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.

Serve this fresh tasting sauce with homemade ravioli and some no yeast bread with herbs and cheese on the side.

Roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce on spaghetti on a white plate.

Roasted cherry tomato sauce

Even though you can easily make this his incredible sauce year-round, it's perfect for springtime when you start craving fresher flavors. When you roast the cherry tomatoes they become extra flavorful and sweet, which adds so much body to the finished sauce. And while there is a certain richness to the sauce, it's much lighter tasting than a wintery bolognese.

How to make roasted cherry tomato sauce

You'll be amazed at how easy it is to make roasted cherry tomato sauce. Here's what you're going to do:

  1. Put the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a baking dish. Now cover it with a lid or some foil and pop it into your oven.
  2. After an hour, take the lid or foil off and let it roast for another 15-30 minutes.
  3. Once the tomatoes are soft, blistered, and totally sweet and delicious, you can either serve them as they are or blend them into a creamy tomato sauce.

That's it! This super simple recipe pretty much cooks itself.

Full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.

4 pictures showing how to make roasted cherry tomato sauce.

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 go a little wrinkly, they get added to 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.

Roasted cherry tomatoes in a baking dish with a wooden spoon.

Ways to use roasted cherry tomato 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.
Chunky roasted cherry tomato sauce on pasta.

Try these lighter pasta recipes

Roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce on spaghetti on a white plate.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
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.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!

4.76 stars (25 ratings)
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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.
  • 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.

Notes

If you have cherry tomatoes that are wrinkly, you can use them in this recipe. If you don't have enough, put them into your freezer then make this sauce once you have collected 6 cups. Frozen cherry tomatoes take 1 ½ hours to roast. 
A little basil and some balsamic glaze are wonderful if you're serving this sauce over pasta. 
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 119kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 608mg, Potassium: 549mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1165IU, Vitamin C: 56mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 2mg
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Roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce on spaghetti on a white plate and the recipe title on top of the picture.