Quick Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Quick and simple, homemade roasted cherry tomato sauce – packed with flavor from fresh cherry tomatoes that caramelize and become wonderfully jammy after a quick stint in the oven. This even more delicious take on traditional tomato sauce is made with simple ingredients like garlic, olive oil, basil, and thyme, and you’ll want to make batches all Summer long!
We inherited several tomato plants upon moving into our new house. The sprawling, sagging beauties, top-heavy under the weight of their fruit, have happily delivered a generous yield over the last few weeks, and I’ve been harvesting the delicious house-warming presents with abandon.
The collection of mystery varieties includes about half cherry tomatoes, and I’ve taken to calling the entire lot of them simply Parker tomatoes (after the previous owners). As the plants are still dotted with dozens of yellow flowers – i.e. future tomato babies – and given that it’s already September (!), I harvested the remaining ripe cherries to make a roasted tomato sauce, thus preserving some homegrown tomato goodness for the coming months.
Why you’ll love this roasted cherry tomato sauce
Despite the natural sweetness of perfectly ripe summer tomatoes, a quick roasting still enhances and intensifies their flavor, and – along with some onion, garlic and fresh herbs – transforms the raw tomatoes into a fantastically rich and flavorful sauce. It’s the sort of sauce you’ll be happy to have on hand to brighten up a chilly day in the next couple of months, and totally worth the (minimal) hands-on effort now.
A couple of quick notes: I threw in some yellow and orange cherry tomatoes from the farmers market in addition to our red garden cherries – thus the lighter, orange-y color – but you can use any kind of cherry/grape/small tomato you’ve got. The sweeter the better.
Also, I prepared this roasted cherry tomato sauce to be stored in the fridge or freezer, but if you’re feeling ambitious, and want to tackle shelf-stable canning, Annalise has a great tutorial (and marinara sauce recipe), here. Happy cooking!!
Looking for more easy summer favorites? Try these next:
- Easy slow roasted cherry tomatoes
- Summer pasta with burst cherry tomatoes
- Summer squash grain salad with feta
- Easy pork chops with peaches
- A simple peach galette
If you make this roasted cherry tomato sauce be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura
PrintQuick Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: About 4 pints/2 quarts 1x
- Category: Sauce, Dinner
- Method: Roasted, Blended
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Quick and simple, homemade roasted cherry tomato sauce – packed with flavor from fresh cherry tomatoes that caramelize and become wonderfully jammy after a quick stint in the oven. This even more delicious take on traditional tomato sauce is made with simple ingredients like garlic, olive oil, basil, and thyme, and you’ll want to make batches all Summer long!
Ingredients
- 2–3 lbs cherry tomatoes, stems removed
- 1/4 cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for roasting
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
- small handful of fresh basil leaves
- 3–4 sprigs, fresh thyme, stems removed
- kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Toss the tomatoes with just enough olive oil to lightly coat, then spread out in an even layer onto a rimmed sheet pan or large baking dish. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and are just beginning to shrivel. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add the 1/4 cup of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Heat over medium-heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to sweat and soften, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another few minutes until the garlic is golden.
- Add the roasted tomatoes (including all of the cooking liquid in the pan), and the herbs, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Turn the heat down to low, partially cover the pot with the lid (leaving about a 1-inch gap), and let simmer for at least 25 minutes – and up to an hour – stirring infrequently as the sauce cooks.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and let cool for 10-15 minutes. (Carefully!) Transfer the sauce to a blender (or use an immersion blender), and blend until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Pour the sauce into pint-size canning jars or other air-tight containers.
- Will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. Enjoy!!
Keywords: roasted tomatoes, cherry tomato sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, summer sauce, freezer tomato sauce, easy tomato sauce, herb tomato,
Way too many seeds. I should have followed my instincts and squeezed the cherries before roasting, but it was the quickness of the prep that appealed to me. I would not make this again as written. This has a nice, traditional flavor profile, but the over-abundance of seeds makes it bitter.
