Every summer, I seem to reach the point where cherry tomatoes are everywhere - on the bench, packed into jars, while some are still ripening on the vine. This roasted cherry tomato sauce is one of my favourite ways to use them. Roasting concentrates their natural sweetness, giving you a rich, jammy sauce that's perfect for pasta, pizza, soup or simply scooped onto warm crusty bread.
I am a big believer that every plant-based cook should have a little stockpile of killer sauces and seasonings in their back pocket. Let's be honest, jackfruit and tofu on their own don't have much flavour. A good sauce brings individual ingredients together and makes them a meal. This rich roasted cherry tomato sauce tastes like summer in a bowl.
If you are after a stovetop recipe, you might like my Sugo di Pomodoro (tomato sauce) made from pantry ingredients.
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Why We Love This Tomato Sauce
Nutritionist's note: Roasting tomatoes concentrates their flavour without needing lots of added ingredients. Tomatoes are naturally rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that becomes more available after cooking, while olive oil helps your body absorb some of the fat-soluble compounds they contain. This sauce is a simple way to add tomatoes to pasta, grain bowls, soups and pizzas.
Ingredients for Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
This roasted cherry tomato sauce has only a handful of ingredients; ripe cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, olive oil and basil.
Let's look at some substitutions in case you need them.
Cherry tomatoes. This roasted cherry tomato sauce sings in the summer when tomatoes are in abundance. However, roasting brings out the tomato's naturally sweet umami, even if the tomato is not at its best. Ideally, you want ripe tomatoes, but it's OK if they are a touch under.
I use any colour cherry tomato. Whatever is on the vine or in the supermarket.
Why cherry tomatoes? Cherry tomatoes naturally contain more sugars than many larger tomato varieties, and roasting them concentrates their sweetness to create a richer, more intensely flavoured sauce without adding sugar.
Onion. Roasting the onion softens its sharpness and creates a naturally sweet base for the sauce. You can use a Spanish onion, brown (yellow) onion or a French shallot. This is a simple sauce and there aren't any rules.
Garlic. Fresh is best but if you only have pressed garlic, use about a tablespoon.
Smoked paprika. Smoked paprika adds a wonderfully smoky depth to the tomatoes. You can use paprika if you can't get the smoked variety.
Red wine vinegar. The vinegar gives the finished sauce a fresh lift If you don't have it, omit it. No worries.
Why add acid to sauces? A really good sauce or dish will tease your tastebuds with many, if not all, the flavour elements - salty, sweet, sour, spicy and umami. This sauce is savoury and sweet from the tomatoes and a hint of acid at the end adds a lift of sourness (not too much) that elevates the flavour.
Fresh basil. Basil and tomato are literally made for each other - they share more than 250 compounds. The floral herby notes of basil beautifully balance the savoury tomatoes.
How to Make Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Step 1. Pre-heat oven and prep
Preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F). Give your tommies a wash and a pat dry before transferring them to your baking dish.
I like to use either my enamel baking dish (roughly 25cmL x 24cmW x 5cmD) or a similarly sized roasting dish. I like the enamel one because I will often serve the sauce straight from the oven - especially if we are going to be dipping bread. Mmmmm...bread.
Step 2. Coat the ingredients
Toss in the garlic, smoked paprika, onion, salt and olive oil and give the whole thing a good stir to coat all the tomatoes.
Step 3. Roast
Pop the tray in the oven and roast for around 40-minutes or until the tomatoes are plump and soft and the garlic is tender.
Step 4. Chunky or smooth
Now, here you have a choice. You can either serve your roasted cherry tomato sauce chunky or smooth.
For a smooth sauce - Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool a little before transferring them (include all the juice!) to a food processor or blender. Add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and your basil.
Pop the lid on and blend until you are happy with the texture. Taste and add a little more vinegar if you like. And you're done.
For a chunky sauce - carefully, with a potato masher or a fork, mash the tomatoes and garlic until you're happy with the consistency. The tomatoes will be super hot and will spray juice, so please be careful. Stir in the red wine vinegar, slice the basil leaves finely and mix them in too.
That's it! Your roasted cherry tomato sauce - chunky or smooth - is ready to go. The beauty of this sauce is that it's incredibly versatile.
Tips for the Best Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ways to Use Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Storage
In the refrigerator: Transfer the sauce to an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
In the freezer: To freeze homemade cherry tomato sauce, allow the sauce to cool before transferring it to a freezer-proof container - serving size containers work perfectly for batch cooking. Use either small freezer bags or containers with lids. Pop them in the freezer for up to 6-months.
FAQs
You can use any cherry tomato variety. I use whatever is on my vine including cherry tomatoes, heirloom varieties or little yellow pear tomatoes.
You can! I have made this sauce when my larger tomatoes are just starting to look a little sad. Simply chop them up into quarters and follow the recipe from there.
To freeze homemade tomato sauce, allow the sauce to cool before transferring it to freezer-proof, serving size containers. I use either small freezer bags or containers with lids. Pop them in the freezer for put to 6-months.
Stored in an airtight jar or container, this cherry tomato sauce will keep for 3-4 days.
More Sauces
Make This Recipe
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- 1 roasting dish
- food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 750 g / 1.6lb cherry tomatoes 3 x 250g punnets
- ½ Spanish onion peeled and cut into wedges
- 4-5 garlic cloves I often just use half a small head of garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar to taste
- ⅓ cup basil fresh
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C (350°F) and set up the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Toss the tomatoes, onion, garlic, paprika, oil and salt in a shallow baking dish to combine. I use a large pottery pie dish or a baking pan.
- Pop the dish in the oven to roast for 45-50 minutes or until the garlic is soft and the tomatoes are collapsing.
For a Smoother Sauce
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool enough for you to safely transfer the tomatoes (include all the juice) the garlic and onion to a food processor.
- Add basil leaves and the red wine vinegar to the processor, pop on the lid and process until you are happy with the consistency.
For a Chunky Sauce
- For a chunkier sauce - carefully, with a potato masher or a fork, mash the tomatoes and garlic until you're happy with the consistency. The tomatoes will be piping hot and will spray juice, so please be careful. Stir in the red wine vinegar, slice the basil leaves finely and mix them in too.
- Serve as a pasta sauce with a smattering of vegan parmesan or creamy ricotta. Or dollop it on crusty bread with fresh basil.
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Melissa says
Who knew cherry tomatoes could make a great sauce. I have pounds of them and plan on making more of this sauce.
Amanda says
Perfect! I am so happy the recipe is helpful, Melissa, and I am a bit jealous of your cherry tomato haul. Enjoy and thanks for reaching out.
L.A says
I used a combination of my garden's end of season cherry, San Marzano & Cherokee Purple tomatoes plus my garden basil. I also used a little less salt and blended the mixture in my blender until smooth. The result was absolutely the most delicious tomato sauce I have ever made.
I will be making more to freeze for winter and will try it on pizza and polenta as suggested. Looking forward to using it.
Ann DiLalla says
How much thyme? Dried or fresh? Thanks!
Amanda says
Oh, Ann - you've caught me out :-). I have no idea why I wrote thyme, it is onion. I would love to blame technology, but I'm pretty sure it was all me. Thanks for asking the question. I have made the change and updated the post. Have a great day.