The BEST Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce – Fresh or Freeze
You’ll want to eat this amazing roasted tomato sauce with a spoon, it’s that good! It’s also the easiest way to make tomato sauce you’ll come across – AND you can use the tomatoes that aren’t good for canning and any extra vegetables you have laying around, making it a great way to use up produce. Freeze it to use in recipes all year long because it’s better than anything you can get at the store!
✩ What readers are saying…
“This is the most brilliant method for making a super flavorful tomato sauce. The instructions were flawless so my end result was perfect. Thanks so much for sharing!” – Barb
How about an incredible, out-of-this-world, lick-the-spoon flavor roasted tomato sauce that’s as easy as it is good?
Next to Addictive Tomato Chutney it’s probably everyone’s favorite recipe and always trending here on the site.
Having this sauce in our freezer is like having a stash of organic, healthy, so good-it’ll-make-your-eyes-roll convenience food ready whenever you need it.
When I’ve got tomatoes in buckets and bowls all over my kitchen, visitors will always ask when they see them, “what are you going to do with all those tomatoes?”
Um, let me count the ways:
- Addictive Tomato Chutney
- Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
- Thick, Canned Salsa
- Pizza Sauce
- Tomato & Feta Salad
- Zucchini, Corn & Tomato Saute…well, the list could go on and on.
However, the number one way I use our tomatoes is to make this incredible roasted tomato sauce that I freeze to use all year long.
Its also helps that it’s super easy to make, takes care of a lot of tomatoes at once, and even uses other vegetables that I have if I want to add them.
It’s a recipe that fits into almost any schedule – you can get going while you’re making dinner, then puree it and freeze it after.
Did I mention easy?
Ingredients
Since this is a fresh or freezer sauce only (NOT safe for canning – more on that below), the produce ingredients are truly flexible. This makes it a star for using up slightly old garden tomatoes, the zucchini that’s starting to shrivel, or the last bits and pieces in your veg bin or CSA box. You’ll want to keep the garlic, balsamic, herbs, and seasonings the same (adjusted to your taste if needed).
For each large roasting pan you will need:
- olive oil
- 6 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut in half (pounds are approximate – fill your roasting pan in one layer with tomatoes) – plum or paste tomatoes are great, but you can use any type.
- chopped onion
- Any other vegetables on hand, roughly chopped: zucchini peppers, carrots, celery (optional).
- garlic cloves, sliced or chopped
- balsamic vinegar – a KEY ingredient, no substitutions if at all possible.
- About 1 teaspoon each dried herbs of choice: thyme oregano, basil OR 1+ tablespoon fresh chopped herbs.
- teaspoons each salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional – I now add this all the time for that bit of spice we enjoy.
How to Make Roasted Tomato Sauce
Detailed quantities and instructions are included in the full recipe box below, but here are a few extra tips to help with each step:
Step 1: Gather Your Pans: Start with the number of baking pans that will fit in your oven (if you’ve got a lot of tomatoes – you can always do one pan at a time for smaller batches). For me, that is one large 15×10 roaster and one to two 13×9 pans.
Step 2: Pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into each pan you are using and add the dried and fresh herbs. I usually have basil growing and will use that fresh, then add dried thyme and oregano. This used be a step after the tomatoes, but I found adding the seasonings to the bottom of the pan meant less was wasted on the skins we pull after roasting.
Step 3: Add seasonings & red pepper flakes. Again, adding the salt and pepper at this stage helps more stay in the sauce. Adding the red pepper flakes is optional, of course, depending on your spice level, but it’s a must for us and one of the additions I’ve made to this sauce over the years that we enjoy.
Step 4: Prep and add tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the cores (when using tomatoes with more juice, like heirlooms, give a little squeeze to the tomato after cutting it in half and discard the seeds and juice). Place each tomato cut side down into some of the oil and slide it to the edge of the pan. Repeat with all the tomatoes until the pans are full with a single layer of tomatoes and the oil has been distributed evenly.
Step 5: Add vegetables & balsamic. Scatter chopped onions and the garlic over the tomatoes, tucking them into the crevices. Now, this is the part just between you and me – you can add other vegetables to the sauce and your spouse & kids won’t know they’re eating zucchini, peppers, carrots, or what ever. Actually, nobody does – and what they don’t know won’t hurt them, right? (The truth is – I wasn’t trying to be healthy when I started this, I was just trying to use up extra zucchini, ha!)
