WFMW: Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes Recipe
If you have following this blog for any length of time recently you will likely already know that I have a a *little* thing for sun-dried tomatoes. That includes foods that contain them, restaurants that serve them, and well, just about everything in between.
The Summer 2010 Menu alone had loads of them on the menu. Which caused many to ask the question of me (*ahem* *ahem* Jessie & Christine) – “Where in the WORLD are you finding sun-dried tomatoes for a frugal price?” {Blush} I’m not. I love them and the flavor they infuse into dishes but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I find them on sale.
In the grand scheme of things, I figure that the cost that I am saving from OAMC (also know as once-a-month-cooking, freezer cooking, bulk cooking, power cooking) balances with the little extra that I splurge on sun-dried tomatoes.
However, my mom mentioned that she had found a recipe for making your homemade sun-dried tomatoes? And did I want her to bring me some fresh tomatoes from her garden to test the method? Yes, please!
I used cherry tomatoes and a Pampered Chef Core and More to pit the juices and seeds out. I also tried some without this but felt I got the best results from those that I actually pitted. It was time consuming so I see why purchasing sun-dried tomatoes is expensive.
When they were finished I added them to a Ziploc container and added a little olive oil because my favorite are the kind packed in olive oil. I keep them in the refrigerator so they won’t go bad. And now I have sun-dried tomatoes for a long time to come!
Here is how you can do it too!
Directions:
Start by removing the seeds from the inside of your tomato of choice. Spray a lined cookie sheet with baking spray. Place pitted tomatoes, cut side up on the cookie tray. Once you have all of the tomatoes pitted, place them in the oven at 200 degrees until they are dried up. They should resemble sun-dried tomatoes. This process will likely take between 8-12 hours.
Once you have removed them from the oven and let them cool, place them in a tight storage container. Or if you like them packed in oil, place them in a container and drizzle olive oil over them until they are mostly submerged. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Other Resources:
In the interim of doing this task and writing this post I have come across a few others posting about the same or similar things. So I wanted to make sure that you checked them out as well!
- Summer Fest: A Celebration of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes from Pinch My Salt
- Oven Roasted Tomatoes from My Kitchen Addiction
For more great Works For Me Wednesday posts visit We are THAT Family!
Thank you, Tricia!!! Glad to know you don’t have a secret source for cheap, sun-dried tomatoes that you weren’t disclosing :-) Since I’m into making random homemade foods right now, I’m definitely going to try this! But, I think I’ll wait until it’s cold outside so the oven can heat my house instead of making the a/c work overtime. Can’t wait to make a big batch!
Tricia, this is such a good idea, especially because sun dried tomatoes are not inexpensive!
I’ve tried using my food dehydrator to dry tomatoes but wasn’t pleased with the results. I’ll have to try the oven technique when my tomatoes come out of hiatus. I had tomatoes every day for about 3 weeks and now nothing. The plants stopped setting fruit when the heat was really high for several weeks on end. They’ve resumed, but now all I have are a bunch of small, green tomatoes.
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What a great idea! How long do you think these will really last in the fridge?
They lasted about a month before getting moldy. I would portion some to freeze and some for the refrigerator and defrost as needed.
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When purchasing already made sundried tomatoes, what should I look for? Is ther a certain brand that you like? Thanks!
I am not sure there is a certain brand I tend toward actually. I tend to buy oil packed rather than dried because I like the texture more but that is just me.
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I LOVE sundried tomatoes. But I wonder how much money you’re really saving if you’re keeping oven on for 8-10 hrs.??