Roasted Tomato Sauce

This is why I love northern California…even though it is snowing and raining throughout most of the country, I’m still getting delicious, ripe tomatoes in my CSA box like it’s the middle of summer! The beauties I got this week were so ripe that I decided to turn them into tomato sauce before they spoiled. The simple step of slow roasting the tomatoes beforehand helps caramelize their natural sugars – eliminating the need to add sweet ingredients like carrots or sugar often found in traditional tomato sauces. Also, I like to throw in an extra head of garlic and use the leftovers to spread on bread or add to soups.

8 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 head of garlic, top sliced off to expose bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water, or more depending upon desired consistency
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place tomatoes and garlic head in baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until tomatoes have completely collapsed. Take care not to burn the tomatoes.

Spoon tomatoes into a large sauce pan or stockpot. Squeeze garlic head to press out the bulbs and add to tomatoes. Add water (or more if you want a thinner sauce) and chopped basil. Bring to low simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This sauce is so versatile. You can stir in browned turkey meat or tofu at the end; reduce the 1.5 cups of water to 1/4 cup to create a rich, thick pizza sauce; or mix in leftover herbs and vegetables.

Tagged as: garlic, pasta, pizza, Recipes, roasting, sauce, tomato