I have been making this roasted tomato pasta sauce for years. It is rich and chunky and one of the best tasting homemade spaghetti sauces I have ever tried.
The recipe is just full of flavor. The key ingredient to the taste and texture of the sauce is that I use roasted garden tomatoes.
I have a garden full of fresh ripe tomatoes that is producing well right now. I eaten a boatload of them and we still have them lined up waiting for a new recipe.
This homemade marinara sauce is the perfect way to use fresh tomatoes when you have more than you need for normal meals.
I have made this recipe with all types of tomatoes, from beefsteak tomatoes to patio tomatoes that are much smaller. It always turns out well.
I have discovered many recipes for homemade spaghetti sauce on the internet, but when I look at them, they ask for canned tomatoes. Sorry…but that is not my idea of home made.
I call that type of recipe “semi home made”, and while there is a place for this in the kitchen, for me, it doesn’t extend to sauces. I love to make my sauces from scratch.
You might think that this type of sauce will take hours and hours to prepare, but that’s not actually the case. Roasting the tomatoes is quick and easy in a hot oven and cooking the sauce can be done in about 15 minutes. Then the pasta sauce just simmers in the stock pot for 2 hours on the stove over a low heat while you get on with something else.
Make a big batch of this! The homemade spaghetti sauce gets better every time you reheat it!
[bctt tweet=”No need to go to the store to buy pasta sauce! Make your own with fresh garden tomatoes that are roasted in the oven. Get the recipe on The Gardening Cook. 🍅🍅🍅” username=”agardeningcook”]
How to make a fresh tomato sauce for pasta
My raised garden bed is producing ripe tomatoes now and they are perfect for using in this recipe. Any type of homegrown tomatoes work well.
If you don’t grow your own tomatoes, large vine ripened grocery store tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes also work well.
Originally I made a beefsteak tomato sauce. Beefsteak tomatoes are super big and you only need 6 of them to make the sauce.
Today I made the sauce using patio tomatoes, since that it what I am growing this year. I used 24 small to medium sized ones to make a batch of sauce.
Roasting the tomatoes is the reason that this sauce has so much flavor. Home grown tomatoes are sweet on their own, but when you roast them, it brings that natural sweetness to a new level that is amazing.
The roasted tomatoes give this sauce a flavorful base, but it is enhanced by the use of a generous helping of fresh herbs. I used fresh basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano.
These fresh herbs gives the tomatoes a lovely Mediterranean flavor that goes well with any protein.
My recipe also calls for a splash of red wine but this is totally optional and the sauce tastes wonderful without it.
The version of home made marinara sauce is my most often viewed recipe on the site for a very good reason. It tastes amazing!
The recipe is vegan, and gluten free and fits into a Paleo and Whole 30 diet plan.
Roasting the tomatoes only takes about 10 minutes. During that time, you can cook the onions, fresh herbs and garlic in olive oil so that they are ready to go into the sauce with the tomatoes.
I added a few tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken the sauce.
From that point, it’s just a matter of letting the sauce gently simmer for a few hours.
Variations on the basic roasted tomato pasta sauce
Once you have this basic marinara sauce made, the sky is the limit as to what you can add to change it up for a new taste.
Every time I make this sauce, I tinker with it. Sometimes I am more in a Meatless Monday mood, and I turn it into a vegetarian style dish with mushrooms and fresh herbs from my garden. Check out my mushroom marinara sauce here.
Other times I get in a spicy Italian mood and my recipe for Italian sausages and noodles recipe hits the table.
Our family loves pork, as well as ground beef. When I am in the mood for comfort food, this roasted tomato sauce for pasta gets a heaping addition of both beef and pork for a meaty homemade spaghetti sauce recipe that is out of this world.
Add some corn kernels, and a jalapeno chili pepper for a Mexican flavor. The sauce is versatile for all types of flavors.
With my basic homemade marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes as a base, your next spaghetti night will be a huge hit. You will never buy store bought pasta sauce again!
This recipe freezes well too. I just put the roasted tomato sauce into wide mouth mason jars and freeze it. They take the cold of a freezer well and the sauce is just as good when thawed as when I first make it.
