Cherry Tomato Sauce
Cherry Tomato Sauce is a simple oven-roasted, blend-and-serve recipe made with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil for a rich, creamy sauce with no added cream.
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My cherry tomato plants don’t ease into peak season, they go absolutely gangbusters. I get two pints one day, wait a day, and get another two pints with no signs of slowing down. This oven-roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce is the solution to using up my peak season harvest. It works well with store-bought cherry tomatoes, too.
This simple roast-and-blend method let’s the oven concentrate all of the sweetness while the onion and garlic soften and char alongside it. Once everything comes together in the blender with fresh basil, you get a sauce that’s rich and creamy without a drop of cream in it. The flavor is as real as it gets. That’s why I make this year after year.
I like to keep a jar in the fridge for the week ahead, but the real payoff is the freezer batch. Portioned into silicone molds, it thaws fast and turns a weeknight bowl of pasta into something that tastes like summer, even in the middle of winter.
A few notes from my kitchen before you get started:
- Use cherry or grape tomatoes for this recipe. Their skins are thin and their sugars are concentrated, so they break down and caramelize more quickly in the oven. That means no peeling, seeding, or cutting. Larger tomatoes require more prep work and time to break down in this way.
- Don’t skip the rest time. Let the roasted veggies sit on your stovetop for at least 5 minutes after roasting. It will help things concentrate and cool down the hot liquid, which easily can splatter during the transfer to a blender.
- Blend in batches if needed. A standard blender can handle a single batch in one go, but if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, work in batches rather than forcing it all in the blender at once. That will also ensure you get a smoother finish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This sauce comes together with a short ingredient list. You can find the full list with exact measurements is in the recipe card below.
You only need cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, and a few pantry staples like thyme, salt, and pepper. Fresh basil and tomato paste, which is optional, are used to bring it all together.
Whether your tomatoes are coming from your own garden, a farmers market haul, or the grocery store, this recipe is a terrific way to let them shine.
How to Make Cherry Tomato Sauce
This is a simple roast-and-blend method meant to be mostly hands-off. Full step-by-step directions with exact timing are in the recipe card below. Here’s a brief overview.
Toss the cherry tomatoes, red onion, and garlic with olive oil and seasonings right in the baking dish, then roast until everything is jammy and just starting to char.
Let the roasted vegetables rest for a few minutes, then transfer everything to a blender. Add the fresh basil, along with a spoonful of tomato paste if you’re using it, and blend until smooth.
Serving Suggestions & Storage
The simplest way to enjoy this sauce is tossed with pasta for a dish like my Spaghetti and Meatless Meatballs. For breakfast or brunch, stir it into a shakshuka in place of the usual crushed tomato base for a faster, brighter version of the classic. The sauce is so delicious by itself, it makes a great dipping sauce for a batch of garlic breadsticks.
I first developed this recipe to use up the excess cherry tomatoes from my garden and to savor them throughout the winter without canning. Here’s how I store it: cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, bring the sauce to room temperature, transfer to silicone molds, and freeze for up to 4 months.
Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pints 4 cups cherry tomatoes, rinsed
- ½ red onion, thick sliced
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, optional, for deeper flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper to a large baking dish (a 9-inch by 13-inch ceramic dish works well). Toss to coat.
- Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and everything just starts to char.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer everything to a blender. Add the fresh basil and tomato paste, if using. Blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve warm, or cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, bring to room temperature, transfer to silicone molds, and freeze for up to 4 months.
Notes
- The tomato paste is optional, though it adds a deeper, more concentrated tomato flavor. It blends in smoothly alongside the roasted vegetables and basil, so there’s no extra cook step required.
- For a thicker sauce, transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Garden-grown, store-bought, or farmers market cherry tomatoes all work well in this recipe.
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