Roasted Tomato Sauce (Best Ever) + Video
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Our Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe is still our favorite after over a decade of learning how to make tomato sauce from scratch! It’s that good.
Recipes like Roasted Tomato Sauce
Have you had a chance to make my homemade tomato paste yet? It’s so easy to make right in your Crock-Pot. Or, maybe you’d like to make my Sundried Tomatoes.
This is the perfect way to store tomatoes in the wintertime. I eat these Rosemary Basil Sundried Tomatoes like candy. That’s how good they are.
Best tomatoes for roasted tomato sauce
Roma tomatoes are really the best tomato for this roasted tomato sauce recipe. They have very few seeds and are a nice, dense tomato.
Some people like to remove the seeds when they make tomato sauce. Other people leave them in. It’s up to you. But, with Roma tomatoes, you have far fewer seeds to deal with.
Roasted tomato sauce serving tips
You can use this roasted tomato sauce recipe in the same way that you use traditional spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce. Just serve it over your favorite pasta.
Or, if you prefer a low carb option, you can serve it over zucchini noodles or even spaghetti sauce. You might want to try it in my Roasted Tomato Basil Soup.
It has a deep tomato flavor with just a hint of sweetness. My Sundried Tomato Chicken and Pasta is a fabulous easy dinner recipe in just 30 minutes.
Or, it makes a delicious roasted tomato sauce for lasagna.
How can I store this?
This recipe makes about 3 cups of roasted tomato sauce. If you want to make more so that you can enjoy homemade roasted tomato sauce in the winter, you can.
Just put it in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag and it will stay good for 3 to 4 months.
Or, you can keep it in the refrigerator in a jar for up to five days.
I try to keep extra Mason jars on hand to store this in. It’s an easy way to extend your tomato harvest.
Roasted tomato sauce for canning
To make this roasted tomato sauce recipe for canning, you will need to use a water bath canner. You need to make sure that your recipe has the right acidity level.
So, it’s best to consult the canning guide that came with your canner. Or, an easy alternative is to store it in the freezer.
How to make roasted tomato sauce
Scroll to the end for a printable copy of this recipe. You will need to microwave the oil, herbs, and spices first. Then, cut the tomatoes and place them in the oil mixture.
Next, place the tomatoes cut side up on a silpat sheet and sprinkle them with fresh herbs and any extra oil mixture.
Next, you will need to roast then in the oven rotating halfway through.
Then, process them in your food processor and you are done. You can now enjoy a delicious homemade roasted tomato sauce.
What can I add to this recipe?
If you want to add more vegetables to your roasted tomato sauce recipe, you certainly can. Why not try onions, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, red bell peppers, or zucchini.
This is a wonderful way to use up your extra garden produce.
Simply at them to your sauce while you’re cooking it.
But, be sure to add it after you put it in the food processor or they will be blended into the sauce. Then, serve it over your favorite pasta or use it in your favorite recipe.
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Roasted Tomato Sauce (Best Ever) + Video
Ingredients
- 18 ripe Roma tomatoes , Paste (halved and cored)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.
- In a microwave-safe bowl combine onion, garlic, and olive oil. Microwave for 30 seconds to infuse the garlic and onion into the oil. When you remove the bowl from the oven you will smell the heavenly aroma of garlic and onion.
- Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and sugar to bowl and stir to combine. Sugar will help cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Place cut tomatoes in a large mixing bowl, pour in the olive oil mixture over top and toss with your hands or a spoon. Make sure all of the tomatoes are well coated.
- Place the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the fresh basil, rosemary, and any remaining olive oil mixture from the prep bowl.
- Place tray on middle rack in oven. Cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours of slow roasting, your tomatoes will look slightly caramelized.
- Turn the oven up to 400°F and roast for 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to brown. They will be caramelized and delicious. If you prefer a brighter tomato sauce pull them out before they brown. Approximately 10-15 minutes after you turn the oven to 400°. These roasted for the full 30 minutes, you can see the edges of the tomato are nice and browned.
- Remove pan from oven and transfer tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor. Process until tomato sauce is at your desired consistency. I like mine saucy, not too chunky.
Video
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published June 16, 2011. Updated and republished July 2020.
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So if I wanted to can this, how would I go about doing it? It sounds fantastic!
Nice & easy. can't wait to buy a ton of fresh. So yummy!
Would it work if you used a combination of Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes? How would that impact the flavour?
Making this for the 3rd year in a row. First year we used San Marzanos, last year Juliettes and this year finally Romas. This is by far the best tomato sauce I have ever had. Thanks for sharing!!
