Blistered Tomatoes
Blistered tomatoes elevate just about any meal! A quick saute with garlic and herbs turns cherry tomatoes into something extra juicy, and almost gourmet – in less than 10 minutes!
There’s something so comforting about fresh, warm tomatoes. I love them in a homemade marinara sauce or a creamy tomato soup. But blistering cherry tomatoes opens up a whole new avenue of dishes.
When cooked in hot oil, they become utterly sweet (yet savory), super juicy, and an extremely versatile ingredient. They easily make their way onto a breakfast plate alongside crispy fried eggs. They amplify a grilled steak with a drizzle of balsamic glaze over the top. And they’re quite at home on a mezze platter next to hummus and baba ganoush. Basically, blistered tomatoes are an ingredient you’ll want to keep on hand to add deliciously rich flavor and a little elegant panache to your next meal!
What You Need For Blistered Tomatoes
Since we’re cooking the tomatoes whole, look for the best cherry tomatoes you can find – especially during their summertime peak! Then, you’ll just need a few more ingredients…
- Tomatoes: Both cherry or grape tomatoes work. Grape tomatoes tend to be just a smidge smaller.
- Olive Oil: You can use either olive or avocado oil.
- Garlic: Just two cloves are needed, but feel free to add one or two more if you’re a garlic lover like me!
- Herbs: All herbs pair beautifully with tomatoes, but I personally love a basil and tomato combo for a fresh, Italian flavor!
How To Make Blistered Tomatoes
Making blistered tomatoes doesn’t require much work at all. But there’s a few things to watch out for to make sure you blister them correctly! Here’s how to make them.
- Cook the tomatoes. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the tomatoes, and let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes.
- Add the aromatics. Toss in the garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir together with the tomatoes. Let them blister for another 2-3 minutes, stirring a few more times.
- Serve them up. Remove the pan from heat, top with chopped fresh basil, and serve!
A Few Tips To Keep In Mind
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the tomatoes. Hot oil is essential for the blistering process!
- Don’t stir the tomatoes the first 2 minutes they’re cooking. This process helps to properly blister them.
- Don’t overcrowd your pan with too many tomatoes. Otherwise, they will steam together versus blistering individually. So opt for a medium or large pan, depending on how many tomatoes you’re blistering.
Ways To Use Blistered Tomatoes
- Add them to a breakfast plate. My favorite is to pair them with fried eggs, sauteed spinach, and slices of avocado!
- Top them on a salad or grain bowl. Blistered tomatoes taste amazing with hearty salads like this salmon asparagus salad. Or with any sort of grain bowl where you’d normally add slices of tomatoes.
- Top them onto cooked proteins. Think of them as a warm, juicy condiment that can be topped on seared steak, lamb chops, baked salmon, or baked cod!
- Serve as a side dish. Blistered tomatoes also make for a quick side dish that can easily be spruced up with crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts, or even a drizzle of basil pesto sauce.
Blistered Tomatoes Recipe Video
While this recipe is easy to make, it always helps to watch a quick tutorial video. Give it a watch below!
More Tomato Recipes
Tomatoes are truly one of summertime’s best gifts. So make the most of them with these easy, refreshing recipes!
If you make these blistered tomatoes, let me know how they turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Blistered Tomatoes
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or other herbs
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and let them sit undisturbed in the pan for 2 minutes, to blister on the bottom.
- Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, then stir together with the tomatoes. Let them cook and blister another 2-3 minutes, stirring a few more times.
- Remove the blistered tomatoes from the heat, then top with chopped basil or other fresh herbs.
I make these all the time with whole garlic cloves, then grate fresh parmesan over them. Fabulous.
Simple and delicious just as written!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I made these tonight with fresh oregano from my garden…delicious as simply as this recipe suggests.
SO good! My boyfriend ate most of them because they were so yummy and I let him because he usually never eats veg.
Thank you, Lisa!
Happy to hear your this recipe got your boyfriend to enjoy some sort of vegetable!
Chopped the garlic instead of minced so it caramelized. So good. I had a pint of tomatoes I need to use. Thanks for the recipe.
Hello Lisa, I really like your site. You are so much better than other cooking sites. Everything I cook from your site comes out looking just like pictured in you recipe. You dont use any weird or exotic ingredients, just things I already use and can find in my supermarket. When I am looking for something new to try, I always start with Downshiftology. Tonight I am making Blistered Tomatoes. I am going to serve them on the side with your suggestion of crumbled Feta Cheese, and Pine Nuts.
Happy to hear you’ve been enjoying all my recipes so far Eloyd! Excited to see how your blistered tomatoes turn out :)
I’ve tried these blistered tomatoes with eggs, as a side Fettuccine Alfredo, and on salad. They are superb, and add a restutant-like flair to anything Italian or Mediterranean!
Love how you used these blistered tomatoes Peggy!
I served it with pasta salad. It was such a hit. Thanks for the recipe.
Amazing! Glad these tomatoes blistered perfectly.
These tomatoes look so delicious and will go perfect in the pasta salad I just made! I’m glad I have some tomatoes to make this. So excited to try this and add some more flavor to my pasta salad!
This will be the perfect addition to a summer pasta salad!
i love these over pork chops and pasta!
Over grilled meat is the best for added juicy tomato flavor :)
The blistered tomatoes are so sweet and flavorful. I added a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar at the end of cooking and poured them over whole wheat mini penne pasts. Side of crispy french bread. Definitely a keeper.
Sounds divine and the perfect pasta addition, especially with the balsamic!
I love that these take such a short amount of time! These tomatoes are absolutely delicious and so so juicy!
They’re so easy and quick! Glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
Hello, l am a terrible cook. Watching your recipes help me a lot. I saw some bars that you made for breakfast! May l please have the recipe? I will be trying to make a few meals for a sick friend & her children.. Could you please give me a few easy to cook recipes, that would feed and satisfy them???
Thank you for your kindness, Jo
Hi Jo – Happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes and videos so far. As per the raspberry breakfast bars, that is actually a recipe that will be in my upcoming cookbook :) So, stay tuned!
I was looking around the kitchen to create a side dish. I had some fresh Cherry, grape and strawberry tomatoes. I found your recipe added the extra garlic and blistered away. I tossed it with a little Ditalini pasta, parmesan cheese and fresh Basil from our garden. Wow, the flavor. The bursts of happiness on my tongue. Thank you!! I will use this blistered yummy base in so many ways
Happy to hear you enjoyed these blistered tomatoes! They really are such a versatile ingredient :)
I love making blistered tomatoes! They are so great tossed with pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan. Love the sweetness of the tomatoes here.
They really do become so sweet and juicy after blistering :)