Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
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Whip up your own delicious roasted cherry tomato sauce in just minutes with only a handful of simple ingredients! When you roast fresh cherry tomatoes in the oven, they caramelize and transform into a luscious, flavorful sauce that’s sure to elevate any dish. It’s all about that burst of flavor! Perfect for pasta, pizza, or even as a dip, this sauce is not only easy to make but also a wonderful way to celebrate the fresh taste of summer.
Simple ingredients deserve a straightforward approach, and roasting cherry tomatoes with fresh herbs, garlic, shallot, high-quality olive oil, and a sprinkle of seasonings is as uncomplicated as it gets. The outcome is nothing short of amazing, and it’s a fantastic way to make the most of my tomato harvests.
While this dish can be enjoyed year-round, I highly recommend savoring it during the summer months when cherry tomatoes are at their peak. There’s something truly special about using homegrown garden tomatoes. If you’re not growing your own, seek out locally sourced tomatoes at a farmer’s market or your favorite grocery store.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use fresh summer-ripened tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Shallots: You may also use yellow or red onions.
- Garlic: Fresh whole cloves that are sliced in half taste the best in this recipe.
- Thyme: Fresh thyme is what we use, but dried thyme will also work.
- Basil: Fresh or dried basil will work for this recipe.
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Combine the tomatoes, shallots, garlic, oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a rimmed baking dish.
- Roast for 45 minutes until the tomatoes burst and start to look caramelized.
- Add the ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
- Transfer the sauce to a saucepan with fresh basil and simmer for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Serve over your favorite noodles, as a pizza sauce, or as a dip for breadsticks.
Tips For Success
- Fresh tomatoes taste the best with this recipe. And they are even better during the summer when in season!
- You can easily double this recipe to make a larger batch of sauce!
- If you don’t have a blender or food processor, you can use an immersion blender. Whatever works best for you works for this recipe.
- They say to use non-reactive pans and utensils since the acid in the tomatoes can make the sauce taste metallic. I used a white porcelain baking dish and plated aluminum with this recipe but found no difference in taste.
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Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 2 large shallots, peeled and sliced into wedges
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced in half
- 7 thyme sprigs
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- On a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, add the cherry tomatoes in a single layer along with the shallots, garlic, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast uncovered until bubbly and slightly caramelized, about 35-45 minutes.
- Remove the baking pan from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs.
- Carefully transfer the oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and all the juice to a blender. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Pour the sauce into a small saucepan and add the basil. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
- Use right away or transfer the sauce to an airtight container.
Notes
- The sauce will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.