Easy, Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

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This recipe for Easy Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce makes a delicious pasta sauce. It’s perfect for serving over noodles, turning into soup, or using in any recipe that calls for canned tomato sauce.

You know how sun-ripened tomatoes straight from the garden taste 1000% better than anything you can buy in the store? Pasta sauce from fresh tomatoes is the same way – you’ll never go back to grocery store jars. You’ll love how easy it is to make your own roasted tomato sauce!

roast tomato sauce

I first shared this post in 2012 and it’s been a popular post. I make this recipe a lot during the gardening season, so it’s high time I updated it with more specific cooking instructions and pictures.

Easy Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

I love to can tomatoes and also keep them in my freezer. Once you make this sauce, you’ll never go back to the jarred grocery store options. Eat it fresh, preserve it in your freezer or can the sauce and you’ll have that fresh-from-the garden flavor all year long.

ingredients for homemade roasted tomato sauce

Ingredients to Make Your Own Tomato Sauce

One thing I love about this recipe is it uses produce I generally have growing in my garden and items I always have in my pantry. Here’s all you need to make this easy homemade roasted tomato sauce:

  • Fresh basil
  • Paste tomatoes
  • Garlic
  • High smoke oil (I prefer avocado)
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper
This easy homemade roasted tomato sauce is perfect on pasta and in soups. It only uses a few ingredients and is a pretty hands off way to make a fabulous tomato sauce.

Best Tomatoes for Homemade Sauce

You can use whatever tomatoes you want, but a good quality paste tomato works best. Paste tomatoes aren’t as watery and will make a thicker, more flavorful sauce. Choose ripe tomatoes for the best flavor. I grew San Marzano tomatoes this year from seeds I purchased at Baker Creek. This is the first year I have grown them, and I am very impressed! I will grow them again next year for sure. I also throw in any cherry or grape tomatoes I have on hand. Roma tomatoes are another popular variety for homemade sauces.

How to Make Homemade Pasta Sauce from Roasted Tomatoes

The first step is to prepare your tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes well. Cut off any bad spots and take out the stem (I just cut off the top of the tomato). Then, halve or quarter the tomatoes.

roasted tomato sauce

I do not peel the tomatoes before processing. Scandalous, I know. I never peel the tomatoes I can – it takes too much time, and I am a lazy canner. I have to find ways to reduce my time commitment.

Next put everything on a high rimmed baking sheet or in a 9×13 in pan. I recommend the 9×13 because they become quite juicy and can overflow into your oven and make a big mess. {ask me how I know this…} Add garlic and fresh basil, top with good quality olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Then roast at 425 degrees for an hour.

After an hour, pull them out of the oven and they will look pretty ugly, but your kitchen will smell heavenly! I promise.

process roasted tomato sauce in the vitamix

Let the tomatoes cool for 15-20 minutes and then put them in a blender. I love making pasta sauce in my Vitamix as well as soups and smoothies.
Blend on the lowest speed for a few seconds and then quickly increase to the highest speed until desired consistency is reached. I like mine very smooth and creamy. It takes about 30 seconds or so – and VOILA! Roasted Tomato Sauce!

How to Freeze Homemade Pasta Sauce

This sauce results in a rich, creamy pasta sauce. It’s awesome as a quick, meatless lunch, or great to use as a base for recipes. It also makes a fabulous roasted tomato soup! After we’ve eaten a serving, I put the leftovers in glass canning jars and freeze for another day.

Before freezing tomato sauce, make sure it is completely cool. Leave an inch of headroom so there is space for the sauce to expand as it freezes. Store the sauce in your freezer up to three months. Be sure to label each container so you know which should be used first.

Glass canning jars, freezer-safe Pyrex containers, or even freezer bags work well. If you use glass jars, be sure the glass is thick enough to freeze and thaw without breaking. Always place the containers into the freezer upright.

finished roasted tomato sauce

Can You Can This Roasted Tomato Sauce?

While I used to can this recipe in the past, I have since learned that it is not a good idea. This recipe is not canning safe – so now I freeze it instead.

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What Can You Make with Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce?

This tomato sauce is an easy, delicious, and versatile sauce. It’s great for quick pasta night meals – fabulous in lasagna, spaghetti, over ravioli or tortellini. Last year I froze the extra I had, and it was really nice to pull a bit of this out of the freezer for a quick meal. Here are some other recipes that use tomato sauce:

Have you made your own roasted tomato sauce before? Let me know what you think!

