Cherry Tomato Spread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cast Iron

by: Nadia Hassani

August16,2011

4.4

5 Ratings

  • Makes 2 cups

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Cherry tomatoes tend to crack, especially after several days of heavy rain like we just had. I always end up with a basket of “seconds” from my garden which I immediately turn into this simple and easy tomato spread. Or, I freeze the tomatoes whole and make the spread in the fall or winter as needed. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week to ten days.
This year I mainly grew the Sweet 100 variety, which truly deserves its name. As you can tell from the numerous submissions to the contest there are many wonderful recipes with cherry tomatoes. For me, capturing their flavor for the winter days when I cannot even walk to the compost barrel because we are iced in and I would give anything for a fresh tomato, is one of my favorite recipes with cherry tomatoes. - MyGardenersTable
Nadia Hassani

Test Kitchen Notes

Using a wonderful heirloom variety, the cherry tomato spread from MyGardenersTable really captures the flavor of summertime in a jar. We prepared this recipe twice; once using gorgeous sweet big cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, and once with cherry tomatoes from the supermarket. The supermarket cherry tomatoes just weren't juicy enough to withstand the high oven heat and dried out. The second time around, when we used heirloom cherry tomatoes, we erred on the side of caution and turned the oven down to 350°F and it came out very nicely. It's important to use the just right-sized small, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid to prevent the juices from escaping; the tomatoes should come at least two-thirds of the way up the side. We'll be making some more and freezing it for the winter! - wssmom —wssmom

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • poundsripe cherry tomatoes
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cupsolive oil
  • 1 teaspoonsalt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pinchcayenne pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • You also need:
  • A small cast-iron Dutch oven
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cut tomatoes in half, saving all of the juice. Chop garlic. In a bowl mix tomatoes and juice, garlic, olive oil, pepper and cayenne pepper.
  3. Put mixture in a small cast-iron pot and cook covered in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
  4. Remove the lid and cook for 1 more hour, or until the juice has thickened. Stir occasionally and scrape down the tomatoes from the edges to prevent burning.
  5. Cool and transfer to a tall bowl if using a stick blender for pureeing, or a food processor bowl. Puree finely to a paste-like consistency. Fill in an airtight container, pour a little bit of EVOO on top to seal, and refrigerate.

Tags:

  • Condiment/Spread
  • American
  • Vegetable
  • Cherry
  • Tomato
  • Make Ahead
  • Cast Iron
  • Summer
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-Free
  • Side
Contest Entries
  • Your Best Cherry Tomatoes

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Liza Posas

  • Kelly Kondra

  • Jackie Taylor

  • inpatskitchen

  • Sagegreen

Popular on Food52

25 Reviews

Liza P. November 22, 2021

I loooove this. I was skeptical at first since I never had a "tomato spread" before. I thought it would be like a marinara. It's so much more! I put this on everything and will now have this as a constant food item.

loric August 18, 2021

Just tried this today using a mixture of cherry tomatoes and bumblebee sunrise yellow tomatoes (same size). It is fabulous. I didn't use garlic gloves because my family does not like garlic, but I did add a 1/4 tsp of garlic powder. Roasted for 1 hour covered, but needed only 40 minutes of roasting uncovered. We are using this to make homemade pizzas. It is hard not to just eat it on bread now! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

ErinGhosh July 30, 2019

So tasty but mine was a liquid and not a spread. I will try again!

jy2nd July 30, 2019

You might want to cook it i covered for longer. I pass mine through the fine screen of a food mill and get a silky, thick spread

Kelly K. August 27, 2018

I made this cherry tomato spread yesterday. Rather than cayenne, I used red pepper flakes. I also added a handful of fresh basil when I blended it. I think it will be great with toasted baguette and maybe a little fresh ricotta. https://food52.com/recipes/14005-cherry-tomato-spread

Kelly K. August 27, 2018

My apologies, I thought I was commenting somewhere else.

