Sun-Dried Tomatoes Packed in Oil (Whole30, keto, paleo, vegan)
Take homegrown tomatoes, dry them, and pack them with herbs, salt, and real olive oil for a special and healthy addition to meals, pastas, and salads. This homemade sun-dried tomatoes recipe is suitable for keto, paleo, Whole30, and vegan lifestyles!
Can I admit something kinda embarrassing?
I never know what to do with fresh tomatoes.
Yeah, I grow them in my garden. (Well, I try.) And sure, I can use them to make pasta sauce or salsa, but if I’m honest, I like buying pasta sauce already made and I prefer canned tomatoes for my salsa. This is my truth.
And yet, I keep planting tomatoes.
Year after year, I meticulously start my tomato seeds indoors. I care for them in a mini, indoor greenhouse even. Then, they are transplanted into the garden where I give them even more TLC in the form of eggshells and banana peels and slug control.
Anyway, the last time I grew tomatoes, I decided to be really intentional with them. Instead of blending them into salsa or spaghetti sauce, I wanted to attempt to make my own sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.
Best Type of Tomato for Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I’ll be honest, I don’t know what heirloom tomatoes the commercial sun-dried tomato manufacturers are using. However, I’m pretty sure they’re not making sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil with big slicers, like Beefsteaks or Brandywines.
Our family doesn’t love to eat raw, sliced tomatoes, so I always grow smaller varieties that are ideal for tomato paste.
So, the varieties of tomatoes that I used for these oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are:
- Amish paste
- Hungarian heart
- San Marzano
I purchase heirloom quality seeds from Baker Creek.
Even if you’re not growing your own tomatoes to dry and pack in oil, I recommend smaller varieties of tomatoes for this project.
Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes Packed in Oil (Whole30, keto, paleo, vegan)
First, a big disclaimer: I did not actually dry these tomatoes in the sunshine. Alas, that would be lovely wouldn’t it? But, I totally admit that I used my dehydrator.
If you feel like attempting truly sun-dried tomatoes, please go for it and leave a comment below to let us know how it worked for you!
Whether using a dehydrator or sunshine, you have to thinly slice your tomatoes first. No more than 1/4″ thick for this. Then, lay the tomatoes out on dehydrator trays, making sure they don’t overlap. You want every surface of every tomato to be nice and dry.
I dehydrated my tomatoes at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for about 24 hours in my Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator.
The drying part is the most time-consuming part of this entire process. Once those ‘maters are dry, you’re literally just a few minutes away from keto, paleo, Whole30, and vegan homemade sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil!
Pack the dried tomatoes into a 12-ounce glass jar TIGHTLY. I mean, really press those suckers into that jar. When you think it’s totally full, press down more and keep packing.
These are sun-dried tomatoes PACKED in olive oil, right?
Next, once those ‘maters are all packed in nice and tight, add salt, garlic granules (not powder), dried basil, and dried oregano.
Finally, fill the jar with real olive oil, add a lid, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Now, you are ready to add healthy, flavorful sun-dried tomatoes to whatever dishes you like!
Recipe FAQs
I always like to include a FAQ space in my recipes, where I try to anticipate questions y’all might have and answer them proactively.
If you have a question that I haven’t answered here, please ask it in the comments below!
Do I have to store sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil in the fridge? Aren’t they shelf-stable?
I wish I had a definitive answer for this question. Yes, store-bought sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil are shelf-stable.
However, those have been commercially canned in some way, and I don’t know what that process is. Remember, food manufacturers have access to equipment that home cooks can’t even imagine!
I truly think that packing tomatoes in oil and putting them on a shelf will eventually leave you with moldy tomatoes. It might take a while, and maybe you’d use them up before they spoiled. But, I grow my tomatoes and I don’t want to waste them or my good olive oil with experiments. So, please store these in the fridge.
How do I know if I have REAL olive oil?
There are a lot of fakes on the market, even from organic companies. I’m a picky olive oil consumer and only want 100% real olive oil.
Therefore, I purchase olive oil from Wildly Organic (use my code NOURISHING for 10% off!) or I check the label for a California Olive Oil Commission seal. Any other brands of olive oil are highly likely to be diluted with vegetable oils and posing as real olive oil.
Can I use fresh garlic, basil, and oregano?
Fresh garlic and herbs will introduce moisture to the tomatoes. We don’t want to introduce moisture. We want everything to be dry. (Remember, oil and water don’t mix.)
Honestly, it’s easier and more budget-friendly to use garlic granules, dried basil, and dried oregano for this sun-dried tomatoes recipe.
How do you use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil?
I love, love, love to blend sun-dried tomatoes into creamy Italian sauces and put on pasta! It’s such a nice departure from traditional tomato-based sauces or Alfredo sauce.
Here are some other ideas for your keto, paleo, Whole30, and vegan sun-dried tomatoes:
- chop up and add to a salad
- blend into a homemade salad dressing
- add to a pasta salad
- chop up and add to pasta with butter (or olive oil), lightly sauteed veggies, and grilled chicken or shrimp
- give as a gift — home-grown tomatoes dried and packed in oil? Are you kidding me? What a thoughtful gift!
Alright, here’s the recipe!
Homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes Packed in Olive Oil (keto, paleo, Whole30, vegan)
Take homegrown tomatoes, dry them, and pack them with herbs, salt, and real olive oil for a special and healthy addition to meals, pastas, and salads. This homemade sun-dried tomatoes recipe is suitable for keto, paleo, Whole30, and vegan lifestyles!
Ingredients
- sun-dried tomatoes to pack tightly into a 12-ounce jar
- 1-1/2teaspoonsalt
- 1-1/2teaspoongarlic granules
- 1teaspoondried oregano
- 1teaspoondried basil
- extra virgin olive oilto fill the jar after tomatoes have been packed
Instructions
Start with dried tomatoes. You can dry them yourself in a dehydrator or in the sun. Alternatively, you may purchase sun-dried tomatoes.
Either leave the tomatoes in whole slices or chop them into smaller pieces. Pack tightly into a 12-ounce jar.
Add salt, garlic granules, dried basil, and dried oregano to the jar.
Fill the jar with olive oil, put a lid on it, and shake to distribute the seasonings.
Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, then enjoy!
Pin it!
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- Homemade Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider (+ pressing apples into cider!)
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Do you enjoy sun-dried tomatoes? Have you ever made your own?
