Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasted tomato sauce over pasta

I didn't make it to the farmer's market this week which means I did not get a bag of summer ripened tomatoes to make fresh uncooked tomato sauce. But I still had a hankering for homemade tomato sauce. The tomatoes I had to chose from where nice but not the same as the "day they were picked tomatoes" at the market. When I have less than glorious tomatoes, I make roasted tomato sauce. It takes a bit more time but the result is lovely.The roasting and the bit of sugar I add creates a slightly sweet sauce and the touch of crushed red pepper adds a bit of spice.  The roasting, the spice, and the sugar make up for any lack of taste the tomatoes may have. Oh! So does the garlic. You can't have a good roasted tomato sauce without garlic.
Roasted Tomato Sauce

8 cups (1.8 kg) Tomatoes, Diced
1 Cup (150 g) Diced Onion (I usually dice a small to medium onion)
5-6 Cloves of Garlic, Thinly Sliced
2 Tsp of Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp of Sugar
2 Tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Cup (120 ml) of Olive Oil
1/2 Cup (10 g) of Basil, Diced

Preheat oven to 450F/232C/Gas Mark 8.

Diced tomatoes

Spread tomatoes in a single layer onto a large cookie sheet. Add the onions and the garlic to the tomatoes and sprinkle the salt, sugar, and crushed pepper on top of the tomato mixture. Pour the olive oil and stir so that the ingredients are mixed.

Ready for the oven

Roast until the tomatoes soften about 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven. If you want a chunky tomato sauce, then stir in the basil and serve. When I want a smoother tomato sauce, I process it in a food processor and then add the basil.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

The bottom line: Will I make this again? Yes, as soon as I can make it to the farmer's market, I am going to make a huge batch and freeze it. Yes, the sauce freezers well. It is also really good on pasta mixed with pesto.