How Do You Roast a Tomato Without a Broiler?

Using a broiler to cook tomatoes uses a higher heat than is optimal for cooking them. Standard oven roasting is a better-suited, simple process that turns out baked tomatoes with depth of flavor and versatility. Roasting is good for preserving tomatoes, or you can add pieces to toasted bread or pizzas, sauces, pastas, salads or other dishes. Oven-roasting brings out the sweetness and distinctive flavor of tomatoes, so they also work well on their own. For best results, use medium-sized fruit.

The Dish on Baking Dishes

Because of their high acidity and how long it takes to cook them, tomatoes must be oven-roasted in a nonreactive baking dish, such as glass, ceramic, stainless steel or enamel. Reactive dishes, such as aluminum, steel and copper, chemically react with acids. This imparts a metallic flavor to the food, discolors food and can damage the dish.

Oven Lovin'

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit to roast tomatoes without using the broiler. "Slow and low" cooking allows time for the tomatoes' natural sweetness to emerge and blend well with the flavorings. It also provides time for the gooey insides to dry out somewhat and for the tomatoes to develop a chewy texture. At this temperature, it takes approximately two hours to roast medium-sized tomatoes. If you want a faster roast, crank the heat up to 450 F and be done in about 30 minutes. The results are flavorful, though considerably more mushy and sludgy.

Ready, Set, Prep

While your oven is heating, prepare the tomatoes. Rinse them under cold, running water, gently scrubbing with a vegetable brush, then dry them off with paper towels. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally and pull or cut off the stems. Coat the bottom of the baking dish liberally with cooking oil and season it to taste. Use coarse kosher or sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic cloves, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary or a little sugar or brown sugar. Toss the tomato halves around in the dish to coat them, then lay them cut-side down in the dish. Leave some space between each tomato half.

Roasting Them Right

Put the dish into the center of the oven. While medium tomatoes take about two hours to roast, that's an estimate. When they're done, the tomatoes should be completely soft all the way through. Watch for a wilted appearance and for their skin to look dry and start becoming wrinkly. Take them out and let them stand for 20 to 30 minutes. If you don't use them all right away, they hold up well in the refrigerator for about five days, or they can be frozen in airtight packaging for up to six months.

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