Oven 'Sun-Dried' Tomatoes
These easy oven 'sun-dried' tomatoes are a fragrant, intensified taste of summer's sultry days. It's the perfect way to preserve your bumper crop of homegrown tomatoes and also makes a delicious gift. These sun-dried tomatoes are add a burst of sweet chewiness to any Mediterranean recipe!
Servings: 12 servings
Cost: $0.08 per serving
Equipment
- glass jars with tight-fitting lids such as canning jars
Ingredients
For the Tomatoes
- 2 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes such as Campari, San Marzano, Roma, or cherry
- sea salt flakes such as Maldon
Optional Ingredients for Flavor
- olive oil good quality
- fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme, and chives
- fresh garlic cloves peeled or unpeeled
- red pepper flakes see notes
- peppercorns see notes
Instructions
Prep the Jars, Trays, & Oven
- Prepare storage jars with tight-fitting lids by sterilizing in a hot water bath. Remove from the bath using tongs and allow to dry completely.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet or sheets with parchment paper. Place a drying rack over the parchment.
- Preheat the oven to 250° F, or the lowest setting possible.
Oven Dry the Tomatoes
- Cut each tomato in half lengthwise. If using any tomato larger than a cherry tomato, scoop the seeds and pulp out and discard.
- Once all of the tomatoes have been sliced, place each tomato half, cut side up, on the drying rack leaving room between each and every tomato. Nothing should be touching. Sprinkle the tomatoes lightly with the flaked sea salt.
- Bake for 2½ to 3½ hours, or until the tomatoes are dehydrated and leathery, but not crispy. Check them every hour during drying. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Storing
- To store, transfer the sun-dried tomatoes to a jar or jars. If using garlic or herbs, tuck these in and around the tomatoes as you pack them. Pack the jars until full, but not too tight. Fill with a quality olive oil until the tomatoes and any extra ingredients are completely covered.
- Fasten lids and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, cooled tomatoes may be placed into freezer bags and frozen, without oil or additional ingredients, for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Please note that the nutritional information above does NOT include the olive oil, as the oil is optional.
- I recommend prepping as many tomatoes on as many baking sheets as will fit in your oven all at once. Any recipe for sundried tomatoes is a several hour long process. The more tomatoes you are able to dry, the more worthwhile the exercise will be.
- Store in olive oil in the refrigerator or pack into a freezer bag once dry and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. I find the olive oil method works for my household, as they do not usually last very long with everything we use them in.
- If planning to use red pepper flakes or peppercorns as enhancements to flavor the packing oil, I recommend using very little/few of either. Red pepper flakes as well as peppercorns often become bitter over extended time and could potentially alter the taste of the tomatoes. If you are looking to add heat to a dish you are cooking, add the heat directly to that dish, and do NOT add the heat to the ingredients that go into that dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servings | Calories: 14kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 165mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg