14 Recipes for Overripe Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What to do with too many ripe tomatoes? ›

Make soup or gazpacho

Not only is it a delectable starter for a summer feast al fresco, but it's also a great way to use up overripe tomatoes. For a rich, warming tomato soup, roast them with onion, garlic and red capsicum.

Wait—don't throw out those overripe tomatoes! Instead, transform them using one of these delicious recipes. Overripe tomatoes are perfect for sauces and soups as their softer texture is easily masked when blended with other flavors. You could also roast them and use it as a side dish.

But although they're not great for eating raw, tomatoes that have gone a little beyond their ideal deadline are still packed with flavour, health benefits and juicy goodness. In fact, the underrated overripe tomato tends to be even sweeter and juicier than its unripe counterpart.

Let's say you have one tomato each week that you can't eat and is getting overripe. Keep a freezer bag in your freezer designated for these tomatoes, adding overripe tomatoes as needed.

If overripe, they are less acidic than when at the peak of ripeness. Do not use damaged tomatoes or any that have mold growth. These may contain harmful pathogens that may not be destroyed during the canning process. The best preservation method for these tomatoes is to freeze them.

Since bruised and overripe tomatoes tend to be softer in texture, take that into consideration when choosing how to prepare them. But if you spot mold, it's time to toss the affected tomatoes.

Tomatoes, specifically cherry or grape varieties, can start to wrinkle and get soft when they're on the verge on going bad. They're perfectly edible but have lost some flavor and firmness, so they taste subpar.

When you have some wrinkled tomatoes at home don't throw them away. You can roast them along with some garlic and a bell pepper and prepare the most delicious homemade pasta sauce.

How do you dehydrate overripe tomatoes? ›

Dehydrating Tomatoes

The tomatoes may be soft but don't worry. Dehydrate at 135 degrees for another 4-8 hours, watching to make sure that they don't burn during this time.

Although the spot itself may not be a potential food safety problem, a blemish or crack can certainly allow for potential pathogens to enter the produce and that could be a potential food safety problem.

Freezing tomatoes is the easiest way to keep ripe tomatoes until you're ready to use them. You don't have to peel them first—in fact, the act of freezing them itself makes the tomatoes insanely easy to peel! —and you can freeze as many or as few at a time as you like.

In the South, when you think of green tomatoes, it's likely under-ripe tomato varieties that are picked before turning red. These are the ones most commonly used for fried green tomatoes. They're firm, making them easy to slice, grill, and pickle.