Jackie T. August 11, 2018

Have you tried making it with fresh basil? The thought of that makes my mouth water...

jy2nd September 7, 2017

I've been making this every year with the abundance of cherry tomatoes in my garden. I tried canning it, as i can all my other tomato products, but the result had a bitter edge when I opened the jar. I'm going to try freezing this year. Meanwhile, an equal amount of this spread and some homemade chicken stock makes an awesom tomato soup for. cool rainy day.

jy2nd August 29, 2021

I, too, found a bitter edge in the spread that I canned - so disappointing. I’m going to try freezing it this year. What was your result when freezing?

inpatskitchen August 25, 2015

After all this time I finally made this last week. What a wonderful recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing!

Julie May 6, 2014

Can you substitute other tomatoes like Roma?

Danielle L. August 30, 2013

I've just made 2 batches that I doubled ingredients to use my pink and yellow cherry tomatoes, and i love it,thank's for sharing this

BlueCat September 26, 2011

What a great way to use the last of the summer cherry tomatoes. I had just made a batch of Jennifer Perillo's Creamy Homemade Ricotta (which is amazing) and I ended up spreading them together on french baguette slices. It was the hit of the appetizer selections at a family dinner party.

Sagegreen September 17, 2011

So nice to see this as an ep!

Nadia H. September 3, 2011

@wssmom: Thanks for your great and detailed review! I never froze the spread itself but I am really glad you are suggesting that. Why not, I also freeze pesto, which is raw, so that spread should freeze well also. - Now out to the garden to pick more cherry tomatoes before the next few days of rain will spoil them.

sexyLAMBCHOPx September 2, 2011

Great recipe, saved - the review was great as well!

Bevi September 2, 2011

I am adding this to my freezing list. Thanks for the great tips in the review, wssmom!

wssmom September 2, 2011

Yum is all I can say!

cbear1984 August 27, 2011

How long does this keep? I see myself making this and putting it on flatbreads.

Nadia H. August 27, 2011

It keeps a week to ten days in the fridge. I have never frozen it; instead, I freeze the cherry tomatoes whole to make it.

GiGi26 August 26, 2011

Amazing, is how I discribe your spread. I made it this morning and can't wait to get a bagel to spread it on!! I may just eat it with a spoon ;-)

Nadia H. August 26, 2011

Glad you liked it. - I love what you say about your most treasured kitchen possession and I will forward this to my husband. He says something to me often too but does not always follow through 100% with part 2 (maybe I am using too many pots, pans and utensils for his taste). Anyway, I do think a living being qualifies as "most treasured", you don't have to put the emphasis on "possession". Enjoy the tomato spread.

GiGi26 August 27, 2011

I was wondering if you ever freeze it?

Nadia H. August 27, 2011

I have never frozen it; instead, I freeze the cherry tomatoes whole to make it.

vvvanessa August 18, 2011

yum. i can see myself eating this by the spoonful!

Cherry Tomato Spread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How many cherry tomatoes a day is too much? ›

While there is little research on the maximum number of tomatoes you can eat in a day. Scientists say ideally one serving of tomatoes comprises either one whole regular tomato or six cherry tomatoes. So enjoy your tomatoes but spread out your intake throughout the week!

Is there a difference between cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes? ›

Grape Tomatoes

They're about half the size of cherry tomatoes, with thicker skins. Grape tomatoes aren't as sweet as cherry tomatoes, and their flesh is meatier and less watery.

What is the tastiest cherry tomato? ›

'Sun Sugar': The tangerine-orange fruits of 'Sun Sugar' are some of the sweetest, tartest, and best tasting around. The disease-resistant, indeterminate vines will stand up to fusarium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus, and they produce long trusses of crack-resistant fruits.

Can I freeze cherry tomatoes raw? ›

It's so simple to freeze whole cherry tomatoes that it hardly warrants instructions; just wash, dry, and freeze! Wash and dry cherry tomatoes. Lay the tomatoes out in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and freeze for about two hours, or until frozen solid.

