Slow-roasted in plenty of herbs and garlic, this roasted tomato sauce packs the absolute BEST flavors of summer! It’s incredible with any kind of pasta and you can also freeze it.
Summer’s finest all packed into one jar! Meet the only scratch-made tomato sauce you’ll ever need.
No long simmer times or babysitting a pan over the stove here today. We’re letting the oven take care of business today and wow, does it ever work some slow-roasted tomato magic.
This sauce is so simple and that’s exactly what makes it so special. We’re taking a page out of classic Italian cuisine today and letting the quality of fresh tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, and olive oil speak for themselves.
And shine do they ever. My pasta game is currently incomplete unless this sauce is involved.
This Tomato Sauce Features…
- Slow roasted roma tomatoes
- Lots of fresh garlic and rosemary for lots of aromatic flavor
- A thick and semi-chunky texture
Making the Tomato Sauce
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Tomatoes
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Olive oil
- Granulated sugar
- Tomato paste
Choosing Your Tomatoes
I recommend choosing roma (also called plum) tomatoes for this sauce. These tomatoes have a thick, meaty texture inside that’s perfect for building a hearty sauce.
There is no prep work needed for the tomatoes prior to roasting. Roast them whole and then you’ll remove the skins/cores after.
Tips for Perfect Tomato Sauce
- Roast tomatoes at a low temp – an oven temp of 325F will slowly cook the tomatoes and build flavor.
- Dice half the tomatoes and puree other half – this adds a lovely texture component to the sauce.
- Simmer tomatoes on stove 5-10 minutes – this will reduce the sauce a bit.
- Thicken the sauce with tomato paste – start with 2 tablespoons and work your way up as needed.
- Add sugar to sauce – a pinch of sugar will balance the acidity from the tomatoes.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this sauce.
- Add heat – add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a minced spicy pepper.
- Use different herbs – try thyme, sage, or parsley.
- Add more vegetables – roast a diced carrot, sweet pepper, or onion alongside tomatoes for extra depth in the sauce.
Storing and Freezing Sauce
This sauce stores well in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Use it on any shape of pasta, gnocchi, as a pizza sauce, or a dipping sauce.
You can also freeze this sauce if you want to make a big batch for later. Leave 1 inch of open space on top of sauce and freeze up to 2 months.
This is one scratch-made tomato sauce for the record books, friends. It’s almost insane how much flavor we’re packing into the sauce with how simple the ingredients + techniques are.
Do yourself a favor and put those summer tomatoes to good use here! Your pasta will thank you later.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More ways to use up those summer tomatoes!
Herb Roasted Tomato Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 lbs whole roma tomatoes
- 1 head garlic
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Arrange tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary in a 9×13 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper to taste.
- Roast tomatoes at 325F 60-70 minutes until tomatoes are very soft and skin is starting to split.
- Divide tomatoes in half and remove the skins and cores from one half portion and discard. Finely dice tomatoes and set aside.
- Place remaining whole tomatoes in blender. Remove the rosemary from sprigs, squeeze the garlic out of the skins and add both to blender along with any accumulated pan juices. Blend until smooth.
- Strain blended tomatoes through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan. Add reserved diced tomatoes, sugar, and 2 tablespoons tomato paste to pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Allow to simmer 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly reduced. Add an additional tablespoon or two of tomato paste to thicken tomato sauce as needed.
- Remove sauce from heat and season with additional salt and pepper to taste as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 7/23/26.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Wow does this sauce look GOO! And yes, summer is not over yet so bring on the tomatoes! Love that you roasted them with herbs, Sarah! Such a creative idea! I’ve never made my own sauce before, so I can’t wait to try this out. The spices in here sound amazing. I think I could eat this by the spoonful!
Sarah says
Thanks Gayle! If there’s ONE thing you must make before summer ends, it should definitely be this sauce! Do it!
Joanne says
Next weekend I am officially buying out my farmer’s market of all their heirloom tomatoes and making this! Too perfect.
Sarah says
That sounds like a master tomato plan to me! And I’m loving the sound of it. 😀
Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says
I don’t make homemade tomato sauce nearly as often as I should. I love that you added fresh herbs. I’ll have to gather up a bunch of fresh tomatoes from my garden and make this sauce!
Sarah says
It’s seriously so simple to make, you’ll never want the canned stuff again! You’ve gotta try this sauce, Ashley!
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes that way for the sauce! Simplifies the whole process!
Sarah says
It’s totally the simplest way ever! Thanks Kelly. 🙂
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
I can only imagine how good this sauce tastes with those gorgeous roasted tomatoes!
Sarah says
Seriously the most flavorful tomato sauce I’ve ever had! 😉 Thanks Christin!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
Ummm, WOW! Love this tomato sauce. Thank you for not giving up on summer yet. Too many people already have.
Sarah says
Right?? Pumpkin/apple season starts in September is what I always thought?! There’s still waaaay too many summery things left to try. 😉
Kathryn Mader says
This deserves a big fat, OH MY GOODNESS!
Sarah says
You’re too sweet, Kathryn! 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
I am not ready to let go of summer flavors yet either. This sauce looks gorgeous, Sarah! Love that you roasted the tomatoes with all the fresh herbs! So flavorful and delicious! <3
Sarah says
Thanks girlie! You so need to try this sauce with the last of those summer tomatoes!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
This looks awesome!! I love that you roasted the tomatoes first– I bet that gives the sauce SUCH great flavor!! Yum yum!!
Sarah says
Totally the biggest, boldest flavors! The long roast-time is so worth it! 😉
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Your timing for this couldn’t be better. I currently have like 3 pounds of garden tomatoes sitting on my counter waiting to be used. This will be perfect! I can imagine it tastes fresh as can be : )
Sarah says
Yea! Gotta love perfect timing like that. 😉 Do it, girl! xoxo
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says
I am convinced that you can make any recipe look pretty Sarah! I love this sauce!! And as much as i love summer I am so excited for pumpkin and apple!!
Sarah says
You’re seriously the sweetest, Mariah! Thanks for the kind words, girlie! xoxo
Katalina @ Peas & Peonies says
wow the basil, the garlic, I need these tomatoes in my life, so perfect!
Sarah says
You so do! 😉 Thanks Katalina!
Danielle says
I can’t wait to make pumpkin everything! But until then I’m still loving summer recipes and this tomato sauce looks so delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks girl! You totally need to make the most of these last summer days and make this sauce! 😉
Deb says
Could This be proCeased via waterbath or Pressure canHer?
Sarah says
I am unsure of whether you could or not, since I’ve never tried it myself before. You can certainly try, though!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
What awesome flavors Sarah! Love that you roasted the tomatoes! <3
Sarah says
Thanks Manali! Roasting really brings out the best flavors of the tomatoes!
Melanie @ Gather for Bread says
This s looks so amazing! My tomatoes are slowly fading but I’m enjoying the last of them while I can.
Sarah says
My tomatoes are starting to fizzle out too, Melanie! I need to make another batch of this sauce before they’re gone completely!