Roasted tomato sauce will wow your taste buds without leaving you standing in the kitchen for long! Whether you use the best seasonal heirlooms or off-season tomatoes, this roasted tomato pasta sauce delivers deep and delicious flavors.
Love tomatoes? Try this blistered tomato and arugula salad as well!
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Why you will LOVE oven roasted tomato sauce
- Huge flavor with minimal effort - toss the ingredients in a roasting pan with aromatics and some oil and vinegar, roast the heck out of it, cool and blend! That's it. But it tastes like you worked on it for hours.
- Freezes well - save some summer flavor for later.
- Great way to use sumptuous summer tomatoes from the farmers' market or your own garden's bumper crop. But this recipe also makes out-of-season tomatoes taste shine as well!
- Slather your pasta with this oven roasted sauce but it's versatile -- turn it into a soup or use it for lasagne or chicken parmigiana and so much more!
- Your family and friends will be happy when they eat it - sometimes we literally lick the bottom of our bowls!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Tomatoes: All tomatoes work - in-season at the height of flavor is obviously a plus but even off season tomatoes will yield a luscious sauce once roasted.
- Shallots: No shallots? No problem - just use whatever onion you have instead.
- Garlic: More or less as it fits your love of garlic.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use your everyday oil, not your best finishing oil.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Like the oil, use your "every day" vinegar, not a syrupy finishing bottle.
- Fresh Herbs: No fresh oregano? Use dried oregano instead. But I really love the fresh basil added at the end so try not to skip that!
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and hot peppers - to your taste. We love the mellow heat of the red peppers, but if you want it spicier, add more. No spice? Leave them out.
Let's make roasted tomato sauce step-by-step!
(Printable recipe card is at the end of the post with ingredients, measurements and step-by-step instructions. This section includes more and larger pictures and high level explanations of the process.)
Roast the tomatoes
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If your oven runs cool, try 425 degrees.
2. Place tomatoes in a roasting pan, toss in the shallots and garlic, sprinkle the herbs and then saturate with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top with salt and pepper and optional red pepper flakes.
3. Roast the tomatoes and herbs for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to singe. Remove from oven and let cool.
Blend the sauce
4. Once cool, pour the contents of the roasting pan into a blender. Add the remaining ½ cup basil into a blender and blend on high for about a minute or until smooth.
To serve, reheat the sauce and pour over pasta or roasted vegetables and enjoy! (or just eat it by the spoonful). Or package it up in freezer-safe containers and freeze for a rainy fall or winter day!
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Beth's expert tips and shortcut suggestions
- If you don’t have shallots, use some white, yellow, or red onion - just use a little less because shallots are milder.
- No fresh herbs around? Use dried, in whatever assortment you’d like.
- Do you have roasted red peppers around? - put some of them in when you put it all in the blender. Or roast some with the tomatoes in the same pan.
- Like it a little spicy? Add some crushed red pepper flakes in the roasting stage or blending stage.
- Want to make it a meat sauce? - sauté your favorite spaghetti sauce meat and add the blended sauce to it before you put it over pasta.
FAQs about roasted tomato pasta sauce
As with any cooking, it’s all about the ingredients. If your tomatoes are not the tastiest ones in the market, make up for it with the balsamic and olive oil or the herbs that you use. This sauce may taste a little different each time you prepare it. That’s part of the fun. But to be honest, you can’t really go wrong with this technique. And it will please kids and adults. I promise.
Absolutely. Package it up in your freezer-safe container of choice. Be sure to label the date you made/froze it so you remember to use it up, preferably within 3 months or so. (Sometimes I forget and keep my frozen items longer - often they still taste pretty good but flavor does degrade over time).
No! I just core them and use skin-on. This truly is quick to put together. I promise!
What to serve with this sauce
The first time I made this, I created a delicious meatless meal by serving this sauce over pasta with some tasty roasted vegetables and my vegetarian cousin was so happy. She doesn’t even like to cook but she went home to Florida and really did prepare the sauce all by herself. Here are some other ideas:
- Try my lemon garlic chicken but finish it with this sauce instead
- Baked eggplant
- Gluten free chicken parmesan
- Something unexpected - polenta fries
- Are you a pizza maker? This sauce would be delicious
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Roasted Tomato Sauce
Beth LeeEquipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pounds ripe tomatoes cored
- 3 shallots roughly chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves divided, reserve ½ cup for blending
- ¼ cup fresh oregano leaves or use 2 - 3 teaspoons dried
- 6 large garlic cloves peeled
- ¾ cup olive oil extra virgin but no need for your best EVOO
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Core the tomatoes, coarsely chop the shallots, peel the garlic cloves (leave whole), and tear 1 cup of the basil and all the oregano from their stems.
