Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted Tomato Sauce has a rich flavour whether you make it with homegrown tomatoes or ripe, shop-bought ones.

Roasting the tomatoes with onions, garlic and herbs not only intensifies the flavour but makes it an easy, largely hands-off recipe.

As the caramelized veg is whizzed to a puree, you don’t even need to skin the tomatoes.

Perfect on pizza bases or with pasta.

Jump to Recipe

I’d love to be able to make this Roasted Tomato Sauce with homegrown tomatoes.

But my hanging baskets of teeny Cherry Cascade just don’t produce enough all in one go.

If you’re lucky enough to have loads of ripe, homegrown tomatoes then this is a great way to use some of them.

Although I won’t get quite the same satisfaction as you, I still love making this sauce with shop bought ones as it’s so easy.

THE TOMATOES

It doesn’t really matter whether you use cherry, regular sized or giant tomatoes for my Roasted Tomato Sauce.

Just so long as they’re good and ripe.

Yes, larger ones will need longer roasting before they’re softly cooked. But all we’re going to do is halve them and put them in a roasting tin with the other ingredients until done.

So there’s really not a lot of effort involved at all.

ROASTING

If you’re fussy about these things, you could de-seed the tomatoes. But I don’t bother.

I start by putting the halved tomatoes and some sliced onion and garlic into a roasting tin, tucking in a few herbs too. I’ve used fresh thyme here, but use oregano, basil or whatever you fancy.

Next I season with salt, pepper, a little brown sugar and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

After a good stir and mingle, I put the tray in the oven and leave it to get on with going soft and delectably caramelized.

Slower roasting is best, so just check now and then that nothing’s burning.

WHIZZ & YOU’RE DONE

When the onions are soft and the tomatoes are breaking down, I scrape everything (including any juices and oil in the bottom of the roasting tin) into a tall container.

Then I go in with my stick blender to whizz everything together.

I like a smoothish sauce, but leave it chunky if you prefer.

Alternatively, if you want it really silky, then push the Roasted Tomato Sauce through a sieve. This will get rid of any seeds or larger pieces of skin.

Now your sauce is ready to go.

USES

I think this sauce’s more complex flavour makes a great pizza base as a change from just straight tomato.

On the pizza you see here I paired the Roasted Tomato Sauce with three different kinds of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan), some dabs of hot nduja paste, spring onions and basil.

The sauce, slightly sweet due to caramelization, was a great background to the fiery nduja and melting cheese.

For a quick, simple meal, stir some Roasted Tomato Sauce into cooked pasta until heated through and top with basil and Parmesan.

If you’ve a little more time, then baking it with cooked pasta, browned beef mince and peppers, the whole lot topped with cheese, is sublime.

For wonderful vegetarian version, try my Cheesy Roasted Tomato Pasta Bake.

The amounts I’ve given in the recipe will make one medium sized jar of Roasted Tomato Sauce.

But it’s easy enough to multiply up. Just use as many trays as you need.

If you’re not using all the sauce straight away, then it should be fine in the fridge for around three days.

If you want to freeze the sauce, I’d use it within 4-6 weeks. Any longer and the flavour might not be as good.

CUSTOMIZING ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE

Here’s a few ideas for customizing your Roasted Tomato Sauce:

• Add some fresh chillies, halved and deseeded, to the roasting tin.
• Roast chunks of red pepper along with the tomatoes.
• Add spices to the tin instead herbs, e.g. cumin, fennel seed, smoked paprika.
• Before using the sauce on pasta, pizzas etc. stir in chopped or torn fresh herbs, e.g. mint, basil, parsley, coriander.

Have you made this Roasted Tomato Sauce?

Leave a comment & dont’ forget to rate the recipe.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted Tomato Sauce has an intense flavour whether you make it with a glut of homegrown tomatoes or shop bought ones. So easy and, as the roasted veg is whizzed to a puree, you don't even need to peel the tomatoes.

Perfect on pizza bases or stirred through pasta.

Course sauce, dressing, Pasta

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Vegan, plant-based

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 1 medium jar

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 500 g ripe tomatoes halved
• 2 medium onions skinned and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic skinned and thinly sliced
• 1 handful fresh herbs e.g. thyme, oregano
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp brown sugar optional
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3

2. Put the tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs in a roasting tin.

   Season with salt, pepper and the brown sugar if using.

3. Drizzle over the Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Stir or use your hands to mix well.

4. Place the tin in the oven and gently cook until the onions are very soft, the tomatoes collapsed and everything is caramelized. Stir occasionally and turn the oven down if necessary to prevent burning.

   Cherry tomatoes will be ready in 20-30 minutes, larger tomatoes may take an hour or more.

5. When the tomatoes and onions are done, transfer the contents of the tin (including any juices or oil) to a blender or suitable container for using a stick blender. Remove and discard any tough herb stems.

   Whizz until the texture of the sauce is to your liking.

   If you'd like a very smooth sauce then push it through a sieve to get rid of seeds and any larger pieces of skin.

Recipe Notes

If not using straight away, cool the Roasted Tomato Sauce and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

The sauce can also be frozen for 4-6 weeks in a suitable container.