Side Dishes

Chili-Roasted Tomatoes with Yogurt and Pistachios

Chili-Roasted Tomatoes

Roasted with crushed chili flakes, fennel seeds, pistachios, and a splash of lime juice, this recipe takes tomatoes to a new level! And it’s not only what’s on top of the tomatoes that’s important, but what’s surrounding them as well. Just look at that lovely orange chili oil on the edge of the dish, ready to be mopped up by a roll or pita bread!

This recipe is adapted from Diana Henry’s cookbook From the oven to the Tablesimple dishes that look after themselves. Diana specialises in dishes that are basically popped in the oven, letting the alchemy of heat on its own, turn simple ingredients into a delicious meal. Her main technique of dry roasting allows heat to intensify ingredients that are normally hidden when they’re raw.

I’m normally not a fan of raw tomatoes (except in cheeseburgers), but roasting them with chili and other flavors makes me want to come back for more. This recipe can be served either as a side dish or as a main. Since I was hungry for lunch, I decided to serve the tomatoes and yogurt on top of sliced pita bread with an egg on the side.

This recipe calls for crushed red pepper or chili flakes but you could also be creative and add other chili flavors, such as aleppo pepper or ancho powder.

 

 

Print Recipe
Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Roma or plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • 3 Tbsps. extra virgin oil
  • 3 tsps. crushed red pepper or chili flakes
  • 2 tsps. Fennel seeds
  • Salt to taste (Kosher or Sea salt)
  • 4 tsps. Honey mixed with 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Splash of lime juice
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, or more depending on size of serving plate
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 2 Tbsps. chopped shelled pistachio nuts
  • Edamame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the red pepper flakes and fennel seeds together. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise, place in bowl and coat with olive oil. Place tomatoes in a roasting pan in a single layer with cut side facing up; be careful not to place tomatoes too close together or they will steam rather than roast. Season with salt then sprinkle some of the red pepper/fennel mixture on top of the tomatoes.

2

Combine the honey with 1 Tbsp. olive oil then drizzle a little of this on top of the tomatoes, followed by a dash of lime juice. Bake for 25-30 minutes or a little longer if needed. Be careful not to over-cook the tomatoes or they will become too soft and spongey.

3

Combine the yogurt and feta cheese- season with salt and pepper. Spoon the yogurt mixture on a serving plate, place the tomatoes on top, then garnish with dill, pistachios, and edamame seeds (optional).

Notes

For the chili seasoning, you could also use other types of seasoning such as aleppo pepper or ancho pepper seasoning.

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5 Comments

  • Reply
    angiesrecipes
    September 15, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    What a beautiful and yummy tomato recipe! I love the flavour and what you serve with it.

  • Reply
    Judee
    September 16, 2021 at 12:11 am

    I can only imagine how delicious all these wonderful flavors taste with those roasted tomatoes. The orange chili oil certainly would put it over the top.

  • Reply
    John / Kitchen Riffs
    September 16, 2021 at 3:28 am

    What a great looking dish! I do like totally ripe fresh tomatoes, but roasting really intensifies their flavor and takes them to another level. Great looking recipe — thanks.

  • Reply
    Katerina
    September 18, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    Oh my, this looks absolutely amazing, Fran! I love tomatoes raw but agree that roasted they have a completely different taste profile and pairing them with spices and yoghurt sounds just delighftul. I am in love with simple flavours, made bolder by roasting. Sounds like I need to get my hands on that cookbook!

  • Reply
    lisa lawless (@lisaiscooking)
    September 29, 2021 at 4:12 am

    I might have a slight addiction to roasted tomatoes. I wish I always had some on hand. Love the added spices with these, and they look delicious with an egg!

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