Delicious and Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce (Freezer Friendly)

This easy oven-roasted tomato sauce is so incredibly delicious. Slow-roasting tomatoes, onions, and garlic together make this sauce extra sweet and flavorful. The roasting process results in soft, sweet tomatoes, caramelized onions, and gooey roasted garlic that is magically transformed when you puree them all together.

My family thinks this roasted tomato sauce is even better than those pricey, store-bought tomato sauces. Those sauces taste great and are good in a pinch, but I think this homemade sauce is even better. With a few simple, wholesome ingredients and minimal effort, you can prepare 5 quarts of delicious, high-quality sauce to stash in your freezer. And because this is not a canning recipe, you can feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your taste without worrying about safety.

And there is no need to use homegrown tomatoes to make this roasted tomato sauce. If you do grow tomatoes, that’s perfect, but store-bought tomatoes are totally fine, too. I can usually find Roma tomatoes for under $1 a pound where I live, so this recipe is very budget-friendly. 

And by the way, you can cut this recipe in half if you just want a few quarts for pasta night. You don’t need to freeze the sauce. You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for 3-4 days.

Let’s talk about the ingredients for this Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce:

(Full Ingredients and Instructions are in the printable recipe card below)

Vegetables:

Tomatoes – I like to use Romas or other paste tomatoes. It’s OK to have a few slicing tomatoes thrown in the mix, but you want most tomatoes to be paste tomatoes. A few juicy ripe slicing tomatoes, especially if they are homegrown or heirloom tomatoes will give good flavor to your sauce, but too many slicers will make the sauce watery. 

Onions – You can use any onions you have. I like to use sweet onions, like Vidalia, but yellow or red onions will work, too. You can even mix onions for a more complex flavor profile. 

Garlic – I use a head of garlic that I don’t even bother to peel. I let it roast with the tomatoes and then squeeze out the soft roasted garlic right before I puree the sauce. But you can use pre-minced jarred garlic, or whole peeled cloves if that’s what you have.

Seasonings and Other Ingredients:

Olive Oil – A good quality extra virgin olive oil is what I prefer. It adds a lovely flavor and texture to the sauce. 

Salt – I use regular fine sea salt here. Table salt or kosher salt will work, too. You don’t need anything fancy unless that is your preference. Feel free to adjust the amount of salt to suit your taste. 

Dried Oregano, Basil, and Thyme – I use dried seasonings because I always have them on hand and I think they flavor the sauce nicely. But if you prefer fresh herbs or just happen to have them on hand, you can substitute a few sprigs in place of the dried seasonings. You can also use a dried Italian seasoning blend. 

Bay Leaf – I like to add a bay leaf or two to my sauce to add a subtle depth of flavor, but it’s not an essential ingredient. If you choose to use bay leaves (I like this brand), don’t forget to fish them out of the roasted tomato mixture before pureeing. 

Brown Sugar – This is an optional ingredient. I don’t always add sugar to my sauce, but it does give the sauce a little sweetness. The choice is yours.

Tomato Paste – This is an optional ingredient but I do recommend adding it. While not strictly necessary, it does make the sauce richer and thicker. If you don’t want to use tomato paste, you can add a few more pounds of tomatoes and reduce the sauce longer in the oven to thicken it up. 

Tips for making this recipe:

Pluck out the skins. One of the best things about this roasted tomato sauce is the ease with which you can make it. There is no need to peel the tomatoes ahead of time because the skins will easily slip off after roasting. To do this, allow everything to cool to a safe temperature, then use your fingers, a fork, or tongs to pluck out the skins. It’s ok to leave some skins because it will be pureed, but I find that leaving in too many skins can cause the sauce to be a little bit bitter. 

Use a generously sized roasting pan, preferably with a lid. I don’t like to pile up the tomatoes until the pan is overflowing. Doing this makes it hard to toss them, which I like to do once or twice while roasting. And you can use foil if you don’t have a lid, but I think the lid is more convenient. I use a graniteware pan like this one. An electric roaster will work, too. I don’t recommend using a slow cooker, because the liquid from the tomatoes won’t reduce properly, and you also won’t get the caramelized flavor you get from roasting. 

Allow the sauce to cool before blending. You probably already know this, but I’m going to remind you that it’s not safe to blend hot stuff in an electric blender. The pressure builds inside from the steam and can cause the hot liquid to explode everywhere. So be sure to let the sauce cool before blending. Even if you use an immersion blender, allow it to cool first so that you don’t get splattered with hot sauce. 

Squeeze the garlic. When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the garlic bulb and squeeze that yummy roasted garlic right into the sauce before blending. If you’ve used already peeled garlic cloves, or minced garlic, you will skip this step. 

Freeze your sauce for later. If you aren’t using your sauce immediately, store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for later use. I find the quality is best for up to six months in the freezer. I use BPA-free plastic containers or reusable silicone bags for freezer storage. I know many people use glass jars for freezing, but that’s not my preference (of course, the choice is yours). And for best results, allow the tomato sauce to cool fully before freezing. 

Heat your sauce whenever you need it. I find it easiest to allow the sauce to thaw in the fridge overnight. But if you need to use some frozen sauce at the last minute, run the container under hot water to loosen it up. Then, dump the sauce into a pot and heat it on the stove. 

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I hope you try this recipe for Delicious and Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce and see how easy it is to make your own homemade tomato sauce. If you try it, I hope you love it. Please let me know in the comments below. And follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram so you don’t miss a post.

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