Note: This recipe is adapted from Gjelina’s cookbook.
I often double this batch — it’s the same work and you’ll use every bit.
Tomato confit is a versatile pantry booster. Below are many simple ways to use Tomato Confit MAGIC ELIXIRS, collected from followers and practical kitchen-tested ideas.
- Toss with zucchini or squash noodles
- Combine with garlic confit and fresh basil for a quick, flavorful zoodle dish.
- Stir into pesto-coated zoodles for extra depth and richness.
- Use with your favorite proteins
- Spoon over roasted or grilled chicken, or mild fish like mahi mahi.
- Stir into meatball mix along with fresh garlic or garlic confit for extra moisture and flavor.
- Top pan-seared pork chops with a spoonful of confit.
- Mix into taco meat for a brighter, more complex filling.
- Add to Tinga de Pollo (chicken in chipotle-tomato sauce) to intensify the tomato base.
- Pair with roast lamb alongside garlic confit for a savory finishing touch.
- Use leftover confit chicken over lettuce for a quick, vibrant salad.
- Top scrambled or fried eggs, or fold into a frittata for a flavorful breakfast or brunch.
- Mix with chopped olives and serve as a relish alongside beef tenderloin.
- Salad dressings and condiments
- Use the infused oil as a base for pesto or blended dressings.
- Whisk the oil into vinaigrettes or drizzle it straight over greens — it makes an excellent dressing by itself.
- Pair the oil with a Green Goddess-style dressing and fresh crudités.
- Blend some into guacamole along with garlic confit for extra savory depth.
- Garnish cashew hummus with a spoonful of the tomatoes and a drizzle of the oil.
- Use the oil and tomatoes to enrich homemade ketchup or BBQ sauce.
- Chop and mix with avocado for a bright avocado relish.
- Build tomato bruschetta using the confit as an easy, flavorful topping.
- Add a few whole garlic cloves when making the confit for a “two-for-one” batch that yields both tomato and garlic confit.
- On roasted vegetables — spoon over hot roasted squash, eggplant, or root vegetables to add richness and acidity.
- As a soup or sauce base — blend some confit tomatoes into soups, stews, or pasta sauces to deepen flavor.
- Other delicious uses
- Spoon onto crusty bread with Brie or goat cheese for a quick appetizer.
- Eat alongside burrata for a fresh, indulgent starter.
- Top creamy polenta with tomato confit for a comforting side or main.
- Drizzle over warm garlic bread for a restaurant-style finish.
- Fold into a quinoa salad for brightness and oil-based flavor.
- Make Spanish-style pan con tomate (tomato toast) — confit tomatoes make this effortless.
- Toss with pasta, garlic, and fresh herbs for a simple, elegant meal.
- Add to any sandwich — Italian-style, grilled, or cold — to elevate the flavor.
- Incorporate into eggplant Parmesan or use on Margherita pizza for intense tomato flavor.
- Serve with creamy tarragon chicken or other herb-forward dishes for contrast and acidity.
Tomato Confit MAGIC ELIXIRS (TM)
5 from 1 review
- Author: Teri Turner
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 35
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Magic Elixirs
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
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Description
Tomato confit stores beautifully in the refrigerator and adds a concentrated tomato flavor to pastas, sauces, sandwiches, salads, and more. Use within two weeks for best freshness.
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes, stemmed
- 2 cups olive oil (or more to cover)
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Place the stemmed cherry tomatoes in an ovenproof dish or baking pan. Add the smashed garlic, basil leaves, thyme sprigs, and kosher salt. Pour enough olive oil over the tomatoes to mostly submerge them.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, wrinkled, and just beginning to collapse. The oil should be fragrant but not smoking.
- Remove from the oven and let the tomatoes cool to room temperature in the oil. Transfer the tomatoes and oil to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate. Use within two weeks.
Notes
Cooking at 350°F keeps the oil well below its smoke point while slowly concentrating the tomato flavor. If you prefer a milder garlic note, add fewer garlic cloves or remove them before storing.