Simple Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

An easy recipe for Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce highlighting juicy, ripe summer tomatoes! A fun, simple way to extend summer’s harvest!  Freeze or Can! 

Back in the restaurant and catering days, we would load up the oven with sheet-pans full of summer tomatoes. Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce was one of my favorite things to make, because juicy ripe tomatoes at their peak their peak of flavor! And roasting them seems to concentrate their sweetness and intensify their flavors even more. There’s really not too much that needs to be done to a good tomato and so this is why this recipe stays “simple”.  A few cloves of garlic, a shallot, a drizzle of good olive oil, a few sprigs of oregano or basil, and a sprinkling of salt….. and that is pretty much it.

You can make this recipe, one of  two ways.

After roasting the tomatoes – slip off the skins and mash. They slip off very easily and only takes about 3-4 minutes.

This works well for medium and larger tomatoes.

If you want to use smaller tomatoes, you can still slip off the skins, but since they are smaller, they will take a little more time.

Or  you could simply blend the tomato sauce, leaving the skins on. I do both, depending on what tomatoes I’m using.

Some people like to remove the seeds… up to you. I leave them in.

Serve it over your favorite pasta, or if going low-carb, try the oven roasted tomato sauce over zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash… so delicious!

This recipe makes about 4 cups, enough for one or two meals, and keeping the fridge for 5-6 days.  You may also can or freeze the sauce for a little burst of sunshine in the winter months which I try to do every year.

An easy recipe for Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce highlighting juicy ripe summer tomatoes! A fun, simple way to extend summer’s harvest!

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce

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An easy recipe for Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce made with fresh summer tomatoes, garlic and herbs.  Extend summer’s harvest into winter! Freeze or can!

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 40
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4-5 cups
• Category: Sauce, How To
• Method: Roasting
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4- 6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3 lbs ripe (med-large) tomatoes, cored and cut in half ( for small tomatoes, see notes)
• —-
• 1 tablespoons fresh oregano ( or 1 teaspoon dried, or use Italian seasoning)
• 1-2 tablespoon fresh basil, torn or chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt ( or salt to taste)
• pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon sugar ( optional)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat ove to 400 F
2. Drizzle a large, rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic and shallot.
3. Place the sliced tomatoes cut-side down on the sheet pan and roast 30 minutes. Add the oregano and basil and roast 10 more minutes, or until skins have lifted off the tomatoes.
4. Let cool, pull off the skins, then pour all the tomatoes and their roasting juices into a bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher.  Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes, to bring the flavor around I’ll add a little sugar. This depends on your palate and the tomatoes you are using ( some are sweeter than others). Start with ½ a teaspoon. Taste, adjust.
5. To use right away, reheat in a pan or pot. Or refrigerate for  up to 5 days, or freeze. If freezing in a mason jar, make sure to leave room at the top of the jar – it will expand as it freezes.

Notes

If roasting small tomatoes, feel free roast whole and blend the sauce with the skins on. They may not need as long in the oven, check after 20 minutes.

If canning the tomato sauce, follow these instructions:

1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in gently simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
2. Add  2 tablespoons lemon juice to the hot jar,  ladle hot tomato sauce into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim clean and seal lid to fingertip tight.
3. Place jar in boiling water canner and process for 40 minutes. Turn off heat, let jars sit 5 minutes in the water. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ½ cup

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