Roasted cherry tomato sauce is flavorful, easy to make and uses simple ingredients. Roasting the cherry tomatoes gives them a deep, caramelized flavor that enhances the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. This recipes has just 5 minutes of active time, most of the cooking time is hands-off.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – the tomatoes and garlic roast together in a baking dish creating the most delicious flavor without any effort. Smash the garlic and some of the tomatoes after cooking and use the sauce over pasta, pizza and more.
- Simple ingredients – this roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce is the perfect recipe if you have a large crop of tomatoes on hand. It’s made with tomatoes, fresh garlic, olive oil, salt and fresh basil. So simple but so flavorful. Don’t let this simple list of ingredients fool you though, this sauce is incredibly flavorful.
- Versatile – use this cherry tomato sauce in so many ways. It’s great on pasta or pizza but you can also use it on sandwiches, on eggs or even as a dip for bread.
Ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes – cherry tomatoes are naturally sweet and very easy to use in this recipe since they don’t have to be chopped or cut ahead of time. You can also use other tomatoes (like roma tomatoes) but you need to cut them into about 1-2 inch pieces before roasting.
- Fresh garlic cloves – fresh garlic roasts with the tomatoes in the olive oil to become rich and buttery soft with an intense flavor that really makes this recipe irresistible. Be sure to use fresh garlic and remove the papery skins before roasting.
- Extra virgin olive oil – the olive oil helps to create the perfect sauce. The oil picks up the flavor from the garlic and tomatoes and ensures that every bite you get has so much flavor.
- Salt – salt enhances all the flavors in the dish.
- Fresh basil – fresh basil adds a level of freshness and so much flavor to this roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce. If you don’t have fresh basil on hand, you can use dried (about 1 tablespoon) but the flavor won’t be the same.
- Pasta (optional) – if you want to make pasta for dinner with this sauce, you will need some pasta. I love a fettuccini type pasta but use whatever you have on hand that you love. I recommend between 8-10 oz of pasta. If you need more pasta than that or love a really saucy pasta, double the sauce recipe.
How to make roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves (remove the garlic from the papery shell but don’t chop), olive oil and salt to a large baking dish.
Roast the tomatoes and garlic in the 450F oven for 30 minutes.
While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the pasta (optional) according to the instructions on the box. Before draining the pasta, remove about 1/2 cup of pasta water for the sauce. Drizzle the pasta with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil if the pasta is done cooking before the tomatoes are done roasting.
Once the tomatoes and garlic are done roasting in the oven, remove them carefully and press on the garlic cloves with a fork to smash them. You can also smash some of the roasted tomatoes with a fork. Stir the sauce ingredients together well.
If serving with pasta, pour the pasta into the baking dish with the roasted cherry tomato sauce and add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and finely chopped fresh basil. Stir well.
Top tips
- If you prefer a less chunky sauce, blend with an immersion blender or high speed blender.
- The tomatoes will burst in the oven when cooking, so don’t be alarmed if you hear them popping. The juices stay mostly in the baking dish so it doesn’t create a big mess.
- Use a ceramic or glass baking dish, not a baking sheet to roast the tomatoes and garlic. You want the tomatoes and garlic to be covered in olive oil and you want the high edges of the baking dish to help keep the popping tomatoes from going overboard into the oven.
- You can easily double the recipe for roasted cherry tomato sauce for pasta, but use a larger casserole dish (9X13 to ensure that the dish doesn’t get overcrowded).
- If you are making the roasted tomato sauce for pasta, reserve at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water to help make the sauce stick to the pasta.
Other additions
- Yellow or white onion – cut the onion into thin slices if you plan on keeping the pasta chunky or cut into large chunks if you plan on pureeing the sauce.
- Roasted red pepper – you can use a jar of roasted red peppers or roast red peppers in the olive oil with the tomatoes and garlic to add another layer of complexity to the sauce.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – I love adding red pepper flakes to the sauce, the heat from the pepper balances out the sweetness from the cherry tomatoes well.
- Fresh thyme, fresh oregano, flat leaf parsley – you only need a teaspoon or two of fresh thyme or oregano to add a lot of flavor to the dish. Don’t overdo it with these fresh herbs. Flat leaf parsley is a great addition, especially if you don’t have fresh basil on hand.
