I love finding ways to make simple foods taste more special. Adding a little something like taco seasoning to beans or meat and rice, or Dorito® Seasoning to popcorn can make all the difference.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes are just that kind of “special.” They can just add that special “oomph” to any dish — pasta, eggs, green salads, hummus, homemade flax crackers.
I love them dripping with olive oil or crispy dry. I love them flying in the sky…(ahem…just kidding). Either way, their sweetness and depth of flavor is just exquisite.
But are they expensive — about $20 per pound — Ouch!
I used to purchase these sun-dried lovelies in a large bulk bag (kind of the way that I do everything — bulk, that is :-)) when we lived in the Chicago area.
But once we moved to Oklahoma and then to Michigan, I couldn’t find them anymore. I went on a pretty thorough hunt — calling stores, searching the internet…No dice. The company that used to produce the big bulk bags only sells teensy-weensy overpriced tomatoes now. I just couldn’t find them for a reasonable price anywhere.
But one day it occurred to me. Sun. Dried. Tomatoes. “Does it really need to be the sun? You’ve got a dehydrator, Adrienne.” There must be a way.
And there is!
And it’s super easy-peasy.
Tomatoes Galore
If you’ve been on my blog over the past week, you have seen that we’ve been having quite the tomato extravaganza.
Check out some of the details in my posts on:
First of all, let me tell you there’s a lot of info on sun-dried tomatoes on the web.
There are posts recommending
- soaking the tomatoes and peeling them
- removing seeds
- using only certain kinds of tomatoes
- making special screens to dry the tomatoes in the sun
- storing tomatoes in special jars and freezer bags
All of these are a lot of work, but none are necessary for this already-too-busy-mom.
Now, let me say first, that I have been making sun-dried tomatoes with added oil and seasonings for years and I will be sharing my recipe for Seasoned Sun-Dried Tomatoes later this week. However, I was so overwhelmed with all of these tomatoes that I needed something even faster and so — voila!
I decided to simplify this process as much as I could and make it easier for all of us. And the results are, well – wonderful!
Notes:
- Use any type of tomatoes. Most people dry Roma and Cherry since they’re more meaty. But my large heirloom tomatoes turned out just great! Aren’t they beautiful?
- Don’t use “mushy” tomatoes for drying. They take forever to dry.
- Excalibur recommends drying tomatoes at about 155 degrees since there’s a lot of moisture in the tomatoes – this prevents molding. I’ve done OK at lower temps, but we did lose some tomatoes this summer due to drying at a lower temp. Thanks to a reader’s question, now I know why :-).
- When drying tomato “ends,” place the slice on the sheet with the skin side down so it dries well.
- You can, of course, dry your tomatoes in an oven as well. However, there are TONS of reasons why the dehydrator is better.
– you can dry foods at a low enough temperature so they still have their enzymes intact
– you can dry MORE foods at once (I can fit about 25 cups of nuts or seeds in my Excalibur Dehydrator
– who wants an oven on in the middle of the summer?
– the Excalibur Dehydrator is way more efficient than an oven since the fan circulates the warm air
Below are some Heirloom Tomatoes we got — lovely!
Tomatoes after drying….
Bagged up and ready to store
What You Will Need
You will need the following things to make this recipe:
Tomatoes
Salt (optional. I recommend Real Salt or Himalayan Salt)
Olive Oil (optional)
Twixit Clips (I love these clips for sealing my tomatoes in bags–and for sealing all kinds )
Recipe Note for Sun Dried Tomatoes
- If you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this recipe is an “E” as long as you do not drizzle olive oil on top. Otherwise, it is a crossover.
Easiest Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- tomatoes
- salt (optional)
- olive oil (optional. Just drizzle some on top if you like)
Instructions
- See below for photos. Slice tomatoes into uniform thickness (so they dry at about the same rate). If you will be using the olive oil and salt, place tomatoes in a bowl, drizzle and sprinkle and toss lightly.
- Place on dehydrator trays (using non-stick sheets) or on a cookie sheet if using your oven. Once they are partially dry (i.e. not "goopy" anymore, remove the non-stick sheets and dry directly on the rack for quicker drying.
- Dry until no moisture remains, but tomatoes are still flexible. (Don't worry - if they get stiff and dry, they still taste great!)
- Store in an airtight container, in the fridge or freezer for long term. I use the same small 4 x 2 x 8 2 mil bags from Country Life that I've written about before. And I seal them with these handy-dandy "I can't deal with twist ties" Twixit Clips.
More Dehydrator Posts:
– Saving Money with a Dehydrator
– Which Saves Most – Dehydrating, Canning, or Freezing?
– How and Why to Soak Nuts and Seeds
– Frugal Pantry Storage
Well, that’s it! You’re now ready to make sun-dried tomatoes that taste great and are great for your whole food budget as well!
