Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
How do you feel about your freezer? Mine has become a close friend, (particularly now as a parent). The advantage of having it nicely stocked makes for great mid-week meals and much less stress on top of already hectic lives.
Tomato sauce is always a winner, and if you like it, you'll definitely enjoy it homemade. In many ways it's cooking like this which pleases me the most, just yummy and easy everyday eats. Scratch that. Cooking like this is the best! For me it’s all about the convenience factor. I'm a food lover, I enjoy cooking, and I love to be creative in the kitchen. Let's be real for a minute though people, I'm mum to a toddler and work freelance from home; I have all the regular chores and responsibilities of everyday life. However much I'd like to be a domestic goddess, the reality is a bit more ordinary.
Nothing wrong with that though, my point is, we don't need to aim for the unreachable peaks of perfection, with a little planning and some tremendously easy make-ahead items, eating well isn't a difficult task.
So here goes with a very throw-it-together roasted tomato and garlic sauce that not only saves my neck every now and then, it's also is pretty fantastic.
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce
PREP/COOK TIME - 3 HRS MIN | DIFFICULTY RATING - EASY | SERVES APPROX 6 | RECIPE TYPE - SAUCE | EQUIPMENT - BLENDER
Ingredients
A selection of tomatoes (I use something like 3 large beef tomatoes, 4 medium vine, 6 cherry)
1 medium onion (white or red) roughly chopped
2-4 large cloves of garlic
1 pint of water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme, oregano or mixed herbs
Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 120c.
Chop all the tomatoes and the onion to equal sizes, peel and smash the garlic and place in a baking tin with the water, oil and herbs, add a little seasoning.
Leave to roast for at least 3 hours, stir every 30 mins if you can. If the mixture is drying out, add more water. Refill enough water similar to in my pic below, so ingredients are mostly immersed.
Once all the ingredients are cooked and broken down, remove from the oven, leave to cool a little, then blend.
Add seasoning to taste and pour over cooked pasta, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.
My notes and tips
I have estimated it serves six but dependant on the size of the tomatoes and onions, or even your portion size it may go further. Judge it as you see it.
I've been quite vague about garlic as it's a personal preference, I like lots. I’m not sure it’s possible to have too much!
If you find your sauce is a bit watery and not really sauce-like after blending, reduce it down in a pan. As a guide, I’d say remove from the oven once you have roughly half liquid to tomato mix to ensure a good thickness. Practice makes perfect though.
The same mixture can be used as a base for a thicker condiment-style tomato sauce/salsa for chips or even relish for sandwiches. Take a cup full of the cooked sauce and reduce it down in a pan on the hob until it's thickened to a more Tommy K consistency.
Bell peppers or chillies are delicious with tomatoes, add them to the roasting mix .
For home made baked beans, I use a couple of tablespoons of sauce heated in a pan with a tin of haricot bean. Thumbs up from my toddler (and my husband). I'll be sharing those on a blog post very soon.;-)
A low-fuss and versatile sauce, which truly delivers excellent flavour. I like it best simply over pasta with some peas and feta cheese (as pictured). Some pancetta or streaky bacon works well too, so many options.
Happy sauce making👋.
Watch out for more freezer-friendly recipes on the blog. I'd love to hear some of yours too, leave a comment below or get in touch via Twitter or Instagram.
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