The ingredient I feel is the signature of this recipe? Balsamic vinegar. Adding 2-4 tablespoons to each pan really enhances the vegetables, and resulting sauce, when roasted.
TIP: Plum/paste tomatoes will yield a thick and meaty sauce, but this roasted sauce is usually thick anyway and I like the flavor of all my different tomatoes, especially heirlooms, so I use any ripe tomatoes I have. If I’ve got paste tomatoes ripe, I’ll try to do 1/2 paste and 1/2 slicing in each pan. If most of your tomatoes are slicing and you feel the sauce is too thin, you can add a small can of tomato paste and whir it in before freezing (or add it when heating and using).
Step 6: Roast. Roast in a 425 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes, switching the pans halfway through (if you’re using more than one) from top rack to bottom. Most of the skins should be browned and wrinkled making it easy to pull them off with tongs. I don’t bother with the ones that won’t come off easy, just the ones that pull off like the one pictured – usually thicker-skinned paste tomatoes.
Step 7: Transfer vegetables. You have two choices here – you can transfer the roasted veggies to a large stock pot like shown above to be blended with a hand-held immersion blender OR Let the roasted vegetables cool for a few minutes and then use a large spoon to transfer the vegetables (and liquid) into a blender or food processor. Choose whatever way suits you (and your equipment) best.
Do you have to remove the skins? The skins can be left on before pureeing and if they bother you, you can push the sauce through a sieve to remove them. Or you can just eat them. I’m all about easy and I find a sieve takes out some things I want like herbs, so plucking most of the skins is the easiest way to go for me.
Step 8: Blend sauce until smooth. After trying all the ways to blend the sauce, I find a stick blender to be the easiest and fastest. Plus, you don’t have to deal with hot splatters of juice and sauce as you transfer the vegetables.
However, if you need to use a blender or processor, try to get even amounts of vegetables and liquid in each blender batch, otherwise you’ll end up with containers of really thick sauce and one container of super liquidy sauce.
Each 13×9 pan is usually enough for one blender, but since I typically make three pans at a time, I add the contents of the two smaller pans to the largest, mix it evenly and then remove 1/3 at a time to blend.
Step 9. Use immediately or pour into freezer containers. Leave an inch or two for expansion when freezing. Date and label each container so you will know what you’ve got when you’re looking for dinner in February.
The pans I use (a 15×10 and two 13x9s) usually yields about 3 to 4 quarts.
TIP: I use quart glass canning jars to freeze all our tomato sauce. I can add hot sauce to them without worry and then thaw them in the microwave or a pot of hot water more easily. What about breakage? Make sure to leave 2-inches for expansion (as shown above) – I haven’t had a problem with breaking while in the freezer, though I’ve lost a jar while defrosting.
Oh, and any sauce that doesn’t fit in the quart jars? That’s my bonus which I usually eat right away like soup!
How to Use Freezer Roasted Tomato Sauce
Some of my favorite recipes to use this sauce include:
- Simple Baked Pasta with Cheese
- Easy Chicken Spinach Calzone – Ready in an Hour (sauce over the top)
- One Pot Italian Pasta with Sausage & Spinach
- Savory Tomato Seafood Stew
- As a soup on it’s own! Add a bit of chicken broth or tomato juice (or even cream if you like that) and you’ve got soup in about 10 minutes of heating up time.
If you’re like our family, you are going to be SO happy to have taken the time to make this roasted tomato sauce when you’re eating it long after the harvest has passed – and one that’s convenient, tasty, and healthy.
FAQs
I haven’t made this with frozen tomatoes, but you probably could! I’d let the tomatoes thaw about halfway to have some juice to pour off – but you do want some of it. Then I’d roast the other veggies first until tender and add the frozen tomatoes (with or without skins) for another 10-20 minutes or so. Whir it all up -I think it would be great!
No, this is not safe for canning (neither water-bath or pressure) with all the onions, garlic, and other low acid vegetables – most of which are not measured, just thrown in. The little bit of balsamic does not make it safe, nor would citric acid – there’s just too many other ingredients. And the joy of this recipe is that you can just throw things in. If you want a SAFE roasted tomato sauce, use this one that’s been tested and approved for roasting.
I know many people who use freezer baggies instead to maximize room in the freezer. I find it easier to use glass because I don’t have to wait for the sauce to cool down first and it’s easier to defrost. Do what works for you.
