Some nights I don’t want to think too hard about dinner. I want something that tastes like it took effort without actually taking effort. That’s how these tartines became a regular in my rotation — a handful of ingredients, one small pan, and a toaster oven doing most of the work.
The roasted cherry tomatoes are the anchor. Twenty minutes at 400°F turns them into something almost sweet, jammy, concentrated — completely different from a raw tomato. Pair that with a fast olive tapenade (five minutes in a food processor, done) and a properly jammy soft-boiled egg, and it’s a real dinner. Good bread is non-negotiable here. I usually grab a sourdough boule and slice it thick. If you’re doing this a lot, it’s worth having a toaster oven baking sheet that actually fits your oven — using a pan that’s too big is annoying and the tomatoes end up crowded in weird corners.
This recipe works in basically any toaster oven setup. Compact, countertop convection, older dial models — all fine. Convection will roast the tomatoes a little faster, so check them around the 13-minute mark. If you’re using a reliable toaster oven with a broil setting, you can hit the tomatoes with 60 seconds of broil at the end to get more char. Up to you.
It makes two generous servings. Enough for a solo dinner with leftovers, or a quick meal for two people who are okay sharing the pan.
Toaster Oven Roasted Tomato and Olive Tapenade Tartines with Soft-Boiled Egg
Thick slices of crusty bread get loaded with garlicky roasted cherry tomatoes, a punchy olive tapenade, and a jammy egg. It's a real meal — not a snack — and it comes together in about 25 minutes.
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes
Quick Olive Tapenade
Assembly
Instructions
Roast the Tomatoes
-
Preheat your toaster oven to 400°F. If yours takes a few minutes to heat up fully, give it that time — it matters for getting the tomatoes to actually blister rather than just steam.
-
Toss the halved cherry tomatoes and sliced garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you're using them. Spread onto a small rimmed toaster oven baking sheet or any oven-safe pan that fits.
-
Roast for 15-18 minutes until the tomatoes are shrunken, jammy, and starting to char a little at the edges. Don't pull them early — the caramelized edges are the whole point.
Make the Tapenade
-
While the tomatoes roast, add the Kalamata olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, and garlic to a small food processor. Pulse maybe 8-10 times until you've got a rough, chunky paste. You want texture — not hummus. If you don't have a food processor, just chop everything finely with a knife. It's actually pretty satisfying to do it that way.
-
Taste and adjust. Sometimes I add another squeeze of lemon, sometimes a tiny extra drizzle of oil. Set aside.
Soft-Boil the Eggs
-
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil on the stovetop. Gently lower in the eggs and cook for exactly 7 minutes. Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water and let them sit for 2 minutes. Peel carefully — the whites will be set and the yolks jammy and orange. This step runs alongside the tomatoes so everything is ready around the same time.
Toast the Bread and Assemble
-
When the tomatoes have about 4 minutes left, brush both bread slices with olive oil and slide them into the toaster oven directly on the rack or on the baking sheet. Toast until golden and crisp on the outside but still a little chewy in the center — about 3-4 minutes. Watch it. Toaster ovens run differently and bread goes from golden to burnt faster than you'd expect.
-
Spread a generous layer of tapenade on each toast. Spoon the roasted tomatoes and all their garlicky juices over the top.
-
Halve the soft-boiled eggs and lay them cut-side up on each tartine. Scatter over the parsley and lemon zest if using. Eat immediately, ideally standing at the counter.
Notes
The tapenade keeps in a small jar in the fridge for up to 5 days and is honestly great on a lot of things — crackers, pasta, roasted vegetables. If you want to skip the soft-boiled egg, a fried egg works too, though you'll need a separate pan. Bread thickness matters: anything thinner than 1/2 inch tends to get too crispy and the toppings slide off. Kalamata olives are my preference here, but a mix of Castelvetrano and Kalamata is really nice if you want something slightly milder and buttery.
Nutrition
Rate this recipe
Made it? Tap a star to rate.
Written by
Emma is a home cook who loves coaxing big flavor out of a toaster oven — from crispy roasted vegetables to easy weeknight dinners and sweet treats. She develops and tests Toastera's recipes for small-appliance kitchens.
Free: the Toaster Oven Cheat Sheet
Get the printable cheat sheet (temps, cook times & safety tips) plus new recipes. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
