Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
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This roasted cherry tomato sauce is super easy to make and packed with flavor. The cherry tomatoes are roasted with olive oil, onions, garlic, and thyme until their flavor condenses and they’re beautifully sweet. You can either serve them whole or blend them into a delicious roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce.
Roasted cherry tomato sauce is one of those simple recipes that feels special every time you make it. While you can absolutely make this sauce year-round, it really shines in spring when you start craving brighter, fresher flavors. Roasting the cherry tomatoes concentrates their natural sweetness and deepens their flavor, giving the sauce incredible body with very little effort.
The result is a sauce that’s rich and silky but still light and fresh—much lighter than a wintery bolognese. It’s absolutely perfect spooned over pasta, where it clings to every noodle, but it’s just as good with gnocchi, grilled chicken, or a hunk of crusty garlic bread for scooping.
Can I use frozen cherry tomatoes? Yes! You’ll always find a reusable Stasher freezer bag of cherry tomatoes in the freezer here. If the cherry tomatoes on our counter start to look a little wrinkled, they go into the freezer bag. Once it’s full, we turn it into this roasted cherry tomato sauce. Since you roast them from frozen, you’ll need to add an extra 15 minutes to the cooking time.
How long does roasted cherry tomato sauce last? This sauce will keep well in your fridge for at least 5 days. Make a big batch and use it for meal prep all week!
Can I freeze this sauce? You sure can! Cool it completely, then store it in freezer bags – we love reusable Stasher freezer bags for this, too.
Ideas for using this sauce
- Baked fish – either pour it over cooked fish or poach the fish in the sauce.
- Baked chicken – the same thing, pour it over or cook the chicken in the sauce.
- Pasta – pick your favorite shape and smother it with this sauce.
- Sandwich – spread it on like mayo.
- Dip – for veggies or tortilla chips.
- Pizza – makes a great pizza sauce or a dip for the crust.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups cherry tomatoes (see notes)
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (smashed with the side of your knife)
- 6 sprigs thyme (sub 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a large baking dish and mix everything around. Cover the dish with foil and roast in your oven for 1 hour.6 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic , 6 sprigs thyme, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Uncover the baking dish and continue to roast for another 15-30 minutes (see notes.)
- Either serve as is or, for a creamy sauce, blend the sauce (removing the thyme sprigs first) in your blender.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Delicious. I poured the watery part and a little less than half the tomatoes into a blender with a tablespoon of corn starch. Then mixed it back into the tomatoes. Served with balsamic glaze and basil. Thanks for the recipe. Wicked good
That sounds amazing! What a clever way to thicken it up, and the balsamic glaze with basil must have taken it over the top. So glad you enjoyed it!
A bit on the sweeter side. I added a bit more seasoning and salt/pepper. Loved the process, was super easy and delicious
Thanks, Stephanie!
This was sooo good!!! Just made this with Cherry Tomatoes from the garden. No fresh Thyme so used Italian Seasoning. House smelled soooo yummy. I’d like this for a light sauce over Angel Hair Pasta but Hubby said he wants to eat it as is – maybe on some toasted crusty bread. We’ll see. Tks!!!
I’m so happy that you and your husband love the recipe!
One of the best recipes, ever! I added about 1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 to thin it. It was spectacular!
I’m so happy that you loved the recipe!
Can you hot water can this sauce?
While we’ve never tried it, most tomatoes sauces can be canned in hot water.
Wouldn’t you need to use pickling salt or kosher salt if canning?
No you don’t need to add salt unless you want to!
Can I use Roma tomatoes??? I’ve done the cherry and it was soooo good
We haven’t tried it with roma tomatoes yet, but I suspect that they would work well. They might need a little more time in the oven though since they are larger. 🙂
I tried it with Roma tomatoe and it’s so good
Thank you so much for letting me know!!
Made this tonight, it was super easy and delicious! This recipe was a great use of my garden tomatoes!! I used the jarred precut garlic, but will definitely use fresh cloves next time I make this.
This was so delicious!!!
Love this sauce. We also added mushrooms! Delicious ! Shared the recipe with my daughters. They love cherry tomatoes.