To thaw, you can leave containers in the fridge overnight, use a microwave if you used glass jars or place jars or baggies in a bowl of warm water until it’s thawed enough to get out of the bag.
That’s before coring and seeding.
You can pour it immediately into glass jars after blending and let the jars sit uncovered for 20-30 minutes, to cool a bit more before freezing. If you are using anything plastic to freeze the sauce, I would let the sauce cool to room temperature BEFORE adding it to the plastic, both for the integrity of the plastic and the fact that hot temps cause particle to leach from the plastic into food.
Reader Raves
“OH MY GOODNESS! I can’t believe how good this recipe is. I made a batch this afternoon with a mixture of Roma, San Marzano, and other heirloom tomatoes from our garden. It is DELICIOUS!” -Kimberly
“This roasted sauce is just about the best thing I’ve ever made/learned from the internet. If my garden doesn’t produce enough tomatoes (we live on the ocean, Oregon coast central) I will travel inland to buy boxes of tomatoes. It is delish!! Thank you.” -Carolynn
“This is wonderful! Have made several freezer batches. I’ve had a bumper crop of peppers this summer. This has been a tasty, quick and easy way to use my garden produce. Thank you!” -Amy
“I made this today and am so excited about it – delicious! I used San Marzano tomatoes from our garden and added zucchini, carrots, sweet peppers, and celery. So yummy, my kids wanted to eat it straight.” -Julia
“Just finished processing my roasted tomato sauce…WOW…it is so very good, simple, easy and tastes so much better than any of the stuff you buy in the store.” -Mrs. Kim
More Easy Recipes Like This
- Balsamic Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce (Freezer Friendly)
- Water-Bath Safe Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce
- Canning Diced Tomatoes – Easy Fire Roasted Water Bath Method
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The BEST Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe – Fresh or Freeze
Equipment
- large roasting pan (with sides)
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- 6-qt. stock pot
- hand-held immersion blender OR blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut in half* (pounds are approximate – fill your roasting pan in one layer with tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon each dried herbs of choice: thyme oregano, basil OR 1+ tablespoon fresh chopped herbs chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
- Any other vegetables on hand: zucchini peppers, carrots, celery (optional)
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spread olive oil over bottom of roasting pan. Sprinkle any dried and/or fresh herbs over the bottom of the pan, then add the salt and pepper, and finish with the red pepper flakes, if using.
- Place tomatoes cut side down in a single layer in pan on top of the seasonings until pan is full. Then add onions, garlic, and any other vegetables, nestling them around the tomatoes, keeping the single layer. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.
- Roast for 45-60 minutes or until vegetables are soft and tomato skins are puffed and most are browning/blackening. TIP: if roasting more than one pan, switch all the pans around at the halfway mark.
- Remove from oven and pluck the tomato skins off with tongs (if desired) – most should remove easily.
- If using a hand-held/immersion blender: Tip the pans, one at a time, into a large, 6-quart stock pot, scraping all the vegetables and juices into the pot. Use the stick blender to whir the vegetables into a smooth sauce.
- If using a blender or food processor: Let vegetables cool about 30 minutes and then evenly spoon vegetables and liquid into a blender or food processor. Process briefly for a chunky sauce, or more for a smooth sauce. Repeat until all your vegetables are blended.
- Use right away, or freeze for later by pouring into quart-size jars, freezer containers or baggies (when cooler), label and freeze for up to a year.
Notes
Nutrition
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2009 and has been updated in 2017 and 2023.
Was great! I am a beginner at freezing and 2 yrs into canning. A little intimidated by the process of tomatoes and freezing. I had never roasted tomatoes before. OMG I had no idea the flavor and ease of doing this. I doubt that this sauce will last until winter! I need more tomatoes. thank you for the great recipe… Did this with my 13yr old grand. She will have that memory forever.
I love this – both that you loved it (I had no doubt) but that also you used it to create a memory with your grand – so sweet!
I don’t have to try this to know it’s amazing. I make a version of it where I use about half carrots, half tomatoes and sprinkles sliced onion on top with some Indian seasonings and it takes it to another world. I’ve never tried balsamic vinegar in it though so I’ll have to give that a try. Can you water bath can any type of carrot sauce? Or maybe all tomatoes and just 1 carrot mixed in? I find carrots just really elevate the flavor.
I love the sauce with a few carrots, too, Megan (same with my simple tomato soup!) – but without a tested recipe with measured ingredients it would never be safe to can (any kind of canning), and definitely not with the low acid carrots, sadly. Thankfully we have the freezer option!