Ways to use roasted cherry tomato sauce
- As a pasta sauce – keep it chunky or blend it up with the blender, this roasted tomato sauce is perfect with pasta
- On pizza – use it chunky or blend it up – this sauce would be a great base to your favroite pizza.
- As a spread on sandwiches – blend up this sauce and use it on all your summer sandwiches just like you would use pesto.
- On eggs – instead of ketchup, change it up and use this on your morning eggs (leave it chunky or blend it up)
- As a dip – this would be the perfect dip for crusty bread for a simple appetizer for any meal.
Common questions
Do you have to peel tomatoes before roasting them?
You don’t have to peel tomatoes before roasting them to make pasta sauce. Peeling tomatoes is really only needed if you are pressure canning tomatoes.
Can you use other tomatoes to make this roasted tomato pasta sauce recipe?
Yes! Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand. Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are my go-to because there is no chopping required, making this a really simple dish to make. If you have other tomatoes like roma for example, just cut them into 1-2 inch cubes before roasting.
Can you double this recipe to make more sauce?
Yes! If you are feeding a crowd or just prefer a really saucy pasta, you can easily double the recipe. Be sure to use a large baking dish (9X13) to ensure that the tomatoes can roast and don’t steam.
Do you have to use so much olive oil?
I find that the olive oil is really needed for this recipe. It helps to ensure the garlic and tomatoes do not burn but also helps the overall flavor of the sauce, since the flavors from the tomatoes and garlic infuse the olive oil as the dish roasts.
Can you use frozen cherry tomatoes?
If you had an abundance of summer tomatoes and decided to freeze them whole as a way to preserve them, you can certainly use them to make this cherry tomato pasta sauce. Follow the same instructions, but cook the tomatoes for 10-15 more minutes than indicated to allow the tomatoes to defrost.
What is the best way to preserve this cherry tomato pasta sauce?
Freezing is the best way to preserve this pasta sauce since it was not written specially for pressure canning. You can freeze this sauce for up to 6 months in a well sealed freezer safe container. If you decide to freeze in glass jars, be sure to leave about 1 inch of space in the jar to allow the contents of the jar to expand.
Storing leftover roasted tomato pasta
- Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months (with pasta) or 6 months (without pasta) in a freezer safe bag or container.
Substitutions
- Cherry tomatoes – use grape tomatoes, roma tomatoes or whatever tomatoes you have no hand. Cut the tomatoes into 1-2 inch pieces before roasting if not using cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Fresh garlic – if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use garlic infused olive oil in place of the regular olive oil or you can add garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon). The flavor of the fresh garlic really is so I really recommend it if possible.
- Extra virgin olive oil – if you don’t have extra virgin olive oil, use regular olive oil or avocado oil.
- Fresh basil – you can use dried basil (about 1-2 teaspoons) but the flavor won’t be quite the same. You could also use fresh thyme (1 teaspoon), fresh oregano (1 teaspoon) or flat leaf parsley (3 tablespoons).
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- 3 cups cherry tomatoes – or any tomatoes cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh basil – chopped
- 10 oz pasta – optional
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Preheat the oven to 450F.
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Add tomatoes, garlic cloves (remove the papery skin) and salt to a 8X8 baking dish. Place in a 450F oven for 30 minutes.
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While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Before draining pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
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When the tomatoes and garlic are done roasting, take out of the oven carefully and smash garlic with a fork (you can smash some of the tomatoes as well). Add fresh basil and stir well.
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If making with pasta, add cooked pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water to the baking dish and stir well.
- If you prefer a less chunky sauce, blend with an immersion blender or high speed blender.
- The tomatoes will burst in the oven when cooking, so don’t be alarmed if you hear them popping. The juices stay mostly in the baking dish so it doesn’t create a big mess.
- Use a ceramic or glass baking dish, not a baking sheet to roast the tomatoes and garlic. You want the tomatoes and garlic to be covered in olive oil and you want the high edges of the baking dish to help keep the popping tomatoes from going overboard into the oven.
- You can easily double the recipe for roasted cherry tomato sauce for pasta, but use a larger casserole dish (9X13 to ensure that the dish doesn’t get overcrowded).
- If you are making the roasted tomato sauce for pasta, reserve at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water to help make the sauce stick to the pasta.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.