We often thin out the sauce with water when using since it becomes a very thick sauce. We also keep a close eye on the tomatoes during the last period of cooking in the 400 degree oven as we don't want the tomatoes completely charred,just nicely browned like in the picture.
Instead of Italian seasoning, we grab fresh herbs from our garden: oregano, marjoram and thyme – a fantastic combination! Definitely do not omit the garlic or onions as these improve the flavors immensely and we have never had issues with the garlic burning.
If you want to can it, sterilize jars for at least 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to each pint jar and 2 tbsp to each quart jar before filling with sauce. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes (pints) or 40 minutes (quarts).
I’ve used this recipe every summer when the tomatoes are at their best. I’ll buy a large case from the farmer’s market, 10-20 lbs. I make the sauce and I freeze it and have it until December. It goes fast because it so delicious.
Hi Richard,
We are so happy to hear that you enjoy our Roasted Tomato Sauce! That is a lot of yummy sauce you are making and I agree it does go very quickly here as well. Thank you for the star rating, we really appreciate it! Have a great day!
TSRI team member,
Holli
Tried this today, it is the best and easiest way to make sauce! Delicious! I used San Marzano and Roma tomatoes.
I'm loving this sauce! I'm canning mine.I did a double batch and the smell is divine!
Thank you for sharing this recipe – It's definitely a keeper!
I just made this sauce with fresh Romas from my garden. It is absolutely delicious and will make the perfect base for my eggplant parmigiana. I will make another batch for the freezer tomorrow. Thank you for this recipe.
Awesome sauce…in every way! I love your recipes! Thanks for sharing with us!
Has anyone used this for pizza?
Just finished roasting and my house smells like heaven. I need to put it through the mill yet and then will freeze until I roast a batch or two more as my tomatoes ripen. I used Amish paste and roma tomatoes. I will also add sweet bell peppers, onions and more garlic when we cook down, but from the sounds of it we may not have to cook down much then I will can in jars.
I have never made sauce before. You say to core and half the tomatoes. Does that mean to remove the seeds as well? It seems like that removes all the juicy parts of the tomato–which may be the point. I couldn't quite tell from the pictures and I'm very inexperienced.
Making this today! It smells wonderful!
I'm not a canner, so I freeze my sauce in double zip lock bags. It works wonderfully!
Thank you for the recipe!
Wow, was this good. I loved the ease of your recipe. The tomato sauce was perfect; just the way we like it. I used it with homemade meatballs, it made a wonderful dinner. Thank you so much for sharing, I'll be making this again. (BK)
So easy and so delicious. Thanks so much for sharing such a detailed recipe for us oven roasted newbies. Nailed it!
I’m looking for a flavorful recipe for making Italian meatballs. J.R
This is delicious!
I need to remove the skin though. The skins give a weird texture (for us anyways)
Admittedly undoubted the garlic…the taste is SO strong! Really lovely!
I wish I could show you how good these look, and how awesome they smell. Take my word for it… AMAZING> thanks for the recipe!!
We are using tomatoes from our garden- they are Celebrity, which are larger tomatoes- not romas. Will this make a huge difference?
I made this with the tomatoes from my garden. I did remove the seeds. Great flavor. It was more like a paste than a sauce though. Not sure how I’m going to made it into a sauce consistency to use on spaghetti. Any ideas without changing the flavor because the flavor is fabulous.
Hi Dione,
To thin the sauce, you could either add a small amount of either broth or pasta water. Or, you could simply drain the pasta and see if the wet noodles give off enough liquid to thin it to your liking. Hope this helps!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
I would dilute it with a bit of pasta water after cooking your pasta. I would start with a little and add until desired consistency!
Thick & rich. Delicious. Will make again.
Excellent recipe, the flavor from roasting is exactly what I was looking for in a homemade sauce! This is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried this year, and I’m done searching!
After processing the sauce, i brought it to a simmer in a saucepan, and added 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp brown sugar to dial it in to the flavor the kiddos will love.
Thanks for making our day with your wonderful review, Rob! Adding a little brown sugar to cut the acidity from the tomatoes is perfection!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Best Sauce Ever. It’s worth making it just for the amazing aroma in the kitchen. I blend it in my vitamix, add some chicken broth and a splash of cream and it makes the best tomato soup!
This is the ultimate tomato sauce. I would never look at another recipe. I make heaps and put it into everything. It’s simple to make, hardly any cleaning up, Yeh!, it also tastes divine. I haven’t used Roma tomatoes that often as my composting yields a plentiful supply of cherry toms…so it virtually costs me nothing. Thank you and kindest regards. Marg
Hi Marg,
Thank you so much! We are so happy you enjoyed it! Have a wonderful day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli