I got the best delivery a couple of days ago. A neighbor stopped by with a bag full of garden tomatoes, wondering if I wanted any. She said I could take as many as I wanted, and so I took the entire bag!! I love tomatoes. They were always my favorite from the garden each year when I was growing up, and I look forward to them each and every year today. Since we didn’t plant a garden this year, I started getting really sad that I wouldn’t be able to just go out back and pick a tomato whenever I wanted. I’m so grateful for neighbors that are willing to share their bounty!!
I had to laugh at myself a little bit as I was typing up this post, because just yesterday, I was saying that I don’t get to watch any food tv anymore. And here I am, the next day, posting a recipe from a show on tv!! I actually don’t remember why I had the Food Network on at this particular time, but I remembered only catching a few minutes of Barefoot Contessa one afternoon. And I’m so glad that I caught those few minutes, because in that time, she made this dish. Perfectly simple, perfectly seasonal, and perfect tasting. (And quickly devoured, I might add…) This recipe comes together very quickly – which is always what I am looking for when it comes to a side dish. And if you are drowning in basil, this would be a great time to whip up some pesto and put it to use. Or if you prefer, you can always buy store bought pesto for this. This is the perfect way to highlight those summer tomatoes!
Tomatoes Roasted with Pesto
adapted from Barefoot Contessa
serves 6
total time: 25 minutes
2 to 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pesto, store bought or homemade
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425F. Set aside a baking sheet.
Core the tomatoes and slice them across into slices 1/4 – 1/2-inch thick. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and the oregano. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and spread each tomato with a spoonful of the pesto and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and cook until the Parmesan is melted and starts to brown, 7 to 10 more minutes.
Serve warm sprinkled with a touch more salt.
———————————————-
Here are some more ways to get your fill of tomatoes:
Roasted Tomato and Grilled Corn Soup from The Edible Perspective
Tomato Almond Pesto from A Little Bit Crunchy, A Little Bit Rock ‘n Roll
Chipotle-Pineapple Tomato Salsa from KitchenLab
What a simply wonderful use for garden tomatoes. A perfect summer side.
looks amazing and simply delish! I will have to do this with my garden tomatoes and basil! YUM
Absolutely gorgeous! I could inhale them in one swoop.
What a great idea, they sound fantastic.
This looks absolutely amazing and I LOVE your photos!!
Great idea! I have some leftover sage pesto I made this weekend. Now I know what I’ll do with it. Thanks!
I always hated tomatoes as a kid and as a teenager and pretty much up until 6/7 years ago when I had my first home grown tomato; and WOW it was amazing! What a difference a fresh, juicy tomato made! This looks fabulous!
I want these in my tummy. Now!
Food gifts are honestly the BEST kinds of gifts! Especially homegrown tomatoes…right up there with gold. The pesto on these sounds fabulous!
Our garden is starting to burst with tomatoes and there are only so many caprese families one gal can eat. I would love to try this recipe – it’s so pretty and I can only imagine how good the pesto must taste on the sweet, warm tomatoes.
oh…mah…gawd… These look fantastic! Thanks for sharing. Now if I could only find a neighbor wiling to share some tomatoes…
I saw Ina make these on Food Network the other day, too, and I instantly wanted to try them out! Actually, yesterday I made some for supper just topped with salt, pepper, and gruyere, but the pesto version sounds fantastic. Yours look so good!
I wish I had seen this when my tomatoes burst from the ground. This looks delicious and I have never thought to make it this way. Off to check how many tomatoes are sitting on the window sill. There must be enough.
Well, I’m glad you caught that few minutes of Food Network tv. These look fantastic! I am a sucker for any kind of fresh tomato recipe – especially when I have tomatoes to steel from my mom’s garden.
Looks simple and delicious. Great pics, love your blog.