This simple roasted tomato sauce uses fresh, juicy tomatoes that have been roasted to bring out the best flavour. This easy recipe is great for freezing so you can enjoy the flavours of summer throughout the cold winter months!
Whether you are growing your own garden tomatoes or simply enjoying the most flavourful tomatoes you can get from the market, there is no denying that tomatoes are at their peak right now!
As I’m sure most of us are doing right now, we are enjoying these plump, flavourful tomatoes as much as we possibly can! Multiple tomatoes are being consumed daily in our home in salads, on toast, or added into our cooked meals. No exaggeration.
If, like me, you will be sorry to see tomato season end, don’t worry- I have you covered with a way to preserve the flavour beyond these summer months! Aside from freezing some of garden cherry tomatoes, one of my favourite ways to preserve the flavours of summer in this delicious roasted tomato sauce!
It is so good! Like really, really good.
There is something about roasting vegetables that brings out the absolute best in them. Roasting tomatoes definitely makes a superior sauce, if you ask me.
In addition to tomatoes, I also roast bell pepper and onions too. Although I don’t add it due to a food sensitivity, you can definitely add garlic to this sauce as well. These extra veggies add an extra depth of flavour to this roasted tomato sauce.
Sprinkle in some herbs and seasonings and you have a sauce that is sure to please. So much better than store-bought sauces!
This recipe is actually based on my Creamy Tomato Soup recipe which starts out the exact same way as this recipe- by roasting tomatoes, bell pepper and onions. If you love these flavours as much as I do, be sure to whip up a batch of this roasted tomato soup as you can also freeze it and enjoy it in the cold winter months!
Why you should make Roasted Tomato Sauce
- It is incredibly flavourful!
- This recipe is simple and easy to do.
- The sauce freezes well, making it a great way to preserve summer flavours.
- You can use pretty much any tomato you want!
- This is a great way to use up those garden tomatoes.
Ingredients in Roasted Tomato Sauce and Substitutions
- Tomatoes: About 6 large tomatoes sliced into wedges are used for this sauce. If using medium sized tomatoes, use about 9 of them. You can also add cherry tomatoes to the baking tray.
- Onion and garlic: You can use any onion you like, including shallots. I make my sauce without garlic (due to my garlic sensitivity) but you can add as many cloves as you desire to your sauce.
- Red bell pepper: 1 bell pepper or 3 mini red peppers can be used. They add extra flavour to the sauce but you can omit if you don’t have any peppers or don’t like them. If you like a bit heat in your sauce, you can use a hot pepper.
- Olive oil: drizzled over the tomatoes and vegetables before roasting.
- Herbs: Italian seasoning is sprinkled on the tomatoes and other veggies before roasting. After roasting, I add in fresh basil as well. Feel free to substitute your own favourite herbs like thyme or parsley.
- Seasoning: salt and pepper to taste
Note: Ingredient amounts and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Preheat oven to 450F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop tomatoes into wedges (quarter them or slice them into 6 wedges, depending on the size of the tomatoes). Slice the onion and red pepper. Place all of the chopped vegetables on the tray.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and Italian seasoning. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Place the roasted vegetables in a food processor or blender and add the fresh basil. Pulse for a chunky sauce or puree for a smooth sauce.
Storing leftover sauce
This sauce makes enough to fill a large mason jar, as pictured in the photos. That’s about 4 cups or 32 ounces. Depending on how much sauce you need for your recipe, this typically provides enough sauce for 6-8 servings of spaghetti.
Once leftover sauce has cooled, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can store it in the fridge for a few days.
Can you freeze this sauce?
This roasted tomato sauce freezes well and is a great way to preserve the flavour of summer tomatoes. To freeze this sauce, first allow it to cool completely. Then transfer it to freezer safe bags or container. Tip: I like to divide one sauce recipe into two medium sized freezer bags. This way I can have better control of how much I defrost, depending on what I need for a recipe.
Another option for freezing is to transfer the sauce into silicon muffin cups and set them on a tray. Place the tray flat in the freezer. Once the tomato sauce “pucks” are frozen, you can pop the sauce out of the silicon molds and transfer them to a freezer bag. This is great for when you want to control how many servings you thaw!
How can you use this sauce?
This sauce is amazing served over pasta! In addition to using it as a simple sauce for pasta, I love to use it to add extra flavour to these family favourites:
- Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells [I made this using this sauce recently and it was SO good!]
- Lasagna Soup
- Lasagna Rolls with Zucchini
- Baked Gnocchi
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Creamy Tomato Soup
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 large tomatoes sliced into wedges
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper or 3 mini red peppers
- 2 cloves garlic optional, can use as many cloves as desired
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop tomatoes into wedges (quarter them or slice them into 6 wedges, depending on the size of the tomatoes). Slice the onion and red pepper. Place all of the chopped vegetables on the tray.
- Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and Italian seasoning. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Place the roasted vegetables in a food processor or blender and add the fresh basil. Pulse for a chunky sauce or puree for a smooth sauce.
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