This is the most brilliant method for making a super flavourful tomato sauce. The instructions were flawless so my end result was perfect. Thanks so much for sharing!
Wow, thank YOU for such a glowing review, Barb! I’m so happy you like this as much as we do. 🙂
Jami I can’t believe after all these years reading your postings that I just got around to trying this recipe! Ended up using grape tomatoes as I had some I needed to use up (only now see that you also have a cherry tomato recipe, very similar to this) and followed the recipe but did not add any veggies. Once the tomatoes and aromatics were roasted (but not pureed), I put them in a skillet with some pan-fried garden zucchini. Let the dish braise while I made a Chicken Pesto dish to go with it–using your freezer pesto which is the absolute best! Added some kalamata olives to the tomato/zucchini dish along with some feta. Delicious! The sauce smells so wonderful when it’s roasting! Will be making more and hope some makes it to the freezer! Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Oh, how creative, Norma! That sounds like a great way to use this. Yes, I think you’ll love it even more in the dead of winter. 🙂
Flavor is great, but mine came out like tomato paste. I followed the recipe to the letter, but everything was burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pans. I’m not sure where I went wrong.
Your tomatoes were probably less juicy than mine. In that case you cook a bit less. That has happened to me when I’ve used all paste tomatoes, but I’ve just added a bit of water to the pans, and scraped it all into the pot before blending. It was still very good. 🙂
Freezing tomatoes is so easy! I did it regulary when we lived overseas where the tomato products weren’t that good. I froze them in plastic bags I brought from the states. We also made salsa. I’n going to give this sa try. Produce is still coming in from the garden.
Yes! I didn’t know tomato products aren’t good overseas – that’s a good solution!
Five stars for the technique of roasting the tomatoes and veg rather than cooking a sauce for a couple of hours! Didn’t even need tomato paste. Did half Roma and half slicing (what I had); turned out great. Left out the juice that steamed out but saved it for another recipe. Thanks!
Wonderful! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Jami
I’m getting ready to roast my first batch of tomatoes. Have you ever roasted Kale or chard in with the tomatoes along with the other veggies?
I haven’t, but I do think you could easily! Just be aware that anything green you add makes the sauce more brown than red – in one sauce I added a lot of zucchini the people I served it to thought it was gravy.😂
I made this batch without the Kale. Next one I will try it. I didn’t have carrots this time and I think I like this one better. It is just delicious. You could add a cup or two of half and half and have the best tomato soup ever. We had it over ravioli. Yummers. This is a great recipe!
You guys must’ve been reading my mind — ack! I was just thinking/wondering if I could use my stash of frozen whole Roma tomatoes for this. I’ve made this sauce before with fresh tomatoes and it was awesome. So I’m going to try your suggestions, Jami, and see how this works out. BTW, Happiest of Happy Birthdays! ❤️
Great, Beth – I’m sure it will be lovely!
And thank you – it was a good day. 🙂
I froze my tomatoes in the fall to use for soup, but I have SO many! I’m wondering if you’ve ever used frozen tomatoes in the recipe…any suggestions to make it work better? I’m a little concerned about the extra liquid. Thanks! I love all your recipes and ideas 🙂
I haven’t made this with frozen tomatoes, but you probably could! I’d probably let the tomatoes thaw about halfway to have some juice to pour off – but you probably want some of it. Then I’d roast the other veggies first until tender and then add the frozen tomatoes for another 10-20 minutes or so. Whir it all up (with the skins) – I think it would be great!
I am dying to try this! One question; the teaspoon of dried herbs – is that per pan or for all 3 pans you use?
Thanks!
Sorry I missed this! It’s per pan – the printable recipe is for just one large roasting pan.
I plan to make this this year. I have a ton of heirlooms and romas. What are your favorite recipes to include this in?
A mix of tomatoes will taste wonderful! I use it in any recipe that calls for spaghetti sauce or marinara – any pasta dish (my cheesy baked pasta is a family favorite), lasagna, as a base for eggs, sauteed seafood, or roasted vegetables – even as a soup with a bit of chicken broth added. This is so good I happily eat it from a spoon!
This is wonderful! Have made several freezer batches. I’ve had a bumper crop of peppers this summer. This has been a tasty, quick and easy way to use my garden produce. Thank you!
So glad you gave this amazing sauce a try, Amy – thank you so much for the review!