Pin this post for my roasted tomato pasta sauce recipe
Would you like a reminder of this post for making a tomato sauce with fresh roasted tomatoes? Just pin this image to one of your cooking boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Admin note: this post for roasted tomato sauce recipe first appeared on the blog in July of 2013. I have updated the post to add all new photos, and a video for you to enjoy.
Homemade Pasta Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes
This recipe for fresh tomato pasta sauce beats any bottled sauce hands down. It is made with freshly roasted tomatoes for a full bodied flavor that is amazing.
Ingredients
- 24 patio tomatoes or 6 medium sized fresh beefsteak tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of good quality dry red wine (optional)
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
- 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Cut the tomatoes into half and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly and use tongs to peel the outside skins. (Mine came right off with a pair of tongs quite easily.)
- Crush the tomatoes well. (I use my hands but you can use a potato masher or whatever you like.)
- While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions until translucent – about 5 minutes. Add the diced garlic and cook another minute.
- Chop all the herbs together. Pour the wine and stock into the onion mixture, still well and add the spices. Cook over medium heat until the liquid has cooked down to about half.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, making sure that any really big chunks are chopped up.
- Add the tomato paste and stir to blend well.
- Simmer over a low heat for about 2 hours. Serve with pasta or use in any dish that asks for tomato sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 11g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.
73 responses to “Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce – How to Make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce”
I don’t use or drink wine so what is a good wine?
Chianti tastes WONDERFUL in Marinara sauce!
Hi Lora,
I used chardonnay for this recipe. It is fairly dry. The alcohol evaporates during cooking leaving just the flavor.
Any white wine will do. Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio would all give a similar flavor to the sauce.
Carol
Do you remove the seeds? Any good tips on a quick and easy way to remove seeds?
I did not remove the seeds nor were they noticeable in the sauce.
The only way I can think to do it would be to strain the sauce afterwards, or to cut out the seeds before roasting.
Carol
I just finished making this marinara sauce with our fresh tomatoes, basil and spicy jalepeno’s that I added because we have too many and I wanted to use them from our garden. It is the best recipe I have ever tried! Thank you so much!! I am utterly impressed!
Hi Liz….nothing like home made is there? I’m glad you liked it. Carol
I would like to make a large batch to can…have you ever cooked it in the crock pot instead of the stove top? Any suggestions for canning?
I don’t can at all, so I can’t help you there. But many recipes are easily adapted to a crock pot. I have not done this one but if I did, I’d up the spices a bit and cook it for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 on low.
Carol
I’m looking to do the same thing with about 30 cups of tomato purée from garden fresh tomatoes. I guess I’ll improvise with this recipe. Have you found anything else?
Not sure what you mean by “anything else”?
Carol
Do you cover while simmering for two hours? First timer making marinara here!!!! 😉
Hi Angie,
You can do it both ways. Normally, I turn it very low and cover. If it is too thin, I cook it uncovered so that it reduces and thickens.
Carol
Awesome!!! Thanks! I’m very much looking forward to it!
Hey! Can i leave the white wine out? Will it drastically alter the taste? Any substitute?
You can always omit wine in a recipe and substitute chicken broth or beef broth, but it does affect the taste considerably.
Carol
I had some rotini but no sauce at home and didn’t want to run to the store. I DID have 2 1/2 tomatoes on the vine, some fresh basil, a bit of onion and plenty of garlic. I used your recipe as a base for making a small batch of marinara. I left out the wine (I don’t drink and so I never have it on hand) but roasted two small red peppers to throw in for fun. It’s simmering now and I’m so looking forward to having it with my pasta!
Thanks for sharing your recipe and showing me a way to make a sauce that didn’t start with canned tomatoes.
My pleasure Mary. This is the most shared recipe on my site. Hope you like it!
Carol
Does it work freezing the sauce or canning it?
I have not tried this one but have successfully canned other sauces and frozen them so it should work fine.
Carol
We had a couple dozen just picked tomatoes and found your recipe and thought I would give it a try. Turned out great. Used a cup of 2 Buck-Chuck Cab which was opened yesterday and then added some ground turkey which was browned up with cumin/sage/cracked red pepper. Turned out great!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Bert. This is my most popular recipe by far.