Yield: 6 cups

Easy, Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

Homemade roasted tomato sauce

Make the most of ripe, juicy tomatoes this summer with our foolproof roasted tomato sauce recipe. It's bursting with rich flavors and can be frozen or canned.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 cups fresh tomatoes, quartered. Preferably Romas, but cherry tomatoes and big tomatoes cut into smaller pieces work well too.
  • 3 TBS high heat oil like Avocado oil
  • 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
  • Garlic to taste, 5-6 cloves
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, tightly packed
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Wash tomatoes and cut them in half (or quarters for large tomatoes) - leave cherry tomatoes whole.
  3. Put tomatoes on a cookie sheet.
  4. Peel garlic cloves and place them whole on the tomatoes.
  5. Tear fresh basil into small pieces, add to the cookie sheet.
  6. Add salt & pepper.
  7. Drizzle oil and vinegar over everything. Stir gently to make sure everything is coated in oil.
  8. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  9. After they have roasted, let the tomatoes cool for 15-20 minutes.
  10. Put the roasted tomato mixture in a blender and blend until smooth.
  11. Season with more salt & pepper to taste.
  12. Enjoy on your favorite pasta.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1/2 cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 74Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 205mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram tagging @simplifylivelove! I love to see your photos!

This easy homemade roasted tomato sauce is a perfect recipe. It's a great way to use up extra tomatoes you may have and is delicious on pasta and in soups!

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

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87 Comments

  1. I pin this for future dinners. I also don’t have enough to can thanks to the deer. But I do have enough for this thanks.

  2. I’ve never made a “roasted” tomato sauce and it sounds wonderful! Roasted anything is better than the raw! 🙂 Beautiful sauce and I’m sure absolutely delicious!

  3. I pressure canned for the first time ever last week. Easy-peasy!! Take the leap- if you know how to safely water bath can, you can safely pressure can.

      1. It’s actually not a safe recipe to pressure can. I researched this topic quite a lot in the past years, and you have to follow an approved recipe like one you’d find in the Ball Canning Book if you want to safely can sauce. 🙂

        1. I have safely water bath canned and pressure canned my own sauces for years with no problem, as my family has done for over 100 years. You really just need to be educated in basic canning procedures in terms of high and low acid foods.

          1. She is correct, considered are acidic enough, but adding thr garlic and oil can reduce the ph enough that water bath is no longer considered safe. I also come from a long line of proud canners and hopefully with each generation we become safer, tastier and more efficient.

    1. @Caia, could you please share with us how u pressure canned that? I would love to do it too! I bought a pressure canner but haven’t use it yet..😬

      1. This recipe hasn’t been tested for ph and it can’t safely be canned unless it is. I do freeze it though and that works very well!

  4. YUM! I needed this recipe! Thank you for sharing with us at Healthy 2Day Wednesday! Come back again next week 🙂

  5. Tomatoes and tomato sauce can be canned in a waterbath canner as they have enough acid in them to be safe. Just be sure to add lemon juice (2-3 Tablespoons per quart) to each jar before placing lid and adding to your canner. Pressure canning is not hard once you get past the first-time fear. Pressure canners today are very safe. I actually enjoy pressure canning more than waterbath canning, and love putting up soups for the fall and winter.

    1. I do a lot of waterbath canning, but rarely pressure canning. I need to bite the bullet and give it a shot. My MIL gave me a pressure canner not too long ago. Maybe I’ll whip it out this week!

    2. I am borrowing my mom’s water bath canner. Can you please tell me how long I should let the jars of tomato sauce sit in the water bath? I just bought 25# of tomatoes from the farmer’s market and I would love to put up jars of tomato sauce (probably pint sized).
      Thanks!

      1. If you use a waterbath canner, add 2-3 tbs lemon juice concentrate to each quart and process for at least 45, more then higher over sea level you are, I believe! Good luck. I froze mine in glass quart jars and it worked well!

    1. I’m sorry…I don’t know. I don’t have much experience pressure canning. If you find out, please let ME know! 😉 Good luck!!

  6. This recipe looks so good and easy! I will be pinning so I can try out when I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with next summer!

  7. I never would have thought of this! Such a good idea for when all the tomatoes come on. Can’t wait to try it 🙂

  8. Hi there. I’m new to making my own sauces. So I see a lot about canning. I’ve never done any type of canning. Am I able to just put these in the jars and stick straight into the freezer? Or do I need to learn how to can as well? Thank you!

    1. If you plan to freeze it you can put it right in the freezer. No canning required! Just make sure to leave extra space in the jars so they won’t break in the freezer! 🙂

  9. This recipe is wonderful. I use I to make all my sauces now. I added carrots this time to make Marinara sauce.
    I too am an Iowa girl. Thanks for sharing!

  10. This looks wonderful. We have so many romas this year that I will try your recipe. You answered my question rather or not to peel the tomatoes but I’m wondering, does the blender cut the skin so tiny that you don’t notice it?

