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These marinated tomatoes were on the menu at last weeks church potluck, made by Maria K. who is in charge of the church kitchen, and all of the ladies jotted down the recipe! These are scrumptious and are often served at Slavic weddings. We couldn’t wait to make a batch of our own and boy oh boy they tasted good!
Store-bought firm Roma tomatoes work really well for this marinated tomatoes recipe or a variety of firm homegrown tomatoes. It makes an especially striking dish when you mix different colored tomatoes.
Prepping the tomatoes is faster and simpler than it seems. The skins come of easily after blanching in hot water. Also, Marinated tomatoes keep really well in the refrigerator. We are all about make-ahead recipes! 🙂
Ingredients for Marinated Tomatoes:
6 lbs firm Roma tomatoes
1 liter water
28 oz ketchup
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 small bunch Dill
1/3 bunch Parsley
1/3 bunch Cilantro
8-10 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (not pressed)
How to Make Marinated Tomatoes:
1. Boil a large pot of water. Rinse tomatoes and place them in a large pot or bowl. Pour boiling water over tomatoes, place a plate over the top to submerge them in water and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving 1 liter of water and set water aside to cool. Use a small paring knife to remove skins. Quarter tomatoes and place into a deep bowl.
2. Use reserved 1 liter of warm (not hot) water and stir in: 28 oz ketchup, 2 Tbsp kosher salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, and garlic.
3. Pour over tomatoes making sure tomatoes are completely covered with liquid. Jiggle the bowl to distribute sauce but avoid stirring so tomatoes stay firm. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Marinated Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water. Rinse tomatoes and place them in a large pot or bowl. Pour boiling water over tomatoes, place a plate over the top to submerge them in water and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving 1 liter of water and set water aside to cool. Use a small
- paring knife to remove skins. Quarter tomatoes and place into a deep bowl.
- Use reserved 1 liter of warm (not hot) water and stir in: 28 oz ketchup, 2 Tbsp kosher salt, 2 Tbsp sugar, chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, and garlic.
- Pour over tomatoes making sure tomatoes are completely covered with liquid. Jiggle the bowl to distribute sauce but avoid stirring so tomatoes stay firm. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Note:
Tomatoes can stain in the fridge for up to four weeks. I hope you’ll give them a try ?.
How important is the sugar given the amount already in ketchup?
Every ingredient is important to achieve the taste that we recommend but feel free to do an experiment if you wish to try it out. I think it’s worth trying.
This side-dish is very easy to make and is tasty delicious😛
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
These are a staple at our household! Thanks girl !
I’m so glad you found a favorite on our blog! That’s so great!
Can I substitute kosher salt to regular sea salt?
I imagine that will work too. Here’s a good salt reference for conversion.
I don’t like cilantro can I use basil or parsley instead
Hi Barbara, it does blend together with the marinade and does not have that prominent kick of cilantro flavor that fresh cilantro normally gives. It mellows out as it marinates. You can cut it in half and use a little more dill instead if you prefer.
Love these tomatoes. I made 4 jars and proper canned them for 10 minutes in boiling water. They are as good as fresh.
Hi Beatrice, thank you so much for sharing your experience with canning these tomatoes. I know that will help others with the same question about making canned tomatoes.
10 minutes in a water bath is NOT proper canning – that is dangerous. For canning instructions, go to https://nchfp.uga.edu/
These tomatoes r always a hit! I grow my own Romano tomatoes and planning to plant more next year, because this recipe is just bomba. We had friends over, everyone loved it. Goes very well with шашлык, and any meat. I share this recipe with all of my friends.., Thank u, Natasha! You are bomba too
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Tanichka! Thank you for that great review!
Hey Natasha,
I know this recipe is defs more of a party size! If I wanted it in a smaller batch should I cut everything in half! Thanks
Hi Mary! Halving the recipe is just fine, although if you wanted to make the full recipe, it does keep really well in the fridge
Thank you for this recipe. Best tomato recipe ever. Have you ever processed and used on zoodles or angel hair?
