Last Updated on September 13, 2026

Quick Roasted Tomato Sauce from the Garden

This is how we turn a pile of tomatoes into sauce with about five minutes of hands-on time. No peeling, no measuring, no canning.

What goes on the tray

• Garden tomatoes, halved, seeds squeezed out into a bowl (the chickens get the bowl)
• 1 onion per tray, roughly chopped
• 2 heads of garlic per tray, cloves separated
• A handful each of fresh basil and parsley, leaves stripped from the stems
• A drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze the seeds and juice out into a bowl. You want the flesh; a few seeds left behind do not matter.
3. Lay the tomatoes on a baking tray with the onion and garlic, scatter the basil and parsley over everything, drizzle with olive oil and salt.
4. Roast about 40 minutes, until everything is soft and starting to color.
5. Let it cool, scrape the tray into a blender over the sink, pour off a little liquid if it looks thin, and blend for a few seconds.
6. Portion into freezer bags. We also freeze-dry it, which keeps for years and takes no freezer space.

A note on the garlic

My cloves were small this year because I let weeds crowd the garlic bed in spring. Mulch garlic well as soon as it comes up; once it is tall you cannot get in there to weed. The full method is in How to Grow Garlic.

Key takeaways

• Halve, squeeze out seeds, roast at 400°F for 40 minutes with onion, garlic, basil, parsley, oil and salt.
• No peeling, no measuring.
• Blend a few seconds and freeze in bags, or freeze-dry.
• Mulch the garlic bed in spring or you get small cloves.

Questions people ask

Which tomatoes?

Whatever the garden gives; paste types make a thicker sauce, cherry tomatoes a sweeter one.

Can I can it instead of freezing?

This recipe is for the freezer; for canning follow a tested recipe with added acid.

How long does it keep?

Months in the freezer, years freeze-dried.

Plan the garden before you build it

Plan My Garden is free to start: it plans the tomato, onion, garlic and herb squares that make this sauce, scheduled for your zip code.

Related: How to Support Tomato Plants · How to Grow Garlic · How to Grow Cucumbers Vertically