Garlic Roasted Tomato Sauce

Garlic roasted tomato sauce made with fresh ingredients from the garden! Roasted in the oven, then blended together to create a super flavorful and delicious tomato sauce.

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Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

One of my favorite things to make when my garden starts to bloom is roasted garlic tomato sauce. The tomatoes are flavorful and have such a bright taste. They’re perfect for roasting and result in a sweet, yet caramelized flavor that makes the best tomato sauce.

This roasted tomato sauce recipe is easy to make and tastes so fresh and delicious. Roasting both the tomatoes and garlic gives it a bolder flavor than a traditional marinara sauce and is the perfect way to showcase juicy, ripe summer tomatoes!

Ingredients

Less than 10 ingredients needed to make this easy oven roasted tomato sauce.

• Tomatoes: The star of the show! Look for tomatoes that smell fragrant and have a vibrant red color. They should be firm, yet have a slight give when pressed. Romas, plum, campari or even cherry or grape tomatoes all work great.
• Basil: A bold herb that adds a boost of Italian flavor to the sauce. Using fresh basil will give you the best flavor, especially in the summer months when abundant.
• Olive oil: For drizzling over the tomatoes so that they caramelize when roasting. A high quality olive oil tastes best.
• Garlic: A small head of garlic gets roasted at the same time as the tomatoes, adding a caramelized, nutty flavor to the sauce. Learning how to roast garlic will become your new favorite kitchen trick!
• Italian seasoning: An easy way to boost the Italian flavor even more. Use a premade blend, or make your own Italian seasoning mix at home.
• Salt and pepper: To help balance out the flavors in the sauce. Add more or less to taste.

How to Make Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

• Wrap the garlic in foil. Slice off the top of the head of garlic and then wrap in foil. Place on the baking sheet.
• Prepare your tomatoes. Remove the stems and quarter the tomatoes, then place on a baking sheet. Add fresh basil on top, then drizzle with olive oil. Finish them off with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Roast in oven. Roast the tomatoes in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the skins begin to shrivel and look a bit charred. Allow to cool slightly.
• Blend. Pour the tomatoes and basil into a blender. Then remove the foil from the garlic and squeeze out the cloves into the blender. Pulse until desired consistency is met. I like a smooth sauce, but you can keep it chunky if preferred. Taste and add more basil, salt or pepper if needed.

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to the roasted tomato sauce for a little heat.
• Grated parmesan cheese makes it into a creamier sauce.
• There is no need to remove the tomato skins since they will be pureed into a sauce.
• To know when the tomatoes are done roasting, look for tomato skins that begin to shrivel up and look a bit wrinkly and a charred exterior on the tomatoes.
• If you would prefer your sauce even thicker, you can let it simmer on the stove for a bit once blended. This helps to boil out the excess liquid and will leave you with a thicker consistency.

Ways to Use Roasted Tomato Sauce

We like to serve this garlic tomato sauce over cooked pasta (which my kids request almost daily) or use it to make pizza, tomato basil soup, this easy lasagna and many other delicious Italian dishes. It’s so flavorful and can be used so many ways!

Storage

• Store: We love to store this sauce in a mason jar. It will keep for one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Freeze: Cool, place in a freezer bag and store up to 4 months in the freezer. Sometimes I’ll make a big double batch and use half during the week, then store the other half in the freezer. It makes a great freezer meal and is a perfect option for a busy weeknight!
• Reheat: Let thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying, then reheat in a pot on the stove over low heat until warm.