head. If you are not a fan you can totally leave it out.
- Bring The Heat: You can spice it up by adding some red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
- Brighten It Up: A great way to add some extra zing is by adding freshly grated lemon zest.
How To Make Tomato Garlic Confit
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
Step 2. To your small baking dish add the whole cherry tomatoes and peeled garlic cloves in a single layer. Pour the extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes and garlic until submerged. It’s okay if a few tomatoes are not completely covered, as they will shrink down when they cook.
Step 3. Add the sea salt, and gently toss to combine. If needed, add a little bit more olive oil. Add the fresh thyme sprigs and place the baking dish in the oven.
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Step 4. Cook for 2-2.5 hours or until the tomatoes are soft and slightly wrinkly, but still maintain a plump shape.
Expert Tips And Notes
- Patience Is Key: You cannot rush the process. For best results, the tomato garlic confit needs to be cooked at low heat for a long period of time. It is tempting to increase the oven to high temperatures to speed up the process, but remember, all good things take time!
- Use Good Olive Oil: Be sure to use good quality organic extra virgin olive oil. No need to use anything super fancy, but something that you cook with regularly will be perfect.
- Use Good Quality Tomatoes: Ingredients are key, especially when there are only a handful in this recipe. Look for organic cherry tomatoes, if you don’t grow your own, or can’t get to a farmer’s market, you can usually find fresh tomatoes at your local grocery store.
Serving Suggestions For Garlic And Tomato Confit
- Toppings: Spread the garlic tomato confit on crusty sourdough toast, or toasted baguette. Add a sprinkle of flaky salt, fresh basil leaves, or crumbled feta for extra flavor.
- Breakfast Pairings: Serve alongside a cottage cheese egg bake, avocado toast, or a fluffy omelet for a savory morning meal. It also pairs beautifully with cottage cheese toast for a creamy, rich start to the day.
- Snacks: Enjoy with crackers and goat cheese for a simple appetizer, or use it as a topping for Arabic hummus and serve with pita chips for a Mediterranean-inspired snack.
- Pasta and Pizza: Toss with spaghetti and parmesan cheese for an easy, flavorful tomato confit pasta dish, or use it as a topping for homemade pizza with burrata and arugula.
- Proteins: Spoon over Dutch oven shredded chicken, grilled salmon, or a juicy steak to add depth and richness to your main dish.
Storage And Reheating
- Storage:: Store in an airtight container or airtight jar, fully submerged in oil, for up to 2 weeks.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop or at room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Tomato Confit is made by cooking the tomatoes low and slow in oil. On the other hand, sun-dried tomatoes are dried, resulting in a chewy and intensely flavored product. Both have their unique uses in cooking, adding distinct tomato profiles to different dishes.
While possible, freezing I don't recommend it as it can affect the texture of both the tomatoes and oil.
This is normal! Olive oil becomes solid at cold temperatures. Let it come to room temperature before using.
Other Related Appetizer Recipes
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Tomato And Garlic Confit
Ingredients
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
- 5-10 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil adjust as needed
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt adjust to taste
- 3 sprigs Thyme fresh
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
- To your small baking dish add the whole cherry tomatoes and peeled garlic cloves in a single layer. Pour the extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes and garlic until submerged. It’s okay if a few tomatoes are not completely covered, as they will shrink down when they cook.1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, 5-10 cloves Garlic, 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Add the sea salt, and gently toss to combine. If needed, add a little bit more olive oil. Add the fresh thyme sprigs and place the baking dish in the oven.½ teaspoon Sea Salt, 3 sprigs Thyme
- Cook for 2-2.5 hours or until the tomatoes are soft and slightly wrinkly, but still maintain a plump shape.
Notes
- Patience Is Key: You cannot rush the process. For best results, the tomato garlic confit needs to be cooked at low heat for a long period of time. It is tempting to increase the oven to high temperatures to speed up the process, but remember, all good things take time!
- Use Good Olive Oil: Be sure to use good quality organic extra virgin olive oil. No need to use anything super fancy, but something that you cook with regularly will be perfect.
- Use Good Quality Tomatoes: Ingredients are key, especially when there are only a handful in this recipe. Look for organic cherry tomatoes, if you don’t grow your own, or can’t get to a farmer’s market, you can usually find fresh tomatoes at your local grocery store.
Lois Luckovich says
There is an error in this recipe. It doesn't have the garlic in the ingredients list
Nadia says
Lois! Thank you for that! The recipe has been updated. Have a great day.