What is the best way to preserve cherry tomatoes? ›

Freeze 'Em 🌬️: Wash and dry the tomatoes, then freeze them on a tray before transferring to a bag. Perfect for later use in salads or cooking!

Do cherry tomatoes burn belly fat? ›

They also help in reducing the oxidative stress of the body and thus, help you lose more weight. But will simply eating tomatoes help you lose weight? Absolutely not! Just eating tomatoes will not help you burn fat and lose weight.

Is it OK to eat a tomato every day? ›

Daily intake of tomatoes can provide a great lift to wellbeing, along with improving the flavor of food. Tomatoes are wealthy in natural nutrients and minerals, such as Vitamin A, K, B1, B3, B5, B6, B7, and vitamin C. It additionally has folate, iron, potassium, magnesium, chromium, choline, zinc, and phosphorus.

Which type of tomato is the healthiest? ›

That said, some varieties are naturally higher in this healthy antioxidant compound than others. Here are a few lycopene-rich tomato varieties to try: 'Crimson Cherry': Of all the tomatoes, cherry and roma varieties are the highest in lycopene, and, for us, Crimson Cherry comes top of the heap.

Are cherry tomatoes healthier than tomatoes? ›

Cherry tomatoes are a small but nutrient-dense fruit that are great for snacks, salads, pastas, and more. Compared with other types of tomatoes, they're particularly rich in antioxidants, which may help protect against cancer, heart disease, and skin damage.

Which cherry tomatoes are the sweetest? ›

Photo courtesy of All-America Seletions.
  • Purple Zebra, (Dark red and green striped tomato) a 2022 AAS Winner, “[t]he taste is sweet and acidic leaning to sweet. ...
  • Sweetie (Red tomato) has “High sugar content in a cherry-sized tomato.” Eden Bros Seeds.
  • Sungold. ...
  • Sunsugar. ...
  • Edox. ...
  • Sunrise Bumblebee. ...
  • Isis Candy.
Feb 13, 2024

Why are cherry tomatoes so expensive? ›

Supply and Demand: Fluctuations in the supply and demand of tomatoes can impact their price. If the supply of tomatoes is lower than the demand, prices tend to increase. Factors such as adverse weather conditions, pests, diseases, or disruptions in transportation can affect the supply.

What is the most flavourful tomato variety? ›

'Gold Medal' (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom c. 1920) is arguably the top bicolor for taste. The giant 1-3 lb fruits are perfectly marbled with red and yellow and are large, meaty, and juicy. It has won lots of taste tests where it has been described as luscious and superb.

What is the best tasting tomato to eat? ›

The tastiest tomato in the world is a matter of personal preference, but some of the most highly regarded varieties include:
  • San Marzano. This Italian plum tomato is known for its sweet, balanced flavor and its thin skin, which makes it easy to peel. ...
  • Cherokee Purple. ...
  • Black Krim. ...
  • Brandywine. ...
  • Costoluto Fiorentino.
Sep 9, 2012

How do you preserve too many cherry tomatoes? ›

You can freeze cherry tomatoes whole in freezer bags. They won't be suitable for fresh eating as they will fall apart when they thaw, but they make perfect additions to stews and sauces throughout the winter months. This is a wonderful way to enjoy summer flavors throughout the winter!

How do you store cherry tomatoes for a long time? ›

Cut product should not be discolored or have off odors. Store ripe cherry or grape tomatoes ideally at 45 to 60 °F with a relative humidity of 95%. Under these conditions, tomatoes will be acceptable for up to 10 days. Tomatoes stored at refrigeration temperatures below 41 °F will have approximate shelf life of 5 days.

Can you freeze cherry tomatoes whole without blanching? ›

Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed. To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once and then use them in any cooked-tomato recipe.

Should I water my cherry tomatoes everyday? ›

Like all plants, tomatoes need consistent moisture. Keep the soil wet enough to prevent wilting but not so wet that the roots remain soggy. Garden tomatoes generally require one to two inches of water per week, but that can change depending on weather conditions (such as excessive drought) and the size of the plant.

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