Sungold tomatoes are one of Mother Nature’s most generous gifts. It is summer’s organic jewel. I’m not entirely sure that we lowly humans deserve them. Some people may call them overrated, but some people are idiots. A good sungold tomato is as sweet as it is acidic and juicy. It shines on its own, sliced in half, doused in good olive oil, and sprinkled with as much flaky salt and cracked black pepper as you can handle. Or piled over a slice of toasted grainy bread with a generous smear of mayonnaise. Maybe drizzled with some vinegar or lemon juice and served with a ball of creamy burrata and a few fresh basil leaves.

Last weekend, I headed to the farmers market and spotted the first cherry tomatoes of the season. Full disclosure – I find sleeping in on the weekend to be another one of Mother Nature’s most generous gifts, so sometimes I miss the big firsts of the season. It’s possible that cherry tomatoes have been sprinkled throughout the markets for a few weeks now and I was just sleeping through it. I shelled out an obscene amount of cash for some gooooorgeous maters during my market haul. Some, I ate on their own. Others were preserved. Some, I roasted. That’s right! Being the brave soul that I am, I turned on my oven in the middle of the summer and slow roasted. Oven roasted cherry tomatoes really are the best. I roasted these cherry tomatoes with mustard seeds and spicy red pepper flakes. While roasting brings out the cherry tomatoes’ natural sweetness, the spices that they are roasted with pair perfectly with a cool and creamy plate of Greek yogurt. Toast up some crusty bread and make yourself a nice sandwich.

Yield: Serves 4

Spicy Oven Roasted Tomatoes with Yogurt

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This is the perfect summer starter - sungold or other cherry tomatoes are slow-roasted with garlic, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes and served over lemony Greek yogurt with crunchy bread for dipping.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound sungold or cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus 1 whole clove, peeled
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Flaky sea salt
• 4 (1-inch thick) slices crusty bread
• 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss tomatoes with mustard seeds, sliced garlic, thyme, pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup oil; arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt. Bake, stirring once, until tomatoes are shriveled, 45 to 50 minutes. Discard thyme and any burnt garlic slices.
2. Meanwhile, arrange bread on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with remaining 1/4 cup oil. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown and toasted, 15 to 20 minutes. Rub with whole garlic clove and season with salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt and lemon juice; spoon into a shallow dish. Top with warm tomatoes and drizzle with some of the accumulated oil. Serve with bread and sprinkle with more flaky salt and pepper flakes.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 427