Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

Name: Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 roasted plum tomatoes ((8 halves)); 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp dried tarragon; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 1/2 cup olive oil

By Kevin

published Aug 11, 2022, updated Jun 03, 2023

5 from 2 votes

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Rich and tangy, a roasted Tomato Vinaigrette makes a fantastic addition to grilled and roasted vegetables and meats. It also makes a great dipping sauce or base for a dressing! Made with roasted tomatoes, dried herbs, and sharp red wine vinegar, it brightens and enhances any dish with its unique Mediterranean flavor.

Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette being poured onto salad

There’s nothing I love more than a recipe I can use in a thousand ways! And when it comes to versatility, this roasted tomato vinaigrette just can’t be beat.

Need a salad dressing? Dipping sauce? Something to serve on top of grilled beef, chicken, or fish? Just throw together this 10 minute recipe! 10 minutes may even be an exaggeration – all you need to do is drop everything in a blender and, well, blend. Easy as can be!

When I make this recipe, I make my own fire roasted tomatoes. It’s so easy to prepare and so much better than canned!

Drizzle your homemade tomato vinaigrette over a fresh Mexican salad or serve alongside some grilled chili lime shrimp. You can also keep it in a bottle, throw it in the fridge, and save it for all of your grilled meals and veggies throughout the week!

salad in a bowl with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette being poured on it

INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Roasted Plum Tomatoes – Plum tomatoes are particularly loved for sauces and purees. Roma and San Marzano tomatoes are a couple of other great sauce tomatoes if you can’t get your hands on plum.
Sugar & Salt – The balance of these will change the entire profile of your homemade vinaigrette. Follow the measurements here and then add a bit more salt or sugar to taste after tasting the final product.
Tarragon – This spiced, licorice-like herb. I recommend using dried, as it will disperse and flavor the mixture easily. The most similar and suitable substitute would be basil, with fennel coming in as a close second.
Red Pepper Flakes – This is an easy-to-use ingredient, but you can use a chile of your choosing for the spice if you’d rather go with fresh. Cayenne powder is a good substitute as well.
Red Wine Vinegar – My go-to vinegar to pair with roasted tomatoes. Balsamic, sherry, white wine, and raspberry vinegar would be my choices if red wine vinegar was unavailable.
Olive Oil – Extra virgin has the deepest, strongest flavor, so it is the best option for this specific recipe. I wouldn’t recommend using a different oil for this recipe, as we want the flavor just as much as we want the texture.

overhead image: fire roasted tomatoes on wire rack

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

Blend The Tomatoes & Seasonings. Add the roasted tomatoes, salt, sugar, dried tarragon, red pepper flakes, and red white vinegar to a blender. Puree until smooth.
Emulsify or Blend. Gradually add the olive oil to the mixture while blending until the mixture is thick, viscous, and totally smooth. This process is the same if using an immersion blender: add all of the ingredients, blend, add the olive oil, and blend again.
Season & Store. Sprinkle in salt and sugar to taste before serving, adding to a recipe, or using as a dipping sauce. You could also store in an airtight container and store for up to a week.

What makes a vinaigrette a vinaigrette?

There are two ingredients you absolutely need to have for your recipe to be considered a vinaigrette: olive oil and vinegar of some kind. Luckily, we have both of those! Our roasted tomato vinaigrette includes olive oil and red wine vinegar, specifically.

The vegetables and seasonings used vary from recipe to recipe, and ratio of oil to vinegar can differ slightly as well. Generally, however, we’re looking at more oil than vinegar.

Which vinegar is best for vinaigrette?

I highly recommend using red wine vinegar! Not only does it work well for this particular tomato vinaigrette, but it’s great for almost any vinaigrette recipe out there.

It has a strong, fruity flavor. It’s also very tangy, adding much-needed brightness and acidity to the blend. But you should consider your entire list of ingredients and their flavors before choosing the vinegar best suited for your vinaigrette.

Can you freeze tomato vinaigrette?

No, this recipe won’t freeze well. When you emulsify vegetables, spices, and oils, they’ll all separate once frozen. It will certainly freeze, but the texture will be ruined and not at all what it should be.

Just make it fresh! It only takes a couple of minutes. Otherwise, you can make it up to a week in advance and store it in the refrigerator.

dripping Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette onto salad

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