The Best Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce (Freeze or Can)
Tomatoes. Olive oil. Salt. Pepper. No measurements. It really can't get much more simple than that! Despite the short ingredient list, this roasted tomato sauce is FAR from short in flavor! Enjoy this rich, thick, sweet sauce now, or easily preserve it by freezing or canning.
Equipment
- Roasting pan or baking sheets
- Large pot
- Immersion blender, or classic blender
- Jars for storage (wide-mouth for freezing)
Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes, of any kind
- Sea salt, for sprinkling to taste
- Black pepper, for sprinkling to taste
- Olive oil, light drizzle (do not use if canning)
- Bottled lemon juice or citric acid (if canning)
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes into quarters, halves, or leave smaller tomatoes whole and lay out onto baking sheets skin side down. (Lining baking sheets with parchment paper helps reduce a messy clean-up later!)
- Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Do NOT use oil if intending to hot bath can the sauce.
- Roast the tomatoes in an oven pre-heated to 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes - until they develop a brown tinge. If using multiple pans, it may take longer (up to an hour). Rotate trays halfway through to promote even roasting.
- Optional: If you have more tomatoes than will fit in your oven, cut up and lightly simmer the remaining tomatoes in a pot for the entire time the roasted tomatoes are in the oven. Choose a pot that is large enough to accommodate the stewed and roasted tomatoes together, once they are added after roasting.
- Once the tomatoes are finished roasting, carefully transfer them to a large pot on the stovetop (combine with the optional stewed tomatoes). Blend with immersion blender directly in the pot, or add mixture to a classic blender in batches, and blend until creamy and smooth.
- If needed, simmer the sauce to further reduce until it reaches your desired thickness.
- To freeze the sauce, remove from heat and let it cool a bit before transferring into freezer-safe containers of choice. Leave 1/2" to 1" head room for expansion.
- IMPORTANT: To hot-bath can the sauce, ladle the hot sauce into hot sterilized canning jars, and then add and thoroughly stir in either 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 tsp of citric acid per quart jar. For pint jars, mix in 1 Tbsp lemon juice or 1/4 tsp citric acid to each. Leave 1/2-inch of head room. Process following the canning times based on jar size and elevation in the chart below.
- Storage and Shelf Life: Store the canned, sealed jars of tomato sauce in a cool dark location – such as a pantry, cellar, or kitchen cabinets. For the best quality, use within one year. Frozen roasted tomato sauce will also stay good in the freezer for a year or longer, though the quality will start to degrade with time. Once open, store in the refrigerator and use within one week.
Notes
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Processing Time (minutes) for Canning Tomato Sauce
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Boiling Water Bath at Altitudes Of:
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Pints
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Quarts
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0-3,000 ft.
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40
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45
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3,001-6,000 ft
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45
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50
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6,001-8,000 ft
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50
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55
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8,001-10,000 ft
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55
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60
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Pressure Canner*
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15
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15
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