When the tomatoes are ripe it’s the perfect time to make this marinara sauce. Rather than standing over a pot stirring sauce for hours, the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and herbs are roasted together on a sheet pan until they are tender, slightly browned, and full of rich flavor.
I especially like making this when the garden is producing tomatoes faster than we can eat them. It is a simple, hands-off recipe that turns fresh tomatoes into a flavorful sauce for pasta, pizza, lasagna, and so many other meals.
Why We Love This Roasted Tomato Marinara
- Roasting adds so much flavor. The tomatoes caramelize slightly as they roast, giving the sauce a deeper, richer taste.
- It is an easy way to use fresh tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes work beautifully, but larger garden tomatoes are wonderful too.
- Most of the cooking is hands-off. Once everything is on the sheet pan, the oven does the work.
- The garlic and herbs roast right along with the tomatoes. There is no need to sauté everything separately.
- It makes a generous batch. One sheet pan makes about 5 cups of sauce, giving you plenty for several meals.
- It freezes well. Freeze in convenient portions so you have homemade marinara ready for another meal.
What Kind of Tomatoes Work Best?
Pretty much any ripe tomatoes will work for this sauce. I have made it with larger garden tomatoes as well as cherry tomatoes.
If using larger tomatoes, quarter them before adding them to the sheet pan. Cherry tomatoes can be left whole. Keep in mind that tomatoes contain different amounts of water, so the final amount of sauce can vary.
Easy Marinara Sauce with Oven Roasted Tomatoes
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 10 Cups Tomatoes about 4 pounds
- 1 Medium Onion
- 1 Medium Head Garlic
- ½ Cup Fresh Basil or 1–2 tablespoons dried basil
- ¼ Cup Fresh Oregano or 1–2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- If using cherry tomatoes, leave them whole. For larger tomatoes, quarter them. Quarter the onion and separate the garlic into individual cloves.10 Cups Tomatoes, 1 Medium Onion, 1 Medium Head Garlic
- Arrange on the sheet pan. Spread the tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, and oregano evenly over a half-sheet pan.½ Cup Fresh Basil, ¼ Cup Fresh Oregano
- Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, ½ Teaspoon Salt, ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- Roast for 30 minutes, checking after 25 minutes. The tomatoes should be significantly reduced and lightly browned, but not burned.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables and their juices to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, or pulse for a slightly chunky sauce.
- Serve warm with pasta, pizza, or your favorite recipe
Your Own Private Notes
Notes
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container and use within several days, or freeze in convenient portions for longer storage.Canning this Marinara Sauce
This sauce can be shelf stable when canned using proper safe canning procedures. Because this sauce has low-acid ingredients like onions, it requires pressure canning. Canning Safety Use commercially bottled lemon juice is preferred because it has a consistent acidity of about 5%, whereas fresh-squeezed lemon juice can vary and may not reliably lower the pH enough for safety. Citric acid is an alternative if you prefer, using ¼ teaspoon per pint or ½ teaspoon per quart. 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice should be added directly to each hot jar before filling with the tomato sauce. After adding the acid, ladle the hot sauce into the jars, leaving the 1-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids before processing. This ensures the acid is evenly distributed throughout the jar and maintains safety during the boiling water bath or pressure canning process. Always follow tested recipes and USDA guidelines to ensure consistent safety.Nutrition
Fresh or Dried Herbs
Fresh basil and oregano are wonderful when you have them available, especially when you’re working with garden tomatoes. However, dried herbs work just fine.
For this recipe, use either:
- ½ cup fresh basil or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried basil
- ¼ cup fresh oregano or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried oregano
You can also adjust the herbs to suit your taste.
Variations
This roasted tomato marinara is easy to adjust depending on what you have available and how you like your sauce.
- Add a little heat. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes before roasting for a mildly spicy marinara.
- Use different tomatoes. Mix cherry tomatoes with larger garden tomatoes or use whatever ripe tomatoes you have on hand.
- Add a few vegetables. Roasted bell pepper or a small amount of carrot can add another layer of flavor and natural sweetness.
- Add Additional Herbs. Add a little more basil or oregano, or include a small amount of fresh parsley.
- Make it creamier. Stir a little heavy cream into the finished sauce when reheating for a creamy tomato sauce.
- Add cheese. Parmesan or Romano cheese can be stirred into the finished sauce just before serving.
- Make it chunky. Instead of blending the roasted vegetables completely smooth, pulse them a few times in a food processor for a rustic, chunky sauce.
Ways to Use Roasted Tomato Marinara
Once you have a batch of homemade marinara sauce ready, there are plenty of ways to use it. I like having extra sauce in the freezer because it makes so many meals easier on busy days.
- Spaghetti and other pasta. Spoon it over spaghetti, penne, rotini, or your favorite pasta. Add cooked ground beef, Italian sausage, or meatballs for a hearty meal.
- Homemade pizza. Use the marinara as the sauce for homemade pizza. It works especially well with mozzarella, fresh basil, and your favorite toppings.
- Lasagna. Layer it between noodles, cheese, and your favorite lasagna filling for a homemade dinner.
- Meatballs. Serve meatballs simmered in the marinara over pasta, on toasted rolls, or simply with crusty bread for dipping.
- Stuffed shells. Spoon marinara into the baking dish and over the top of cheese-filled stuffed shells before baking.
- Baked pasta. Mix the sauce with cooked pasta, add cheese, and bake until hot and bubbly.
- Chicken or eggplant Parmesan. Use the roasted tomato sauce as the base for chicken Parmesan or eggplant Parmesan.
- Dipping sauce. Warm the marinara and serve it with breadsticks, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, or toasted bread.
- Italian-style sandwiches. Add a little marinara to meatball subs, Italian sausage sandwiches, or other toasted sandwiches.
- Soup. Add some marinara to a pot of broth and vegetables for a quick tomato-based soup. It is also a great starting point for a hearty minestrone.
- Eggs. Spoon warm marinara into a skillet and add eggs for a simple shakshuka-style breakfast or brunch.
- Freezer meals. Freeze the sauce in meal-sized portions so you can pull out exactly what you need for a quick dinner.
How to Store
Store the cooled marinara sauce in airtight containers in the refrigerator and use within several days.
For longer storage, freeze the sauce in freezer-safe containers or bags. Leave a little room for expansion if using containers.
Freezing in smaller portions makes it especially convenient to pull out just what you need for a meal.
Why roast the tomatoes instead of cooking them on the stove?
Roasting concentrates the tomatoes and gives them lightly caramelized edges. The heat also brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes while the garlic, onion, and herbs roast alongside them.
Homestead Kitchen Notes
This is one of those recipes that makes good use of what the garden gives you. Tomato season can feel like a race against time, especially when several plants are producing at once.
Roasting a large batch on a sheet pan is an easy way to turn those fresh tomatoes into something you can enjoy well beyond tomato season.
And there is something pretty satisfying about pulling homemade marinara from the freezer in the middle of winter and remembering those garden tomatoes from summer.
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Love this recipe for using garden fresh tomatoes.