Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

This fuss-free Roasted Tomato Sauce transforms fresh tomatoes into a rich and savory pasta sauce to instantly upgrade your everyday dinner into a gourmet meal! Vegan and Gluten-Free.

Course How To

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Method Oven

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings cups

Calories 274kcal

Author Caitlin Shoemaker

Ingredients

3 lbs roma tomatoes see notes for other varieties
1/2 yellow onion ends trimmed and quartered
6 cloves garlic*
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cane sugar*
Black pepper to taste
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped *see notes for subs

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and set a large baking sheet aside. Trim the top portion (where the stem inserted) off each tomato and cut in half lengthwise.
Combine: Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, sugar, and black pepper over the vegetables, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Use clean hands to massage the tomato mixture until every piece of veg is evenly coated in oil. Rotate all of the tomatoes so they are cut-side-up and spread evenly across the baking sheet.
Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until some of the tomatoes have crispy edges and the garlic has browned.
Process: Peel the tomatoes, if desired (I do not). Use a spatula to carefully transfer the roasted tomato mixture into a blender (smoother sauce) or food processor (chunkier sauce). Process for 45 to 60 seconds, or until a uniform sauce of your desired consistency forms. Add the fresh basil to the sauce and pulse until it becomes more finely chopped; the residual heat left from the roasted tomatoes will lightly cook the basil. This recipe makes around 2 1/2 cups of sauce as written.
Serve & Store: Serve immediately over cooked pasta or as desired - the sauce should still be warm, but you can also warm it up briefly on the stove before serving. Store any leftovers in jars in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this roasted tomato pasta sauce for up to 2 months - leave 1” of unfilled jar space at the top of each jar, then freeze uncovered and seal once the sauce has expanded and frozen completely.

Notes

Tomato Varieties: Pasta sauce is typically made with fresh Roma or San Marzano tomatoes because of their lower water content and more concentrated flavor. That being said, you can still make this recipe with any variety of tomato - you may just need to roast the sauce a little longer. Cut any larger tomatoes into 2-3” chunks before roasting. You can cut smaller tomatoes in half or leave whole, but check for doneness around the 45 minute mark
Garlic: I like to use 6 cloves of garlic for a subtle garlic flavor in this recipe. If you’d like a stronger garlic flavor, roast up to 12 cloves (1 head) of garlic.
Cane Sugar: This recipe calls for a small amount of cane sugar to help balance the acidity of tomatoes, but if your tomatoes are on the sweeter side you can omit this.

Nutrition