Homemade Tomato Sauce (easy oven-roasted version)

One Sauce, Many Dishes – make this ultimate, versatile homemade tomato sauce recipe! Quick and easy prep, and let the oven do all the cooking. Simple, versatile, and delicious!

Whenever tomatoes go on sale, I would ALWAYS buy a big batch of it to make homemade tomato sauce! When you need a sauce that does it all, this homemade tomato sauce is your new best friend. The most obvious way of using this is in your favourite pasta dishes, but this tomato sauce, packed with flavour, is SO VERSATILE with so many dishes! Anything that uses tomatoes as its base will shine when you use this homemade pasta sauce.

This tomato sauce is more than your standard marinara. It’s a vibrant, flavour-packed sauce made with roasted cherry tomatoes. As a bonus, you can chuck in whatever leftover vegetables you have on hand, making this the most perfect recipe to use up your leftovers.

The prep work for this is minimal, yet the end results are sublime. The roasting process deepens the sweetness of the tomatoes while caramelizing the other veggies, making a rich, velvety sauce that you can blitz into smooth perfection. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal effort, you’ll have a sauce that works across multiple dishes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Versatile: Perfect for pasta, pizza sauce, with meatballs, shakshuka, stews, dips and beyond.
• Minimal Ingredients: Uses pantry staples and leftover vegetables.
• Roasted Flavor: Roasting the vegetables adds a depth of flavor you can’t get from stove-top sauces.
• Easy to Make: No need to watch over a simmering pot—just toss, roast, and blend!
• Customizable: Use up any vegetables you have in your fridge.
• Make-Ahead Friendly: It stores well and reheats beautifully.

Key Ingredients for Homemade Tomato Sauce

The beauty of this sauce is in its simplicity and minimal ingredients!

• Tomatoes: The star of the show, providing the base of the sauce. I used cherry tomatoes today, which work beautifully for their natural sweetness – but ANY tomatoes will do.

• Leftover Vegetables (optional): Think of this sauce as a fridge-clean-out opportunity. Add whatever veggies you have on hand—pumpkin, carrots, capsicums! It makes the sauce taste so unique but delicious each time! Keep the ratio for vegetables to 20% of the sauce, especially if you want the tomato to be a dominant flavour. Definitely an optional ingredient, omit for pure tomato flavours! Note that the colour of your sauce may differ according to the additional veggies added.

• Garlic and Onions: These aromatics give the sauce its savoury backbone! I add

• Olive Oil: For roasting, it helps soften the veggies and brings out their natural sweetness. Oils will also prevent the vegetables from drying out in the oven – an absolute no-no! Alternatively, you can use neutral-tasting oil.

• Salt and Pepper: Simple but essential seasonings to enhance all the flavors.

Equipment Needed to make Homemade Tomato Sauce

• Baking Trays/Dishes: I opt for a baking dish, with shallow walls. This will contain the juices for the tomatoes, and also make scooping out the tomatoes a lot easier without wasting any juice. Using a tray is still possible, a plus point is that you can spread your vegetables in a single layer for even baking without taking it out halfway to toss.

• Oven

• Blender: Any blender, immersion blender or food processor will work. Alternatively, you can use a potato masher, or even just your hands to mash the tomatoes to a more rustic consistency,

Key Steps to Making This Tomato Sauce

1. Preheat the Oven

• Before you do any prep work, turn on the oven.

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Prepare the Vegetables

• Wash the tomatoes. Option to do a saltwater soak.

• If using cherry tomatoes, there is no need to cut the tomatoes. If using larger tomatoes, cut them in halves or quarters.

• Chop the leftover vegetables into pieces that match the tomatoes.

• Peel onion and chop into halves or quarters. Peel garlic.

3. Season the Vegetables

• Place the tomatoes, leftover vegetables, garlic cloves, and chopped onion on a large baking dish or tray.

• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

• Toss everything together until evenly coated.

4. Roast

• Place the dish or tray in the oven.

• Roast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tomatoes are very soft and have released their juices, and the other vegetables are tender and caramelized.

• There is no need to spread the vegetables out in a single layer on the tray, but you can, if you have the space for it. If you did not spread the vegetables out, halfway through, run a spatula through the dish and mix to evenly combine. Continue to roast.

NOTES: Oven strength varies by brand and type. You may need to adjust the cook time or temperature accordingly. Do not overcook, and let the tomatoes dry out!

5. Blend

• Let the tomatoes cool slightly. There should be a lot of juices pooling at the bottom of the dish or tray. The juices are essential!

• Carefully transfer everything from the baking dish or tray into a blender. This is why I prefer using a baking dish! It’s a lot easier to scoop the tomatoes out with the juices without wasting any away.

• Blend to your desired consistency; blitz to a smooth puree, or pulse for chunks.

• Tomatoes are VERY JUICY, but if you feel like the sauce is not blending as smoothly, gradually add water until it blends smoothly.

• Alternatively, you can also work the tomatoes with a masher or your hands to get a rough paste for a rustic sauce.

5. Sauce is Ready for Use

• Use the sauce immediately, or let it cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

• Alternatively, freeze the sauce in portions for up to three months.

How to Serve This Sauce

ANY recipes that uses tomatoes as a base (tomato sauce, canned tomatoes), will benefit from this tomato sauce!

• With Pasta: Toss the sauce with your favorite pasta for a simple yet flavorful dinner.

• For Shakshuka: Simmer the sauce in a skillet and poach eggs directly in it for a quick shakshuka.

• Stewed with Chicken or Meat: My number one hack to flavourful Ayam Masak Merah or Tomato Chicken Stew in record time is this tomato sauce! Use this sauce as a base to chicken or meat stews for a hearty and delicious meal in a flash.

• As a Pizza Base: Spread it on pizza dough for a homemade pizza that’s bursting with flavor.

• As a dipping sauce

Tips and Tricks

• Choose Your Tomatoes Wisely: While cherry tomatoes are sweet and perfect for this sauce, larger tomatoes work just as well. Just be sure to cut them into even pieces before roasting.

• Roasting is Key: Roasting the vegetables adds an extra layer of flavor, so don’t skip this step! The longer roast time helps concentrate the natural sugars in the veggies.

• Adjust Consistency: If your sauce is too thick, thin it out with a splash of vegetable broth or water. If it’s too thin, let it simmer on the stovetop until it thickens to your liking.

Storing and Reheating Instructions

Fridge

Store your tomato sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. It’s perfect for meal prep and quick weeknight dinners!

Freezer

You can also freeze the sauce for up to three months. Portion it out into smaller containers or freezer bags for easy use. Just make sure to let it cool completely before freezing.

Reheating

Reheat your sauce on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You can also reheat in the microwave. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

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