Easy, Homemade Roasted 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. 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’ll love how easy it is to make your own roasted 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 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

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.

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.

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.

How to Can Roasted Tomato Sauce

Disclaimer: Water bath canning is NOT recommended as a safe way to preserve this recipe. The recipe has not been tested for acidity level, and it not officially approved for water bath canning. If you want to preserve this long term, I recommend freezing the sauce instead of water bath canning. 

Make all of your sauce as directed above and put it in a great big stock pot. Simmer it to keep the sauce warm.
Heat up the water in your water bath canner. Once it’s boiling, sterilize your clean jars by boiling them for 10 minutes.
Prepare your canning lids by submersing them in steaming, but not boiling, water for a few minutes. I use both BPA free Tattler Reusable Canning Lids and the normal Ball Canning Lids which are now also supposed to be BPA Free!! YAY!!
Use a ladle to fill your jars with the sauce. To minimize mess, you can also use a funnel into the jar. Leave at least 1/4 inch headroom at the top of the jar AFTER you add 2 TBS lemon juice concentrate (VERY IMPORTANT STEP!!) per jar. Wipe the rim of the jar and lid. Do not leave any sauce or food residue as it will prevent your jars from sealing.

As you finish each jar, place it in the water bath canner to keep it hot. It is recommended that you completely finish one jar at a time for optimal results – not the batch method I display here… Do as I say, not as I do. 🙂
Put your lids on and tighten securely. Once your canner is full, boil the jars for 45 minutes. Add 5 minutes per 1,000 feet to compensate for the altitude. I live at just under 1,000 feet. If you live at 2,000 feet, process for 50 minutes. If you live at 3,000 feet, process for 55 minutes, and so on. If you don’t know your altitude, just google it.

Carefully remove the jars and put them on a clean towel. Let them cool for a full 24 hours before you move them. Sit back and listen to the wonderful pings of the sealing jars! After 24 hours, make sure all of your jars have sealed. Wipe them down, remove the rings, and put them on a shelf to admire. If any jars didn’t seal, you can heat the sauce back up and try again or just use that sauce immediately.

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:

• Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
• Make Ahead Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese & Secret Veggies
• Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
• Classic Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

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

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Yield: 6 cups

Easy, Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

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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.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Half Sheet Pan with Stainless Steel Wire Rack
• 
  KIZEN Digital Meat Thermometer
• 
  Professional Silicone Oven Mitts
• 
  Measuring Cups and Spoons
• 
  Ball EasyCanner Electric Water Bath Canner, 21 quart, Silver

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

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