    1. I still notice tiny bits of peel, but they don’t bother anyone. From time to time, I may see a larger peel piece and sometimes I pick those out of the finished product if they’re noticeable and easy to grab.

  11. Do you add the garlic and basil with the tomatoes when you process? Or do you pick out the tomatoes and just process them?

  12. Absolutely loved this. Super easy and super delicious. My only regret is that I didn’t see this until the tail end of Roma season. Now I’m making this with store bought to see how that works. Can’t wait until next year.

  13. I know this was posted a while ago, but really Bake for 1 – 1 1/2 hours at 425? Seems to be a high temp for that long of a time. Sounds great and simple!

  14. Appreciate the recipe and definitely enjoyed making this sauce! Question though: if I wanted to thin the sauce at all how should I approach it? Thanks in advance 🙂

    1. I haven’t tested the ph of this recipe so it’s not safe for canning – either water bath or pressure canning. But it freezes very well for longer term storage!

    1. It really depends on how big your romas are – mine vary tremendously in size. In general though, about 4 romas per 1 cup is a good place to start, so that would be about 40 roma tomatoes for 10 cups.

    1. Hi Mirian, this recipe hasn’t been tested for ph and it can’t safely be canned unless it is. I do freeze it though and that works very well!

  15. I had bookoo’s of extra tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. I just took it out of the oven oh my heavens it smells delicious I cannot wait to try it over zoodles. Maybe I will make a bolognese sauce with it. Thanks for the recipe

  16. This is a tasty thick sauce. I’m not going to waste it on pasta. I’ll be making bruschetta and pizza with it. I froze it to be safe.

  17. This was very tasty but seemed a bit tangy. Did I not roast the tomatoes long enough?? I read that you can add butter or cream to cut back on the acid/sour flavor.

  18. This was very easy to make and and has such wonderful flavor. Since I have an abundance of Roma and Cherry tomatoes this season, I’ll be making and freezing a lot more of this sauce. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.

  19. I’ve roasted tomatoes to eat on crostini with some brie. I’ve also used it on my focaccia. Never thought of making a roasted tomato sauce. I just canned 32 jars of plain tomato sauce, not pasta sauce. I think I’m going to try this with my remaining tomatoes. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

  20. I’ve been canning tomato sauce all week. Wish I had seen this earlier. I had some stragglers and decided to do this today. 9×13 glass dish made an awesomely rich thick sauce. I added some if my canned tomato sauce to it and some meatballs and dinner is served… thank you for sharing your recipe

  21. It’s super good! I’ve done this recipe a couple times now. Once with balsamic ,once with red wine vinegar and I honestly like the Redwine vinegar better. I had quite a bit of left over liquid in NY pan but it tasted so delicious that I just froze it to use as tomatoe broth in soups or whatever. Very delicious and a nice alternative to canning.

  22. Would a good processor work instead of a blender? I no longer own a blender, but I do have a food processor.

    1. I have not used a food processor – but you can try it! I’d just be careful not to overfill the processor container – mine at least has a hole that could let out the liquid and that would make a huge mess.

  23. Wow! Followed the directions…425 is definitely too hot and at an hour too an hour and a half? Lots of charred tomatoes. Super bummed because they come from our garden and I was so excited. Please beware and watch while roasting.

    1. Sorry you had trouble. I make this recipe all the time with no issues. Other than cooking for less time or at a lower temp, you might also leave your tomatoes in larger pieces.

  24. Just finished making this and it is delicious! I wish I had read the comments before dumping the juices from the pan. I could have thinned the sauce with it. Honestly, I didn’t measure my tomatoes. I just dumped what I had into the pan along with the rest of the ingredients and it came out so good. Also removed some of the skins from the tomatoes as they pulled right off. Gonna freeze mine in leftover wonton soup containers. Thanks

  25. Hello!
    I’ve an abundance of fresh tomatoes and I found your recipe to can a bunch of basic sauce to use them up. However the very day I was going to make your sauce, I decided to make beef red enchiladas for dinner. Oh no! I had only one small can of tomato sauce! I remembered your recipe and decided to tweak it a little. Instead of using basil I used some fresh cilantro, I left out the balsamic vinegar, and after I had blended everything I added the enchilada seasoning. We finished it off that night, so I didn’t can any.
    Thank you so much for saving my dinner!

  26. Can you put the sauce in a large ziploc bag and freeze for later use? If so, how long does it stay good, while frozen, for? And do you just leave it at room temp to thaw or do you have to do something different?
    So excited to try this!

    1. Yes, you can do that. I’d say it would last at least 6 months if you do a good job getting all of the air out of the bag. I’d put it in the fridge to thaw overnight the day before you want to use it. 🙂