- Combine all ingredients in a roasting pan and saturate with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, top with salt and pepper, optional red pepper flakes, and mix well.
- Roast the tomatoes and herbs for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to singe. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once cool, pour the contents of the roasting pan into a blender and add the remaining ½ cup basil as well.
- Blend on high for about a minute or until smooth.
- To serve, pour over pasta or roasted vegetables and enjoy! (or just eat it by the spoonful)
Video
Notes
-
- If you don’t have shallots, use some white, yellow, or red onion - just use a little less because shallots are milder.
-
- No fresh herbs around? Use dried, in whatever assortment you’d like.
-
- Do you have roasted red peppers around? - put some of them in when you put it all in the blender. Or roast some with the tomatoes in the same pan.
-
- Like it a little spicy? Add some crushed red pepper flakes in the roasting stage or blending stage.
-
- Want to make it a meat sauce? - sauté your favorite spaghetti sauce meat and add the blended sauce to it before you put it over pasta.
Nutrition
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Sandi says
There is nothing like a homemade tomato sauce. I can't wait to pick up some tomatoes at the farmer's market so I can make this.
Beth Lee says
There is that great vendor on Sundays - might go this weekend!
Britni says
This is a wonderful recipe! Thank you!
Beth Lee says
Thank you - I know you'll love it as much as I do!
Taryn says
I love making sauce from fresh tomatoes! Thanks for a great recipe.
Beth Lee says
You're welcome! I've never met a maker of this recipe that didn't put it on repeat!
Little Cooking Tips says
Amazing!!! We are so happy reading you, post by post!:)
Well, this is another new for us, making sauce by roasting the tomatoes:)
Super-versatile, super-easy, and definitely super-yummy (or OMG! Yummy) 🙂
This one is pinned for later use, next summer, when our garden's tomatoes give us their fruits.
Excellent idea and technique!
xoxoxo
Beth Lee says
When I first made this, I couldn't believe how easy and tasty it is. I promise you will love it and lick the bowl just as we do every single time. With the olive oil you have in Greece and the tomatoes, I can only imagine how wonderful it will be!!
Jenni says
Fabulous! So much tomatoey goodness!
Beth Lee says
Yes and you can't really have too much of that can you?!
Laura says
What a fabulous idea! I love the flavor of roasted tomatoes!
Beth Lee says
Thx Laura - can't you just see a bit of a Middle Eastern twist too?
Sandi says
My kids love pasta with sauce...I love this easy recipe for homemade sauce. It would be so much better than a jarred sauce.
Beth Lee says
I promise it is so much better and you guys will love it Sandi!
Rita says
You had me at "big flavor little work" !
Beth Lee says
Right? You'll love this and I'm sure find so many ways to use it.
Stephanie M at Together In Food says
Beth, Thanks for the shout-out! I actually used the first of my water-canned tomatoes yesterday when I made fish tagine for dinner.
Christina says
This looks so good! Unfortunately my tomatoes didn't make it this year so I have to wait until next year to grow some more!
Jessica Maher says
Hey visiting from Sits group. Your blog is great and so pretty and clean. I love it!2 Hope you have a great day!
XOXO Jessica
Oh and if you get a chance come by and support Breast Cancer at Kitchen Belleicious and win a pink prize baking package in the process!
Jessica
http://www.kitchenbelleicious.com
dormant-chef says
Or for a change, you can heat some sauce in a small saucepan (enough for two servings) and when bubbly, crack an egg into it. Stir for a couple of minutes until the sauce lightens and serve immediately over your choice of pasta.
Diane says
I love, love, love the colored pictures. Really makes the recipe come alive.
Wendy (The Local Cook) says
Oh oh oh, I so wish I had had this last week! We just had our first frost. I'm looking forward to getting to know your blog more through the SITS tribe!
Ullrich Fichtner says
Juicy, aromatic, great! Stay on these roads! From a European, non-Californian perspective, I envy you. Here at my place, tomato-time is over. Fall is coming in... Thanks for sharing! A very Mediterranean approach! Stick to it!