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Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

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Ingredients

Warning0 allergens identified

Simple Roasted Tomato Sauce

3 pounds tomatoesa mix of small

6 large cloves garlicpeeled

2 shallotspeeled and quartered

2 tablespoons good-quality olive oil

2 teaspoons oregano

½ tsp red pepper flakesmore or less, to taste

8 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ cup fresh basilroughly torn

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Kosher saltto taste

Sugarto taste (if needed)

black pepperfreshly-ground

Instructions

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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.

To 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).

To 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.

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Nutrition

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Tips & Tricks (5)

Char Your Tomatoes First 🍅
Roast tomatoes cut-side down at high heat (425°F) for 25-30 minutes until deeply caramelized; this develops complex sweetness and concentrated flavor that rivals hours of simmering.
Bloom Your Aromatics in Butter 🧈
Cook shallots and garlic gently in unsalted butter before adding tomatoes to extract their sweet, mellow flavors and create a rich flavor base that elevates the entire sauce.
Balance Sweet and Heat Strategically ⚖️
Add a pinch of sugar only after tasting—it should enhance tomato flavor, not make the sauce sweet; use red pepper flakes sparingly and adjust at the end for perfect balance.
Reserve Fresh Basil for Finishing 🌿
Tear fresh basil into the sauce only in the final 30 seconds of cooking to preserve its delicate, aromatic qualities rather than cooking it down into bitterness.
Strain for Silky Texture (Optional but Elegant) ✨
Pass the finished sauce through a fine-mesh sieve for a restaurant-quality, silky texture; this removes seeds and skins while keeping all the concentrated flavor.