Garlic roasted tomato sauce made with fresh ingredients from the garden! Roasted in the oven, then blended together to create a super flavorful and delicious tomato sauce.
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Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
One of my favorite things to make when my garden starts to bloom is roasted garlic tomato sauce. The tomatoes are so flavorful and have such a bright taste. They’re perfect for roasting and result in a sweet, yet caramelized flavor. Absolutely delicious and great for making tomato sauce.
This roasted tomato sauce recipe is pretty easy to make and tastes so fresh and delicious. Roasting both the tomatoes and garlic gives it a bolder flavor than a traditional marinara sauce and is the perfect way to showcase those juicy, ripe tomatoes during the summer time.
We like to serve this garlic tomato sauce over cooked pasta (which my kids request almost daily) or use it to make pizza, soup, this easy lasagna and many other delicious Italian dishes. It’s healthy, flavorful and can be used so many ways!
Ingredients
Less than 10 ingredients needed to make this easy oven roasted tomato sauce. Check them out below.
- Tomatoes: The star of the show! Look for tomatoes that smell fragrant and have a vibrant red color. They should be firm, yet have a slight give when pressed. Romas, plum, campari or even cherry or grape tomatoes all work great.
- Basil: A bold herb that adds a boost of Italian flavor to the sauce. Using fresh basil will give you the best flavor, especially in the summer months when abundant.
- Olive oil: For drizzling over the tomatoes so that they caramelize when roasting. A high quality olive oil tastes best.
- Garlic: A small head of garlic gets roasted at the same time as the tomatoes, adding a caramelized, nutty flavor to the sauce. Learning how to roast garlic will become your new favorite kitchen trick!
- Italian seasoning: An easy way to boost the Italian flavor even more. Use a premade blend, or make your own Italian seasoning mix at home.
- Salt and pepper: To help balance out the flavors in the sauce. Add more or less to taste.
Why Do Roasted Tomatoes Taste Better?
It’s not that they taste better per say, however making roasted tomatoes in the oven is an easy way to let the natural flavors and juices shine through. They get nice and caramelized on the outside, with a sweeter and richer taste.
You can enjoy them as a simple side dish, or add to salads, pasta salads, soups, sauces and sandwiches. I also love to use them to make roasted salsa!
How to Make Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Wrap the garlic in foil. Slice off the top of the head of garlic and then wrap in foil. Place on the baking sheet.
- Prepare your tomatoes. Remove the stems and quarter the tomatoes, then place on a baking sheet. Add fresh basil on top, then drizzle with olive oil. Finish them off with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Roast in oven. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the skins begin to shrivel and look a bit charred. Allow to cool slightly.
- Blend. Pour the tomatoes and basil into a blender. Then remove the foil from the garlic and squeeze out the cloves into the blender. Pulse until desired consistency is met. I like a smooth sauce, but you can keep it chunky if preferred. Taste and add more basil, salt or pepper if needed.
Variations
This roasted tomato sauce is easy to customize to your preference! Give it a kick of heat by adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or mix in some grated Parmesan cheese for a creamier sauce. If you aren’t crazy about garlic, only add a couple of cloves instead of the whole head.
Ways to Use Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Over noodles: Serve over cooked pasta, zucchini noodles or make stuffed spaghetti squash.
- With meatballs: Make spaghetti and meatballs by adding homemade meatballs to your pasta.
- Pizza: Spread on a homemade pizza dough or french pizza bread recipe and add all your favorite toppings.
- Soups: Add more depth to your favorite tomato basil soup or tomato basil and cauliflower soup.
- Italian dishes: Use in Italian entrees like chicken parmesan, meatball casserole or lasagna.
How to Store and Reheat
We love to store this sauce in a mason jar. It stays fresh the longest and is easy to pour into a big pot when you need it.
It will keep for one week if stored in the refrigerator or up to 4 months in the freezer. Sometimes I’ll make a big double batch and use half during the week, then store the other half in the freezer. It makes a great freezer meal and is a perfect option for a busy weeknight!
Let thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying, then reheat in a pot on the stove over low heat until warm.
FAQs
Nope! They’ll soften as they roast and then get blended into a smooth puree, so they won’t change the consistency of the sauce at all.
However if you would prefer to remove the skins, feel free! Just slip them off after roasting in the oven.
The skins will begin to shrivel up and look a bit wrinkly. The exterior of the tomatoes will also be somewhat charred.
If you would prefer your sauce even thicker, you can let it simmer on the stove for a bit once blended. This helps to boil out the excess liquid and will leave you with a thicker consistency.
More recipes with fresh tomatoes we love include this recipe for tomato pie and Caprese bread.
More Italian Favorites
Browse allCheck out these other easy Italian sauces that are perfect for pasta night at home!
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Garlic Roasted Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds tomatoes , stems removed and quartered
- ¼ cup fresh basil , plus more to taste
- 2-4 Tablespoons olive oil , plus more if needed
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 small head garlic
Serve with cooked pasta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet. Top with basil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Cut the top off the head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves, and wrap loosely in foil. Place on the baking sheet.
- Roast 45 minutes, or until the skins start to shrivel. Let cool slightly.
- Pour tomatoes and basil into a blender. Remove garlic from foil and squeeze cloves into the blender. Pulse until you reach your desired consistency. Taste and add more basil, salt, or pepper. Reheat, if needed, and serve over cooked pasta.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Condiments, Dairy-Free, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Italian, Nut-Free, Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole 30
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Delicious and smelled so good roasting in oven!
Delicious and so simple! I love using this to show off my tomatoes all during the summer!
This homemade tomato sauce is the best. My entire family loves it!
I tried your recipe last night and loved it! Can’t wait to make it again!
This perfectly simple sauce is delicious!
This is by far the best way to use up garden tomatoes! Hoping mine grow sooner than later so I can make again! So yummy!
I tried this and loved it! I used it as a pasta sauce and as a dip for my garlic bread. YUM Thanks for posting!
Hurray for finding this recipe! I’m making this tomorrow so I’ll let you know about it then!
I admit I was not sure about this recipe for tomato sauce since I make mine with canned tomatoes, garlic,peppers and anchovies and we love love it; but I made it with my homegrown organic tomatoes and followed your recipe baking in oven and using blender…Served tonight overy pasta and veal and my husband licked the bowl and used baguette bread to wipe up every last drop! Tomorrow I am making a bigger batch with the pile of tomatoes I picked today! Thank you so much for
teaching me the easiest way every to use up my garden tomatoes!
My basil, roasted at 400, turned brown. Is there something I missed? Even if my temp was lowered, it would do same. Thanks.
Yum! That sauce looks so delicious. I would also use it as a pizza base, or stir come tinned tuna through it or some zucchini and mushrooms. Talk about a versatile recipe! Thanks for sharing :)
Totally loving the idea of serving this over zucchini noodles and YES for the pasta haha. I could literally eat pasta every day so I feel like I need to make a huge amount of this roasted garlic tomato sauce! I mean who wouldn’t love roasted garlic?!?
Ohhh this looks amazing!! I wish I had garden tomatoes. One day!
this looks SO good and fresh!
I can only only imagine the depth of flavor added to this sauce by roasting the tomatoes. My mouth is watering!
This looks so delicious! And now that we finally got a real blender this weekend, we can make it too!
Paige