Hi Suzan! Honestly I have not but that sounds interesting!
This recipe is so delicious! I received so many compliments as well! I definitly recommend not skipping the peeling process. I chose a more delicate tomato but after a week of marinating the skin got tougher:/ I also recommend a week of marinating. It does not taste the same for the first few days.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Inna. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hello, Natasha)
I am not a fan of cilantro….
Do you taste a lot of it or it blends together into the marinade with other ingredients?
Hi Viktoriya, it does blend together with the marinade and does not have that prominent kick of cilantro flavor that fresh cilantro normally gives. It mellows out as it marinates. You can cut it in half and use a little more dill instead if you prefer.
Hi Natasha! If i use 12 pounds tomatos, should I also double the amount of herbs and garlic?
Hi Rebecca, I would probably double everything so you can have the tomatoes submerged in liquid to marinate. You might possibly get away with doing 1 1/2 times the marinade – maybe but it would be a tight squeeze and you may have to stir it a little more to ensure even marinating.
I made about 3 lb at first. After we ate them, I just peeled another 3 lb and put them in the remaining marinade. I love to reuse and hate to waste. It worked !
That is awesome!! Was it ready in the same amount of time or did it take longer to marinate batch #2?
I leave it overnight. It comes out slightly less marinated though. So now I make the marinade with double amounts of salt sugar and greens. And me and my 3y old son and 7y old daughter
just end up drinking that juice. So zero waste!!
Good to know Maria, thanks for sharing!
hi natasha
how long will the tomatoes last in fridge. their shelf life please?
Tonia, tomatoes can stain in the fridge for up to four weeks. I hope you’ll give them a try 😀.
Hi Natasha,
I tried these tomatoes at a party and it was delicious! My husband however…. doesn’t like any herbs! :0 So I was wondering if I drop the herbs and add only spring onion would the taste suffer greatly?
Thank you!
Oh great question – to be honest, I haven’t tried that since the herbs make up a good part of this recipe. I think it’s definitely worth a try though!
I would suggest putting the herbs into cheesecloth while cooking then take them out once cooked….. you get the flavour, but no herbs in the dish
That’s a great idea Charlene 👍🏻.
I dont like Cilantro at all. Basil is always a good pair with tomatoes, but wonder if they will last as long.
I must confess I haven’t made these myself yet, however… my bestie makes them all the time and it’s rare to have any leftover after an event. I’m scouring your site for make ahead recipes today and so far I have ingredients on my shopping list for marinated tomatoes, mini peppers and mushrooms. Thanks for the yummy recipes and being a “go-to” for me!
My pleasure Kitti! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
Made these over the weekend, the recipe was much simpler than it seemed on paper and I whipped them up in under an hour. I was surprised that I couldn’t fit one batch of these into a one gallon ball jar though, where are you all storing these?
It definitely is a party-sized recipe but it always dissapears quickly.
How much is 28 oz of ketchup?
It is 3 1/2 cups.
Thank you!
You’re welcome Yvonne!
Hey Natasha, have you tried substiuting ketchup with tomato paste? I assume i wouldnt need much.
Thanks,
Hi Valentina, I have tried that substitution and it just was not anywhere close to being as good. I wanted to know the same thing and ketchup is the best by far.
This has been my go to for work events, my co-workers love them.
That’s great Michelle! I appreciate you sharing your review of the recipe!
Just curious if you’ve tried this by leaving the skins on?
Hi Melissa, I haven’t tried this particular recipe with skins because I prefer it without the skins. The skins become tough to chew when they are marinated and they peel back and just don’t look as good. Also, if you don’t peel them, they do not absorb the marinade as readily and they would take longer to be ready. This recipe definitely works better when they are peeled.
I swear, a person can never go wrong with your recipes!
This was so delicious! And I’m not even a big tomato fan! I made it for my husband (I like to try to get him to eat fresh veggies!) and he has been eating them every day all week.
He brought some to share with his parents, and they asked for the recipe!
It’s a big hit with everyone. Thanks for sharing!
Fala, That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