It’s raining tomatoes! The first time since I started gardening four years ago. I’ve picked 30 pounds of tomatoes from 3 plants in a few weeks time. Salads and snacking only can make a small dent. Here’s a way to make the most of a tomato windfall. You’ll able to enjoy those homegrown summer tomatoes months later. This roasted tomato sauce makes the best tomato soup!
Roasting tomatoes makes their flavor pop. You can even improve the flavor of out of season tomatoes with roasting. But roasted summer tomatoes are out of this world. A trip to your local farmers market is well worth it if you don’t have a garden.
This tomato sauce is easy and only requires two ingredients: olive oil and tomatoes. You will also need a large wire mesh strainer placed over a mixing bowl. An immersion blender helps the work go faster, but it’s not essential.
Drizzle a light layer of olive oil in a baking dish, just a tablespoon or two. Then add a layer of tomatoes, or layer and a half if using cherry tomatoes, and pop into your oven.
Roast until they are soft with brown patches. You will notice they will be sitting in juice.
Roast until they are soft enough, anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour, then they will be ready to strain. If you have an immersion blender break them up a bit and the straining will go even faster.
Place a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl and add a scoop or two of the roasted tomatoes with their juice. Use a large spoon and press in circular motions to press the solids out. The skins and the seeds should stay in the strainer (although I find a few seeds get through).
Each pound (about 455 grams) will yield about 1 cup (235 ml) of sauce if your are using cherry tomatoes. I haven’t used other types for this sauce, but the same method would apply. I wrote the recipe with 3 pounds because that is what fit in my 13″ x 9″ (23 cm x 33 cm) baking pan, but you could use any amount. I’ve done 2 pans at a time.
Cool the sauce completely before freezing. Leave about an inch of headspace if you are pouring it into a large container. The sauce will expand when it freezes.
I love these 1 cup freezer molds. They are ideal and I don’t have additional containers taking up room in my freezer. I use them for all kinds of sauces and soups.
I wrap each cube in wax paper, put in a large ziplock, and back into the freezer. Now I have tomato sauce for future dishes. And the flavor can’t be beat. I’ll post my tomato soup recipe soon.
I have roasted Roma tomatoes to freeze whole. In this case, use the same process, just don’t puree. The skins will slip right off. Remove seeds if you need to. Put them in a container with their juices (strain juice to remove seeds), cool completely, and then freeze. Make sure you leave an inch of space at the top, as the liquid will expand when it freezes.
Roasted Tomato Sauce
3 pounds Tomatoes
2 – 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees (205C). Spread a thin layer of olive oil over the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ non-reactive baking dish (no aluminum).
2. Spread the tomatoes in the dish. Roast until soft with some brown spots, 30 minutes to just over an hour. They should be soft enough to smash with a fork.
3. If you have and immersion blender: put the tomatoes and their juices in a large mixing bowl and pulse a few times to break them up. The proceed to step 4. If you do not have one, skip this step.
4. Place a wire mesh strainer over a mixing bowl. Add a couple of scoops of the roasted tomatoes and their juice. Use a large spoon to press the tomato solids though the mesh, using a circular motion.
5. You now have tomato sauce! Cool completely before freezing.
6. If you want a thicker sauce, pour into a saucepan and simmer until it reduces and thickens.
The Foggy Noggin' Diner 
It’s still a couple (or more) weeks left until I have any tomatoes to harvest, but I will definitely try this recipe. I love those freezer molds, I have similar ones and use them for everything! Thank you for an inspiring post.
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Thank you Maria. Sending wishes for a bountiful harvest.
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