Carol
How many servings does this make?
I got the equivalent of two retail sized jars of sauce out of the recipe.
Carol
[…] when it comes to marinara sauce unless you’re picking them off the vine it may be better to use a canned or jarred tomato. Canned San Marzano and Cento Passata in glass jars are highly recommended brands of store-bought […]
can marinara be frozen?
Hi Misty. Yes, it can. I freeze sauces all the time. Carol
Do you know about how many pounds of tomatoes? I have some roma tomatoes I want to use and am thinking I will need more since they are smaller than beefsteak. Thanks.
HI Brandy, I did not weigh them when I wrote the article and made the recipe. My guess is that it would be about 2 pounds perhaps. Carol
Hi Carol,
This sounds amazing and I’ve always wanted to make homemade marinara. My husband doesn’t like chunks of tomato in a marinara. Does this cook down to be smooth? Would it hurt or change the flavor to process the roasted tomatoes or the sauce after it is complete? Thanks so much!
Hi Dena. It is not exactly smooth but not really chunky either. You could blend it to make it smoother and it would be just fine. Carol
Can i use white cooking wine in exchange for the wine or will it make a difference?
Hi Sharon. The red wine gives the sauce a rich flavor but I have often cooked with white wine too and it’s just a slightly milder taste. It will be fine. I do recommend using drinking wine rather than cooking wine though for the best flavor. Carol
Sharon , cooking wine is very salty, alcohol cooks out of drinking wine pretty fast.
You can also turn the tomatoes the other way with seeds up and brush with olive oil and salt and turn your oven on the lowest temperature, and in about 9 hrs you will have delicious dried tomatoes. I use them in a dish with chicken or shrimp or plain, with garlic ,olive oil sun (oven) dried tomatoes with broccoli and whole wheat angel hair pasta.
Hi Harry. That sounds wonderful. Must try it soon. Carol
I failed to mention that when I make the oven dried tomatoes, i line my sheet pans with foil, then put parchment paper over that as you don’t want the acid in the tomatoes reacting with the pan.
Hi Carol!
I’m not the best cook, so please excuse my ignorance, but I have some questions and f/u questions to comments above:
1. How do you freeze sauces like this?
2. I’m going to use the crockpot (I love that thing!)…how much is “up the spices a bit?”
3. I have these varieties of tomatoes out back: a lg. heirloom, med. heirloom, early girl, and “sugar sweet” cherry
How many should I use? Which ones should I use? Could I do a mix of all the varieties?
4. One of the above ladies said she added green chilies…I have LOTS of “much nacho” variety and don’t know
how and how many to add? I’d like to use them, but I’m nervous about ruining your recipe. Anyone give me SPECIFICS on using them with this recipe and the crockpot? Seeded, chopped, whole…What? I want the flavor with mild to medium “heat.”
I’m really concerned about getting the quantity right because that matters to the “spice ratio,” right?
I really wasn’t kidding when I said I’m not the best cook! Though I recently tried “America’s Test Kitchen, Slow Cooker Revolution” recipe for “Farm Stand Tomato Sauce.” It was flavorful, but a little plain. I’m really eager to try your variety with the tomatoes roasted, etc.!
Hi Marlee.
You can just dump it in zip lock gallon freezer safe bags. I’ve also frozen it in mason jars. For the crock pot, I normally double the spices. It really is hard to say how many tomatoes. My guess is that it would be about 2-3 pounds. Just depends on the size of them. I’ve never made it with chili peppers since I like a savory marinara sauce, so I can’t advise you on that.
You really will love the flavor of this one. It is super good. Carol
I failed to mention that when I make the oven dried tomatoes, i line my sheet pans with foil, then put parchment paper over that as you don’t want the acid in the tomatoes reacting with the pan.I also use a paper towel and a wooden spoon to blot the tomatoes several times to remove excess moisture.
I made the sauce today, I didn’t peal the tomatoes after roasting, I ran them through my food mill with the largest holes, when the sauce was done I rand it through the smaller holes and it seemed to work OK.
Good to know Harry. I find it easy to peel mine after roasting but glad to know the food mill worked. Carol
just make sure to cook before freezing!