Do you have a favorite food that you’d like to make for less?
like you, i’ve had to turn to making things i want because of lack of buying options. that being said, once i figured out how to do things for myself, they not only tasted better and exactly how i wanted them to, but i saved money, became more self-sufficient, and actually fell in love with preserving food.
i’m so jealous of your beautiful dried heirlooms! gimme gimme! haha
p.s. it’s The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop today and i adore your post. it’s exactly what we’re looking for! you’re welcome to stop by and link up if you like! we’d love to have you!
I will try to link up later and see how it goes – trying to taper off a bit due to being busy :).
The heirlooms are almost gone – sigh.
Yum. Now I need a dehydrator!!!!
:-). If you ever decide to get one, let me know – I’ll help as best as I can.
I have a huge jar of sun dried tomatoes, and have no idea what to use them for. Is there some place with recipes or ideas?
I’m sure you can find things, but I used them on eggs, salads and here is one of my favorites: Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta.
I think I’m going to have to follow you. My husband LOVES sun dried tomatoes, but we lived without them for a year because of the expense. I’m going to email him this post, and then go read your seasoned dried tomato recipe…
Welcome. I hope to see you around again!! I never buy sun dried tomatoes anymore either. I think I only did it once when I could get a 1 lb bag of itsy bitsy ones – and the company doesn’t make them anymore. 🙂
That’s simple enough, now how do I use dried tomatoes?!?
I use them on pasta like in my Pasta w/ Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes. You can also rehydrate them in dishes. Or eat them plain :-). If you don’t dry them until they are crisp, they are great on crackers and things like an appetizer.
I just found your blog and can’t wait to read the past posts, I am now following you! Please stop by and visit me!
Michelle at Simple Pleasures
I love this idea! I’ve wondered about tomatoes on the dehydrator, I am definitely going to try it now!
Thanks for linking up with Friday Food on MomTrends.com!
~Shannon (Food Channel Editor @ MomTrends)
Thank you for the quick response, Adrienne. I’ll go right now and lower my temp on the dehydrator, and pull out my tomatoes and get them ‘marinated’ in the salt/oil and get them back to drying again. I just recently was directed to your blog and love what I’m finding there.
Sure thing! Thanks for the questions – they helped me too!
I was impressed with your sun-dried tomatoes so am dehydrating some romas today. You didn’t mention what temp you dry them at, nor about how long they take … could you give me a suggestion? The Excalibur book says tomatoes at 155 degrees. Is that because there is so much liquid/moisture that such a high temp is recommended? Do you use a lower temp? Thanks for the great suggestion — I had NOT attempted doing tomatoes before because I didn’t want to peel them. Also, do you season them with the Real Salt and olive oil when they are dried and ready to package up?
Hi Pat. I dried them at about 125. I didn’t write the temp b/c I know some people like to dry @ low temps to keep foods raw. I spoke w/ Excalibur and they said it is because of the high moisture. I mainly did not have a problem drying them at the lower temp, but we did lose 1-2 trays this summer due to mold. Good to know! I will add this to my post. I season them with the oil and salt prior to drying. I’ll add that to the post as well. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing these tips on the Living Well Blog Hop!
Thank you for sharing! My husband and I love sun dried tomatoes and I told him I wanted a dehydrator for christmas. I know exactly what the first thing I will make if I get it!
You’ll love it! If I can be of help w/ choosing a model or getting a deal on the Excalibur, let me know :-).
That is super easy. I will try this. I always buy them in jars with olive oil.
Thank you so much for sharing it at Foodie Wednesday. I hope you can join us again today with another great recipe.
I totally need to try this with some of my tomatoes! I’ve done tomato pies and tomato jam, but haven’t dehydrated any yet.
Great tutorial! I am hoping my tomatoes ripen in large enough quantitites before our first freeeze for me to do this. Thank you for sharing your posts with the Hearth and Soul Hop; I find them inspiring!
Thanks for the sweet compliment, Alea. I truly appreciate it :-).
Looks like I will have to pick up a food dehydrator…
Hi Vivienne.
Yes, we finally buckled down and bought one about 2 years ago If you haven’t seen the Excalibur Savings on my site you might want to check them out. I’d be happy to answer any questions that you may have. I can say for sure that though they are pricey up front, it has been worth every penny.
~Adrienne
Your tomatoes are gorgeous! I don’t have a dehydrator yet, but I can understand now why they are so popular. Thank you for sharing this excellent (and frugal!) post with The Hearth and Soul hop, Adrienne.
My dehydrator broke last year and now I want to try these!!
Let me know if I can help you with a new one – did you see my Excalibur Savings page?
We love using our food dehydrator! It’s fun 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. Please come back next week.
I’ve dehydrated tomatoes in the past, but haven’t done any this year. I’ll get right to work on remedying that. 🙂 You are right. They are very easy and so tasty. (And so much cheaper to do it yourself!)
Wow – this looks wonderful! I would love it if you shared this on Makin’ You Crave Monday over at MrsHappyHomemaker.com!!