Roasted and Blended Tomato Sauce

The first year Matt and I grew a garden (back in 2009), I canned just about everything we were able to harvest, including my tomatoes. They were absolutely delicious, and I loved the way they looked lining my shelves, but these days you would be hard-pressed to convince me to do that again so long as I have the freezer space to avoid it.

Why? Because canning is a lot of fiddly work, and I prefer not to steam up my house if I don’t have to. Instead, what I’ve preferred doing over everything else for the past couple years is roasting my tomatoes on cookie sheets in a single layer until the skins have charred and browned, and then tossing it all - skins, seeds, juices, everything - in a blender to puree until it’s perfectly smooth and creamy.

It might seem weird to incorporate the skins and seeds, but with a good whiz in a high-powered blender, they seem to contribute to the creaminess and intensity of flavor for this application. Honestly, I have a hard time not eating this sauce up with a spoon straight from the blender, it’s that good.

Aside from the convenience and time saved from processing my tomatoes this way, there are other benefits as well. First, roasting helps to caramelize their sugars and elevates the flavor, making it more intense and less “raw.”

Second, it makes for a delicious tomato base that can be used for a variety of purposes. I can can add Italian seasonings, for example, and turn it into spaghetti, or I can throw in a whole different combination of spices to make a curry. I can even use it as a pizza sauce, or keep it simple and heat it up to make tomato soup to serve with grilled cheese.

Third, I can harvest a cookie sheet (or two) full of tomatoes every day during peak harvest season, and just process that much at a time daily until the season is done. This makes dealing with my tomatoes far less overwhelming in the long run, and gives me the chance to roast them right when they’re at their most fresh and flavorful.

Once I've pureed my sauce, my favorite way to store it in the freezer is with these BPA-free plastic storage containers. Generally speaking, I don't love using plastic, but I can reuse these over and over again, and they really do a good job of storing and sealing my garden goods so I can use it all year round.

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Roasted Tomato Sauce

Yield: Varies

Author: A Wooden Nest

Roast and process a sheet or two of fresh garden tomatoes daily throughout the peak harvest season to keep from getting too overwhelmed by your tomato harvest.

Ingredients

• A rimmed cookie sheet that fits in your oven
• Tomatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. Rinse your tomatoes thoroughly. Pat to dry.
3. Halve or quarter your tomatoes and place them on a rimmed cookie sheet in a single layer. You want all the pieces to be relatively the same size. Cherry tomatoes can be left whole.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
5. Place in a preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the skins have caramelized and browned.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
7. Place tomatoes (skins and all) and any leftover juices in a blender. Puree until smooth.
8. Store in airtight freezer containers and use within a year.

Notes

You don't want to stack your tomatoes too high on your cookie sheet or they will produce too much liquid and/or steam up your oven. 

PIN IT FOR LATER

Roasted Tomato Soup

Hello and good morning! Last month, I posted this image on Instagram with a short rundown of the recipe somewhere in the comments section, and it seems to have piqued everyone's tomato soup-loving interest, so I thought I'd go ahead and formally publish the recipe here for you on the blog. We make this soup several times per year, especially in August and September when we're up to our ears in tomatoes. I highly recommend the best, most flavorful tomatoes you can get your hands on for this recipe because it really lets the flavor shine. Enjoy!

(P.S. This really isn't a food blog, but you wouldn't know by looking at it.)

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Roasted Tomato Soup

Yield: Serves 2-4

Author: A Wooden Nest

Ingredients

• 3lbs (8-10 medium sized) tomatoes, rinsed and sliced in half
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, left in skins, with rough ends sliced off
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups stock or water
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Sprigs of fresh herbs, like thyme or rosemary
• Cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange 3lbs tomatoes (or as many will fit), cut side up, on your cookie sheet in a single layer. Between the tomatoes, place your onions, garlic and fresh herbs. Drizzle evenly with the olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Place on center baking rack for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the edges of your onions have browned and your tomatoes have deflated. You don't want to go too much longer than that or the juices will evaporate and your cloves of garlic will burn.Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes. Remove the garlic cloves from their skin and place in a bender. Add the rest of the contents of the cookie sheet, juices and all, into the blender, and then add your two cups of stock or water. Puree until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
2. To serve, ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with a splash of heavy whipping cream (very optional) and freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Optional Ideas:

-Add a bell pepper or two, seeded and sliced in half, to the cookie sheet for roasted tomato soup with bell peppers.

-Add herbs like thyme, rosemary, or basil to the simmering pot for additional flavor.