Just make sure to *cool* before freezing.
Wow, this looks delicious! I can’t get (and haven’t grown) any of the fresh herbs. except for parsley, but do have dried herbs. Would you recommend substituting a tablespoon of fresh herbs with a teaspoon of dried? How much dried thyme would you recommend instead of the fresh sprigs? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Harris. You will love the marinara sauce. I’ve made it with both dried herbs and also fresh. Both taste nice. Just use 1/3 of any measurements for the fresh to subsitute dry, so a tsp instead of a tablespoon of oregano and parsley and 2/3 tsp of basil. For the thyme, I’d use 1/2 tsp. I never measure my spices and you could use more. (I just go by the way it looks in my hand when I pour it out but these measurements should do fine.) Carol
This sauce turned out beautifully with your recommendations, thanks Carol!
Esmé
So glad the marinara sauce worked out well for you, Esmé. Carol
Someone wanted to know if there was a substitute for the wine. I made this yesterday using about 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette and a 1/2 cup water. It was wonderful! Thanks!
Thanks for the tip Susan! Carol
I have been looking for a homemade, fresh tomato marinara. Most are too bland, so I was excited to see one with fresh herbs. I have a bumper crop of tomatoes of all varieties, both cherry and traditional, so will try a mixture of what I have. I’ll report back with how many pounds I use and the results. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I made gazpacho using the mixture of tomatoes I have, and it was amazing! I have Sungold, Oregon, Brandywine, Red Grape, Yellow Pear, Black Cherry, and Sweet 100s. The different varieties added such an interesting flavor profile.
Hi Jackie. It sounds as though you have been busy growing this year. What a bumper crop! Carol
As promised, I’m reporting back on the marinara I made with the variety of tomatoes I had from my garden. It is amazing! So very flavorful! For the cherry tomatoes, I used a food mill to remove the skin. That was much easier than trying to hand peel the large number of cherry tomatoes I had, although it did make that part of the sauce very smooth. However, for the regular-sized tomatoes I just peeled them by hand and crushed them as per the recipe instructions, which added the chunkiness to the sauce that I wanted. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi Jackie Thanks so much for getting back with your results. I am really glad it worked out well for you. There is nothing quite like a home made sauce, especially when compared to store bought is there? Carol
I’m making this now. I had an open bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon so red wine it is…Can’t wait to see what my husband thinks! It smells fantastic!
HI Sandra. Let me know how he likes it. My husband loves this recipe. Carol
[…] Homemade Marinara Sauce with Freshly Roasted Tomatoes – This recipe for homemade marinara sauce is delicious, uses home grown tomatoes and has a splash of wine as well as freshly cut herbs. What could be better? […]
[…] Homemade Marinara Sauce with Freshly Roasted Tomatoes – This recipe for homemade marinara sauce is delicious, uses home grown tomatoes and has a splash of wine as well as freshly cut herbs. What could be better? […]
Would chicken stock work in place of beef? Anyone tried that?
I’ve used both and they work fine.
@Carol Speake, how about vegetable stock? I’m vegetarian and would love to know if you’ve tried your recipe with veggie stock and how it turned out. Thanks!
HI Mary, I haven’t tried it that way specifically for this recipe, but I do find there are just minor differences in taste when swapping out the stock. The main flavor of the sauce comes from the roasted tomatoes.
@Carol Speake, you’re so kind. Thanks for getting back to me.
Hi! I am going to make this today. You said red wine in your post, but wrote white wine on the recipe card. Did I miss something? I may have to open both, and drink one! haha~
I’ve made it with both and they work fine. I’ll fix the typo. Thanks for alerting me!
Can you jar and freeze this recipe?
Yes I have done this many times.
Do you boil to remove skin of tomatoes beforehand?
no, the skins come off easily after roasting so there is no need to boil them.
How much does this recipe make? Taste delicious. I cut recipe in half to try and used 12 tomatoes but only got 2 medium mason jars ☹️
That sounds about right. The recipe is not a batch recipe but can be doubled or tripled for more volume.
I have some roasted tomatoes that I froze. Could I use them in this sauce?
HI Debbie. I have not tried to do this, but think they would work. The sauce might be a bit more watery though. Carol