How to make easy roasted tomato sauce
This easy homemade roasted tomato sauce recipe is the perfect way to preserve flavorful tomatoes into a versatile, delicious sauce.
Ingredients needed
- Tomatoes. This sauce is undoubtedly the best when made with ripe summer tomatoes. Use a variety to get the most flavor into your sauce. However, you can still make this with canned whole tomatoes.
- Olive oil. Avocado oil is a good alternative.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Fresh Herbs. Thyme, rosemary and fresh basil are all excellent with tomatoes. Dried oregano is also delicious and can be added to the pan when you cook the onions and garlic.
- Chilli flakes. Optional but adds a hum of heat which is delicious with the tomatoes.
- Salt and black pepper. Tomatoes can handle a lot of salt so don’t be shy with the seasoning.
- Onion.
- Sugar. Optional. I like adding a pinch of sugar to tomatoes to temper their acidity and bring out their natural sweetness.
- Vegetable stock or water.
How to make roasted tomato sauce
- How to roast tomatoes for sauce: Place ripe tomatoes into a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. A variety of tomatoes will add even more flavor but using Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or any one variety you can find is also fine. Make sure they are ripe to get the most out of them. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and add garlic, herbs of your choice and a generous pinch of salt. Place the tomatoes in a hot oven and allow to roast until the tomatoes have released their juices and their skins are starting to blister.
- Make the sauce: In a medium pot or deep pan, fry onions and garlic in olive oil or butter until soft and translucent. Add the roasted tomatoes along with smoked paprika, dried Italian herbs, salt and sugar (optional). Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until reduced. At this point you can break down the tomatoes with a potato masher or blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste then use or store for later.
How to cut acidity in tomato sauce
Tomatoes can be very acidic and the best way to cut the acidity is by adding a little sugar or sweetener. A neutral sweetener like sugar or xylitol works best as it doesn’t alter the flavor of the finished sauce at all.
How to make tomato sauce from canned tomatoes
Follow the recipe exactly as is, simply substitute fresh tomatoes with canned tomatoes.
Can you freeze tomato sauce?
Yes, tomato sauce freezes very well. Transfer cooked and cooled tomato sauce into freezer bags or freezer safe containers/jars then freeze for up to 4 months. Allow to thaw completely before re-heating over gentle heat in a saucepan.
Serving Suggestions
This tomato sauce is perfect in a variety of dishes. It’s great as a simple pasta sauce served with spaghetti and it makes a great pizza sauce. Add it to ground beef when making lasagna or use it in dishes like baked meatballs, eggplant involtini, cheese and tomato pasta bake or pork sausage meatballs.
Tomato Sauce Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 kg approximately 4lb ripe tomatoes (I use a mixture and like to roast them with the vines) Quartered or roughly chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-6 garlic cloves peeled (I don't bother chopping the garlic as it will get blended with the sauce)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- small handful fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes/red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
for the sauce
- 2 red onions finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar optional
- ½-1 cup vegetable stock
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 390°F/200ºC.
- Place the tomatoes in a roasting tray then add the olive oil and flavourings.
- Mix to combine.
- Place in the oven and allow to roast for 30-45 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and starting to char.
- Remove and set aside.
- Heat a splash of oil in a deep pot then add the onion and allow to soften for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic and allow to saute for a minute before adding the roasted tomatoes.
- Add the sugar (if using) then pour in the stock.
- Turn the heat down and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- At this point you can keep the sauce rustic and chunky and freeze in ziploc bags or keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Alternatively, blend until as smooth as you prefer and then freeze/keep in the fridge.
I’ve just made this and I can honestly say it’s the nicest sauce I’ve ever tasted, absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for sharing, your Mum and Gran would be proud of you x
This rating is not based on the recipe itself so much as the instructions. Do you chop the tomatoes? Do you chop the garlic? What is the equivalent of 200C in Farenheit? I’m roasting the tomatoes as I write this and am sure, with the ingredients given, the sauce will be tasty. I’m an ‘advanced’ enough cook to be able to figure things out (I cut the tomatoes and chopped the garlic) but the lack to details may be frustrating for more novice cooks.
Thanks for your feedback Marj – I’ve amended the recipe card to make sure it’s as detailed as possible.
I’ve read that Italians add carrots to the tomato sauce to make it sweeter, and it seems to work. Better for you than sugar, too. Can chop them up and saute with the onions-they get cooked during the simmer phase
This recipe is the best. The flavour and taste are superior to any tomato sauce I have ever had or made. I harvested multi-kinds of tomatoes from my garden.
I will freeze it in portions for Tortillini soup, and pasta/pizza sauce. I followed the recipe to precision.
Thank you for this lovely recipe!
My dad gave me a bunch of different varieties of tomatoes from his garden. I found your recipe and made the most gorgeous sauce. Thank you so much.
So glad you could use my recipe – hope it does your tomatoes justice.
