It's super easy to make your own Fire Roasted Tomatoes at home and they taste amazing!
Fire roasted tomatoes are great way to add an extra depth of flavour to recipes, or just to eat by themselves or as a side dish.
The process of fire roasting tomatoes gives them a lovely smoky quality and brings out their natural sweetness.
Any recipe where you would normally use canned tomatoes is a great place to use these tomatoes to bump up the taste.
I don't have a fancy outdoor grill set up, so I use the grill/broiler element in the top of my oven to replicate the little bit of scorch these would get from an open fire.
Table of Contents
What are fire roasted tomatoes?
Tomatoes that have been cooked (usually along with herbs and olive oil) with high heat or open flames to intensify their flavour and bring out their natural sweetness plus add a lightly charred, smoky taste.
Why you will love fire roasted tomatoes
- Easy to make yourself at home with fresh natural ingredients and no artificial preservatives.
- Add an extra layer of flavour to any dish where you would normally use tinned tomatoes.
What you need to make this recipe
*Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and detailed instructions
- roma tomatoes/plum tomatoes
- olive oil
- salt
- basil
- oregano
- garlic cloves
*Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient quantities and detailed instructions
How to make this recipe
- Slice tomatoes in half length ways and place them in a bowl.
- Add chopped basil, oregano, salt and olive oil.
- Mix well to coat.
- Place tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet then place in the oven to bake. Once they are cooked, grill/broil them for a few minutes to char lightly.
Top tips
- For this recipe you want to use very ripe tomatoes, the more ripe the better. This will give you a richer, more flavourful result.
- I like to use fresh herbs, but if you don't have them you could use 1 ⅓ teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano.
- Finishing the tomatoes off under the close, intense heat of the grill element is the best way to give them nice charred, smoky edges that you will have trouble getting just from oven baking alone.
- Don't go too far away while the tomatoes are under the grill, the edges will start to char quite quickly.
- Instead of using the grill, you could also do this step with a small kitchen blow torch if you have one.
- If you are going to remove the skin from the tomatoes once they are cooked (depending on what you are using them for) I recommend wearing gloves as the citric acid in the tomato juice can cause the skin on your hands to peel.
Variations
- Finely chopped fresh rosemary would be a nice addition.
Storage
Once the tomatoes have been allowed to cool, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Suggested uses
- A great side to include in a cooked breakfast.
- Add to pizza or pasta sauce.
- Use in your favourite lasagne recipe instead of normal tinned tomatoes.
- Tomato based soup, casseroles and stews.
- In tomato salsa.
- Blend them up well and use in place of tomato passata in recipes like this sausage pasta bake.
- Use them in place of tinned tomatoes in things like this savoury mince recipe.
Frequently asked questions
It intensifies the depth of flavour and natural sweetness.
No.
Other recipes you may like
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto - a classic pesto sauce with sun dried tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, parmesan and olive oil. Fast and simple.
Butter Garlic Sauce - a quick 5 minute sauce made with melted butter, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. This easy sauce goes with everything!
📖 Recipe
Fire Roasted Tomatoes (With Video)
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh roma tomatoes (plum tomatoes) halved lengthways
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220c.
- Place halved tomatoes in a bowl along with olive oil, finely chopped basil, finely chopped oregano, crushed garlic and salt, then mix well to coat.1 kg fresh roma tomatoes (plum tomatoes)1 tablespoon olive oil1 tablespoon finely chopped basil1 tablespoon finely chopped oregano3 garlic cloves½ teaspoon fine salt
- Using tongs, place tomatoes cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet then place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
- Once they are cooked, leave them on the baking sheet and place it under the griller/broiler for a few minutes to char lightly.
Notes
- You want to use very ripe tomatoes, the more ripe the better. This will give you a richer, more tasty result.
- I like to use fresh herbs, but you could use 1 ⅓ teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano instead.
- Finishing the tomatoes off under the close, intense heat of the grill element gives them nice charred, smoky edges that you will have trouble getting just from oven baking alone.
- Don't go too far away while the tomatoes are under the grill, the edges will start to char quite quickly.
- Instead of using the grill, you could also do this step with a small kitchen blow torch if you have one.
- If you are going to remove the skin from the tomatoes once they are cooked (depending on what you are using them for) I recommend wearing gloves as contact with the acid in the tomato juice can make the skin on your hands peel.
- *Please note that the nutritional information is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*
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