The BEST Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe - Fresh or Freeze

4.82 from 27 votes

The BEST Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe - Fresh or Freeze

This roasted tomato sauce has an incredible flavor and is a wonderful - and super easy - way to use the garden harvest (& extra vegetables), freezing it to use all winter long.

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Amercian

Servings: quarts

Calories: 112kcal

Author: Jami Boys

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

*Flavor and thickness of sauce are best with a mix of half plum/paste and half slicing tomatoes (heirloom tomatoes give great flavor), but you can use whatever you have. When using slicing tomatoes, squeeze a bit of the seeds and juice out after cutting them in half.

-All produce amounts are general - use what you have to fill the pans that will fit in your oven. Amounts of other ingredients are for each large roasting pan.

Safety Note: This is NOT safe for canning, even pressure canning or when citric acid is added. It is not only not tested for safety, but the ingredients are not consistent with many low-acid ingredients added as you like (which is why it's a great recipe, but for freezing only).

Nutrition