Does the skin of the tomatoes ever need to be removed in this recipe? Thank you.
No, I don’t bother.
Hi Alida, I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes and loved them all. Thank you.
With this sauce you say it can be frozen, but for how long can it be frozen? Thank you
Looking forward to making this as it sounds wonderful and no more store bought tomato sauce here.
I would say up to 6 months will be fine? I know I have used it from frozen even after 6 months but I’d suggest up to 6 months.
My garden was overflowing with Roma, San Marzano, cherry, and grape tomatoes. After making salsas, hot tomato oil, and eating & freezing as many as we could, I craved a new sauce recipe. This hit the mark! I only made a half batch to see if we liked it as I have never added vegetable broth to my sauce before. It is outrageously delicious!! I grow a lot of parsley & oregano and dry the herbs for winter so I did add a 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley & oregano in addition to your mentioned spices.
I hot water bath can so those who do it must add citric acid to preserve it. 1/4 for a pint jar and process in boiling water 35 minutes for my sea level or under 1000 feet.
Well done recipe thank you!
This comment has made my day. Thank you Sharon. So pleased that you liked this recipe.
I really want to try this recipe and I that you provide the nutritional info, but what is the quantity per serving? Is it 1/2 a cup?
Thank you!
Yes, approximately 1/2 cup.
Great recipe. I did add a red pepper and 2 carrots to tomatoes that I roasted. Used red opinion and 1 sweet Vidalia onion. Added a little dash of balsamic vinegar. Mmm good. I did use another recipe to make a batch of pasta sauce, and I find this so much more flavorful… thanks again…
The recipe calls for 2 red onions, but in the video it looks more like a half cup or so. Are your red onions really tiny, or is there a mistake somewhere?
My red onions aren’t huge but chopped roughly, it’s approximately 1.5 cups.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Have just made it with all the produce from my summer garden (New Zealand). It’s amazing! Tastes divine!
So happy to hear that Jacinta!
If you add a little cream, this makes an excellent soup.
This sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
Excellent recipe! Amazing with everything – especially with hot dogs. I’ve made some into a puree and kept some chunky. I had a LOT of compliments. THANK YOU Alida ?
Thanks so much Antoinette!
absolutely the best tomato sauce recipe ever!! and I’ve tried many……I prefer not to use white sugar and my Italian aunt gave me the hint to put carrots in my tomato sauce to remove the acidity of tomatoes…..so, I roasted one medium carrot (chopped finely) with the tomatoes and the spices…then pureed the whole thing together, except one batch I forgot the carrots and instead used a couple of tablesoons of honey…..made tons of sauce to freeze using a hamper of roma tomates….awesome!!! thank you for an amazing recipe!!
Thank you for your lovely comment Gean. 🙂
This recipe is the greatest, and it came along at the perfect time! I’ve already made three batches and have plans for many more. I’ve made my own spaghetti sauce for over 30 years now but have almost always had to go out and buy a bushel to make it…and what a process it is, taking two days. This recipe is the perfect use for the surplus tomatoes from my garden; it’s quick and easy, has less salt, oil and sugar than my old recipe, and most importantly, it’s delicious. That’s a win all the way around in my book! Thanks so much for sharing! Now, I’m headed back outside to pick more tomatoes. Think I might roast some peppers to add to the next batch. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that Karen. 🙂 Adding roasted peppers is a great idea!
Roasting tomatoes takes a lot longer than 45 mins at 200 degrees. At least double that amount of time.
These are roasted at 200 degrees celsius, not Fahrenheit.
Oh, man… I’m embarrassed to say that I used 200 degrees F when I first made the recipe a few weeks ago. The temp seemed a little low but it still tasted good. Tonight, I’m making it w/ the simple temp conversion and all signs point to an even better result!
Such a fabulous sauce, and I love how easy this recipe is!
Thanks Laura!!
What amount of sauce is produced in the end? I am trying to weigh the cost of this compared to store bought.
Thanks!
Approximately 4 cups of sauce.
Do you take all the green stuff (tomato stems, rosemary, etc.) out after the roasting? Or firsh them out of the sauce?
Yep, I take them all out before popping the tomatoes into the pot.
You make it look so easy! Love the video.
That’s because it really IS so easy. 😉 Thanks Camilla!
I love recipes like this that can be used in so many ways. I’m definitely going to give your tomato sauce recipe a go.
Me too! Versatile recipe ftw! Let me know what you think once you’ve tried it!
What would be the difference be between your roasted tomato sauce, and turning this into roasted tomato soup?
The sauce is reduced down to a sauce but you can add stock or broth and cream to make it into a soup easily.
I absolutely love your videos!
Thanks so much Julie!
So fresh and delicious I’m sure Alida! Can’t wait to snag some fresh tomatoes from my brother-in-law’s garden when they’re in season!
Oooh! You must! Jealous of your fresh tomato connection. 😉