Easy Marinara Sauce with Oven Roasted Tomatoes

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.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: sauce

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: copycat, easy meals, easy recipe, sauce recipe

Servings: cups

Calories: 120kcal

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Kitchen Essentials

Half Sheet Pan

food storage jars

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

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Notes

Using cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes make this recipe especially easy because they can go straight onto the sheet pan without chopping.

Tomatoes: The amount of sauce can vary slightly depending on the variety of tomatoes and how much they reduce during roasting.

If you prefer a thinner sauce roast for less time. For a heartier thicker sauce roast the tomatoes longer.

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