I’ve been using this recipe for several years, and I recommend it to my friends!! Super easy and super tasty! Using an immersion blender is the way to go!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Meisha!! So thrilled it’s become a favorite 🙂
I have such a surplus of cherry tomatoes this year and luckily found this recipe! I roasted the tomatoes, then added them to the sauteed onions and garlic and added the basil and thyme. Everything was from my garden! I pureed it in my food processor and added a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper and WOW! Amazing!! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve already shared it with others and will be making this again and again!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Michelle! So happy you love this one too 🙂
This was great! It’s the first from scratch and garden tomato sauce I’ve attempted. The directions are great, and it’s delicious. My non-cherry-tomato liking husband also loved the sauce. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Samantha!!
I added a tsp of sugar to mine, it was very acidic without it, other than that, it tastes good, nice and fresh
★★★★
Thanks, Rebecca!
I noticed the stems are not removed in the pic. Is it necessary to remive them or not?
Hi, Ann! Removed is best! 🙂
My tomatoes roasted without leaving any liquid, do I need to add something??
★★★★★
Hi Linda! I’m really surprised to hear that. There should be liquid released from the tomatoes while they cook, and they’ll end up bursting and kind of wrinkly, like the picture above. So lots of questions – Could the oven have inadvertently been set to a different temperature? Did you toss with olive oil before going in the oven? Did you keep the tomatoes whole? Do they seem dry inside too, or is there just not any extra liquid on the pan? There will be more olive oil added along with the onions/garlic after roasting, but you shouldn’t need to add anything else as the tomatoes make up the bulk of the sauce itself. Hope that helps and definitely reach out if you have more questions!
Wonderful recipe. I made this today using a couple of pounds of chocolate cherry tomatoes and a couple handfuls of basil from my garden. I roasted the tomatoes with garlic. Once the sauce cooked I threw it in my food processor for a bit, then stirred in some pasta shells and some salmon. SO delicious. Great way to use up extra tomatoes.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Rikkisha!! I’ve never thought to pair this sauce with salmon, but now I’m dying to try. So happy it was a hit 🙂
How long do I put these in a water bath? Pint jars.
Hi, Stephanie! I am not a shelf-stable canning expert, but lots of readers have successfully canned this sauce . I’m not sure how long the jars will need to boil, but this might be a good starting point: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/tomato_sauce.html
I would suggest using some kind of citric acid/lemon juice if you go that route just to be safe. This sauce also freezes wonderfully and you don’t need to make any changes to can it that way. Enjoy!!
This was delicious! Super easy!
Thank you for the tips to add sugar, it made it perfect!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Andrea!!
Amazing flavor. I used 2 quarts of grape tomatoes. I cooked 2 chopped onions & 1 chopped yellow pepper in the oven with tomatoes. I added garlic & herbs the last five minutes.
Blended with immersion blender. I had no skin or seeds when done blending. Incredible flavor, very different than other sauces I’ve made.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Doreen!! So happy to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Wow this sauce is so yummy!!! I have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes so this is great. Any advice for canning? Should I add lemon juice or anything else? Thanks! 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Jenn!! I’m not an expert on shelf-stable canning, but lots of readers have successfully canned this sauce. I would suggest using some kind of citric acid/lemon juice if you go that route just to be safe. This sauce also freezes wonderfully and you don’t need to make any changes to can it that way. I just use glass pint jars and it will keep for months. Enjoy!!
My sauce recipe is similar to yours. I was googling around trying to find someone who used cherry tomatoes to make sauce, instead of Romas. I tend to favor rustic sauces made with the entire tomato. However, there are a lot of seeds in cherry tomatoes. I didn’t strain them out. Maybe I should have? Is anyone really bothered by leaving the seeds in?
★★★★★
Hi, Susan! I don’t strain the seeds out (they don’t bother me, and this is a rustic sauce, I like the full flavor from everything). Some readers do, as you can see in the comments below, and if your tomatoes have a ton of seeds, or you prefer it that way, you can go that route. Enjoy!
Have you ever tried this with yellow cherry tomatoes?
Hi, Jamie! You can use any color of cherry tomatoes. Sun Golds are one of my favorite varieties for this sauce. Enjoy!!
