Want to preserve your garden tomato harvest? This easy roasted tomato sauce is made with garlic, onions, fresh herbs, and balsamic vinegar. It's perfect for pizza and pasta, or freezing for later.
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Tomato season has officially ended for us. Aside from a random cherry tomato plant growing near our compost bin, our tomato plants have been ripped out. The season felt short this year, but we had a late start due to a cold spring. Overall, we've made the most of our garden tomatoes. Even after pulling the plants, we still have an abundance left over. I've used plenty for salads, sandwiches, and burgers, but the rest will be turned into my new favorite way to preserve that fresh summer flavor - roasted garden tomato sauce.
I made this sauce on a whim a few weeks ago to use up a basketful of tomatoes. I cut up our garden tomatoes and roasted them with garlic, onion, and a drizzle of olive oil. Once they were roasted, I added fresh herbs from the garden, transferred everything into a large bowl, and used my immersion blender to blend until smooth. I then transferred the sauce to a pot, added salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar, and let it simmer until it reached the consistency I wanted.
A Simple Way to Preserve Garden Tomatoes
While I've used our garden tomatoes to make homemade crushed tomato sauce before, what I really like about this recipe is that there's no need to peel the tomatoes or remove the seeds. Everything gets blended right into the sauce, making this a relatively simple way to turn your tomato harvest into something you can enjoy well beyond the growing season.
This homemade sauce can be used for pizza, pasta, soup, and more. Plus, it's freezer-friendly and can easily be reheated on the stovetop, making it a convenient way to save some of that summer garden flavor for later.
How to Make Roasted Garden Tomato Sauce
There's something so special about a simple recipe like this. There's very little prep involved, and roasting the tomatoes, garlic, and onions together gives this sauce most of its flavor. After blending and simmering with fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar, you get a rich, flavorful sauce that's ready to use or store in the freezer.
After picking your tomatoes, washing them, and cutting them into chunks, place them onto one or two large baking sheets with an edge. Add quartered onions along with a whole head or two of garlic.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then, roast at 425º for 45-50 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the tomatoes and onions soften. Remove the oven and allow everything to cool slightly. Then, squeeze the garlic out of the peel.
Transfer the roasted mixture, including the juices, to a large mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth. This sauce is good when left slightly chunky, too.
Pour the tomato mixture into a large pot, add the fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar, and simmer uncovered at least 20-30 minutes. You'll want the sauce to thicken up a bit. Adjust the seasonings, as needed.
Once the sauce has cooked down, it can be used immediately or cooled completely for storing in the fridge (keeps up to 5 days) or freezer.
Roasted Garden Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- 2 large baking sheets
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Immersion blender
- 1 large sauce pot
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds garden tomatoes quartered, or cut into chunks
- 2-3 small onions quartered
- 1-2 whole heads garlic
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh herbs, like basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme roughly chopped
- 1-2 tbsps. balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Add tomatoes, onions, and whole head of garlic to one or two large baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast 40–50 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tomatoes and onions are very soft.
- Allow to cool slightly. Then, squeeze garlic cloves from peel.
- Transfer roasted mixture to a large mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or leave slightly chunky.
- Transfer mixture to a large saucepan and add fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar. Simmer uncovered for 20–30 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency. Adjust seasonings, as needed.
- Serve immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze in portions.
Notes
While it's bittersweet picking the last of the garden tomatoes, there's something satisfying about turning them into something - like a homemade sauce - that can be enjoyed in future recipes. This roasted tomato sauce has become one of my favorite ways to preserve our harvest. It's an easy way to make the most of those last tomatoes of the season.
Did you make this Roasted Garden Tomato Sauce recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
