This post might have affiliate links. For full details please see my disclosure policy.

This roasted tomato sauce is made from scratch with fresh summer tomatoes! The tomatoes are roasted in the oven with basil and garlic before getting blended up into a super easy, flavorful sauce. Use it on pasta, pizza, meatballs, and more!

Spaghetti with roasted tomato sauce on a white oval tray next to white plates and glasses of wine on a beige linen.

So let’s say your friend came over with an entire armload of fresh tomatoes and you’ve eaten all the bruschetta crostini that you can positively muster for the year. You would take those tomatoes and roast them with basically every amazing ingredient in the world (onions, garlic, olive oil, basil) and then you would blend it all up into a thick, rich sauce.

If you are so lucky to have such a friend, or you have a green thumb yourself, then I sure do hope you make some tomato sauce about it. I have been making this sauce ever since I was in culinary school and it goes well with everything from spicy soppressata pizza and spaghetti to fried burrata and meatballs.

Like honestly, this sauce will have you questioning why you ever bought a jar of store-bought sauce in the first place. It’s simplicity at its best.

The ingredients are so simple

A basket of tomatoes on a white marble counter next to herbs, onions, and garlic.

You honestly don’t need a ton of ingredients to make the everyday tomato into a caramelized, sweet, delicious sauce. I mean, yes, it’s basic but that’s why we love it. All you’ll need is tomatoes, garlic, shallots, good quality olive oil, oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, fresh basil, Morton’s Kosher salt, black pepper, unsalted butter, and sugar.

The best tomatoes to use

For the best flavors and textures, I like to use a variety of different tomatoes. You can stick to one variety if that’s all you have. But, if you have a handful of different kinds, throw them all in! These are just a few of my favorite tomatoes to use in this recipe:

  • Roma – these are a classic. You can always find them in the grocery store and they don’t have many seeds, which makes them great for a smooth sauce.
  • Beefsteak – another grocery store classic. Usually sold on the vine.
  • Cherry – I like to add these for a pop of sweetness.
  • Heirloom – the classic garden or the farmer’s market find. They have so many different flavors, textures, and colors which makes for a really fun, complex sauce.
  • San Marzano – the crème de la crème of the tomato world. These make for the best sauce, especially in the winter when good tomatoes are hard to find. They’re usually imported from Italy year-round!

Roast + blend the sauce

Wait, have I mentioned that this recipe is like, really easy? In case you haven’t caught on yet, you basically just plop everything on a pan and go to town. But, in more elegant terms…

A hand slicing tomatoes on a wood board next to basil and thyme with a marble background.
Core the tomatoes and slice the big ones in half.
A hand sprinkling herbs over a gold sheet pan of tomatoes, garlic, and shallots.
Combine the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, olive oil, & spices.
Hands tossing tomatoes, shallots, garlic, oil, and spices on a gold sheet pan.
Toss on a sheet pan until the tomatoes are well-coated.
Hands sprinkling thyme over a sheet pan of tomatoes, shallots, and garlic.
Sprinkle fresh thyme over the top of the tomato mixture.
A sheet pan with roasted tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and basil.
Roast the tomatoes at 400°F for 40-45 minutes.
Tomato sauce blending in a blender.
Add the basil & butter. Then, blend until the sauce is smooth.

The tomatoes are ready when they’re softened, caramelized, and have released their juices. Make sure to add all of those juices to the blender, they add a ton of flavor!

A jar of roasted tomato sauce on a white plate next to another jar of sauce, herbs, and olive oil on a beige table cloth.

Cut the acidity

Tomatoes can be pretty acidic so if yours is tasting a bit sour, you can just throw in some sugar! Start with 1/2 teaspoon of regular white sugar. Taste and add more 1/4 teaspoon at a time until the sauce tastes how you like it.

How to store, freeze, & reheat

Pour the cooled sauce into a jar, seal, and refrigerate for up to 1 week. To freeze the sauce, place it in an airtight container or a freezer-safe jar. Leave some space at the top because the sauce will expand as it freezes. Seal the container and freeze for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to reheat the sauce, first let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Bring the sauce to a simmer in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until hot.

Pasta with roasted tomato sauce on a white oval tray with metal tongs next to wine and a bowl of Parmesan on a white table cloth.

If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

5 from 1 vote

Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

Yield: 3 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
This roasted tomato sauce is one of my go-to recipes! It's super easy, quick, uses just a handful of ingredients, and has tons of flavor. Use it on pizza, pasta, meatballs, chicken Parmesan, or any of your other favorite Italian dishes!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds tomatoes (a mix of small & large)
  • 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 small shallots, peeled and quartered
  • 2 Tablespoons good-quality olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less, to taste
  • 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly torn
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • Sugar, to taste (if needed)

Equipment

  • Rimmed sheet pan
  • Blender or food processor (optional)

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the stems from all of the tomatoes. Remove the cores of the large tomatoes and cut them in half.
  • Place the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and shallots on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the oregano, red pepper flakes, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Arrange the tomatoes skin-side up. Sprinkle the thyme sprigs over the top.
  • Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the large tomatoes are soft and the small tomatoes have burst. Stir the basil into the tomatoes and roast another 5 minutes until the tomatoes are fragrant and have a few charred spots.
  • Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add the butter. Toss until it’s melted and glossy. Remove the thyme sprigs from the sauce and discard.
  • Blend the sauce – Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender. Blend until you reach your desired texture. (I prefer a smoother sauce, but you can just pulse the blender a few times if you prefer a chunkier sauce.)
  • Make the sauce by hand – Carefully pinch the skins off of the large roasted tomatoes (they should already be loose). You can leave the skins on the small tomatoes. Scoop out the seeds, if you prefer a smoother sauce. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl and use a potato masher to smash the sauce. Be gentle, it may spray a bit!
  • Pour the sauce in a 24 ounce jar or container. Seal and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

For easy clean up, line your sheet pan with parchment paper. This recipe doesn’t make a huge mess but it still helps!
Add more pepper flakes for a spicy sauce. Leave it out if you’re sensitive to spice.
For a smoother sauce, remove the skins from the tomatoes. They should just pinch off. You can also scoop out the seeds, but I usually don’t!
Be careful when blending the hot sauce, or the heat could create pressure and spray out of the top! I like to remove the center cap from the lid of the blender to prevent it from spraying.
If you’re making the sauce by hand, dice the shallots and basil to make it easier to mash. Otherwise, you’ll have large chunks of onion and basil in the sauce.
This recipe will serve between 6-8 people with pasta. You can easily double or triple the sauce.
Cuisine: American, Italian
Course: Sauces
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 211kcal, Carbohydrates: 21.6g, Protein: 3.9g, Fat: 14.4g, Saturated Fat: 3.9g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 447mg, Potassium: 819mg, Fiber: 4.1g, Sugar: 0.2g, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @sundaytable.co on Instagram!