Homemade, Easy, and Fast
Ready to serve
In a hurry, but want a really special homemade sauce for your spaghetti or pasta?
If you have fresh tomatoes on hand, here’s a recipe that doesn’t take much preparation time or time in cooking. The flavor is so good that it can stand on it’s own ——-or you can add olive oil, garlic, vinegar, parsley, basil or whatever you like and/or have on hand.
Here it is mid-December and I still have fresh tomatoes from the garden. (You can do this too. Read my post telling you how.) I had an overabundance of tomatoes that were ripening , so I quickly made a sauce for tonight’s dinner.
I used about about 15 ripe medium sized tomatoes. (15 tomatoes will make 2 to 4 servings of sauce depending on how much you like on your pasta.)
About 15 tomatoes, peeled, cored and sliced in baking dish.
Peel and core. Slice.
Place in baking dish. Bake 450 degrees.
Baking time depends on how many layers you have in the dish. One layer takes about 35 minutes. I had several layers and it took about one hour. They’re ready when there is hardly any liquid left in the dish.
Roasted tomatoes - done when hardly any liquid remains.
Remove from oven. Cool 5 or 10 minutes. Stir.
If you want to add spices – now is the time. I added a splash or two of olive oil, vinegar, sauteed minced garlic (or use dried minced garlic) and chopped fresh parsley.
A few optional ingredients.
Stir. Serve over pasta.
Whole Wheat spaghetti, homemade sauce, fresh chopped parsley, fresh parmesan
Freeze or refrigerate what remains for another time.
Roasted tomatoes have a great flavor and the sauce seems to better coat the pasta than homemade sauce cooked on top the stove. If you haven’t tried it I think you’ll be amazed. You’re in for a treat.
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Just a thought: If you don’t have fresh tomatoes and you’re anxious to try this recipe before next tomato season, try it with your canned tomatoes. I don’t know that the flavor would be quite the same but it’s certainly worth a try. (I’d save the juice for another time and drain the tomatoes before placing them in the baking dish.)
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Two important points are reviewed in my post Addendum to A Quick and Delicious Tomato Sauce as a result of emails I received from this post. They will help insure your sauce is the best it can be! Please be sure and read it.
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That sounds delicious and I will try it with my frozen tomatoes (from the freezer). Not sure I’ll ever have fresh tomatoes this late here in Madison. We have had really cold weather-in the teens every night for a couple weeks. A little unusual. My lettuce and spinach and collards are fine though.
I’ll be anxious to learn how the sauce turns out with your frozen tomatoes, Beppy. Please let me know via commenting on this post because I think others might want to know as well.
Our weather is in the twenties and of course my tomatoes are not in the garden. I finished picking them before the freeze in early November. It’s easy to have tomatoes through December. Just read my post How to Keep Tomatoes Through December for Eating Fresh.
As a matter of fact, we had some of Bill’s patrons pick up a painting last evening and they had dinner with us as well. As part of the appetizer I served cherry tomatoes. (They just couldn’t get enough!) And for the salad I had the most beautiful slices of red ripe tomatoes that you have every seen! All were green when I picked them the first part of November.
Give it a try next year. Then you’ll have fresh red tomatoes to go with your beautiful lettuce!
Best,
Theresa
This is the best tomato sauce ever! Our stored tomatoes were used and when they’re gone I’ll try it using canned ones.
Hi Ann,
So glad you commented. This recipe is so simple it’s hard to believe it would be so delicious! When you use the canned ones, let me know how the sauce turns out.
Best,
Theresa
I used my frozen tomatoes and it was absolutely delicious. I let them thaw part way and then sliced them. There was an awful lot of juice so it took longer but it was worth the wait.
Thank you, thank you.
Beppy
This is exciting, Beppy. How wonderful knowing that this “easy as pie” sauce can be made from frozen tomatoes as well. If Ann makes it with her canned tomatoes and it turns out as good we’ll have a 3 time winner here!
Thanks for letting me know.
Theresa
Fantastic recipe! I plan to use a good portion of this years tomato surplus to make and freeze into this sauce for some yummy winter meals. For anyone on the fence – do not hesitate. It is out of this world! Thanks Theresa!
Thanks for the ‘thumbs up’, Farming Bear!
Theresa