Hi. Would this recipe be suitable to preserve using a water can/preserve method rather than freezing? If so, how long would you suggest you water can these for? Thanks
Hi, Peta! Yes, lots of readers have canned this sauce (you can scroll through to see some of the comments/advice). I’m not an expert on water canning, but do recommend adding an acid to be safe. You shouldn’t need to change anything else about the sauce. Enjoy!!
Thank you for the recipe. We had so many cherry tomatoes last year and people didn’t want the extras. I now plan to make sauce with them!
Thanks, Cathy! Enjoy!
Do you think this recipe would work well with grape tomatoes? After go ogling I found they have a tougher skin than cherry varieties and I’m slightly worried about them not blending up as smoothly?
Hi, Elissa! I have used mixes of different tomatoes, including grape tomatoes and haven’t had a problem. Thin skinned varieties are best, but if you have a good blender it shouldn’t be a problem either way. Some readers also strain the sauce too for even smoother sauce (but I don’t usually add that step). Enjoy!!
Didn’t yield as much as the recipe said – only got about 3 cups! Tastes good though and easy to do.
★★★
Thank you for this recipe! Super creamy restaurant quality sauce. And a great way to use up some wrinkly cherry tomatoes! I didn’t bother with the simmering. Once the garlic and onion were sautéed well, I added to the roasted tomatoes and blended right away. Tasted perfect in my opinion.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Vinita!! So happy to hear it was a hit 🙂
This recipe is as delicious as it is easy to make!
The only issue was I had a mishap with the immersion blender, but that was totally operator error…lol
It’s a simple sauce that packs major flavor and punches up a meal!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Tamra!!
OMG, this is divine. I’m kicking myself in the behind because I gave away most of my cherry tomatoes. I did add a bit of oregano and it tastes just like a rose sauce (without the dairy!). Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait until next summer to plant all cherry tomatoes.
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Annie!! Always a bit sad when homegrown tomato season ends 🙂
I had a ton of cherry tomatoes and didn’t know what to do with them. Came across this recipe and love, love, love it!! Very easy and delicous. It is great over spaghetti squash with parmesan cheese.
★★★★★
Thank you so much!! Sounds delish 🙂
this was SO simple, and SO delicious. I finished cooking my homemade meatballs in this sauce and felt like a total pro chef. thanks!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Chrissy!! That sounds amazing with the meatballs 🙂
This came out very good! I had one vine of cherry tomatoes and too many to know what to do with them. I doubled this recipe and used dry herbs instead of fresh because it was what I had on hand. I blended in a vitamix and the sauce came out creamy despite having no dairy. The fresh tomato really came through! It reminded me of La Madeleine Tomato Bisque in sauce form.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Christine!! This sauce can definitely become a soup, too! I just add some broth and/or cream 🙂
I made this with my cubic ton of cherry tomatoes (yep, over planted) and used my Vitamix to blend but it rolled the skins into these little prickly bundles that kinda ruined the texture for me. Anyone else have this issue? Is there an easy way to skin them or maybe strain them out? Thanks!
So I ended up just cooking the tomatoes down and peeling them when I made this again. It was a little time-consuming but I avoided the weird skin issue. Very good with that small change! Made several times now.
★★★★★
I actually like the weird skin issue! It taste great. I will probably, with one of the jar, add in some capers, black olives and canned tuna., a recipe from the south of Italy
★★★★★
Yum! Thank you, France!
Same question p
You can use a food mill and it will get rid of the seeds and skin and you will only have the pulp. You won’t need to use a blender because it is already smooth.
Thanks for the tip, Devra!!
Do you use the immersion blender on the herbs as well? Does it affect the red tomato color?
★★★★★
Hi, Alex! Yep, you’ll blend the entire sauce together if you want a smooth and creamy sauce. If you’d prefer not to, you can leave it as a chunky sauce. The color will lighten a bit and become a little more orange. Enjoy!
I am about to make this recipe but am confused by the photo you show with the stems on the tomatoes after they’re roasted??? Don’t you remove the stems prior to roasting?
★★★★★
Hi, Suzanne! Just kept the stems on here because it was prettier for the photo. As I note in the recipe, it’s best and easiest to remove them before roasting. You can keep them on but then it’s annoying to remove them after the fact to add them to the sauce. Enjoy!!