Pizza is a staple in my house. So much so, I make pizza about once a week. When I first started making pizza and for a year after, my pizzas never really branched away from veggie and cheese. Somewhere along the lines, I got bored. Just this summer I made a zucchini one, bbq chicken one, a purple pizza eater one, and I have one I’ve yet to post: a peach gruyere pizza.
I must admit however, I usually cheat when it comes to the sauce on pizzas. If I feel like doing a little extra work, I will use a can a dice tomatoes and make a sauce and if not, I use good old Neman’s marinara sauce.
For some ungodly reason the other night, I had neither in my cupboard. Those are items I thought I had an endless supply of but alas, I do not have a magical replenishing cupboard.
Luckily for me, we are deep in the heart of tomato season. Awhile back, my mom started making a roasted tomato salsa that I fell head over heals in love with. This is a slight variation on that salsa. Obviously instead of the cilantro I use basil and I throw a pinch of sugar in for sweetness but overall the main idea is the same: roasted tomatoes.
Not only is this good on pizza, it works wonders as a pasta sauce. The kind of smokey flavor the tomatoes give off after roasting add a new level to a pasta or pizza dish. I seriously may never go back to eating jarred marinara again!

Roasted Tomato Sauce
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Prep Time: 10 mins
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Cook Time: 35 mins
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Total Time: 45 minutes
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Yield: 1
Ingredients
- 4 cup cherry and/or grape tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion
- 2 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425˚. Place tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking tray covered with tin foil. Brush with one tablespoon of olive oil, place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until tomatoes are tender and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Place roasted tomatoes in a food processor and add in olive oil and basil. Pulse until the everything is well mixed. Use on pizza as your tomato sauce or on your pasta in place of marina.
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Lauren says
I’m big into making homemade pizzas as well, and I’m excited to try this delicious-sounding (and looking!) roasted tomato sauce on our next pie.
erin says
It’s so much cheaper (and tastier in my mind) than ordering out!
Ari says
Oh my gosh, this is making my mouth water. Sounds delicious, can’t wait to try this on my favorite pizza!
Shelley says
This sounds AMAZING! We prefer making our own pizzas but I usually use jar sauce for everyone else and pesto for me. I am definitely trying this sauce next time. Just found your blog and I love it! It’s such a pretty site with appealing recipes. Can’t wait to explore more!
erin says
Thanks for stopping by! You mention pesto and I think that combing the two on a pizza would also be amazing- I am going to try that!
Azita says
A friend and I made this sauce yesterday and OH MY GOD was it good. Thanks for putting the recipe up. And I was so surprised how easy and fast it was! I’ll definitely be making this again and again.
Kassie says
Do you core and slice the tomatoes before putting them in the oven or leave them whole? Also, what is the calories per serving of the sauce? Thank you!
naturallyella says
Hi Kassie, As the directions say, I just slice them in half. As for calories, I do not know- I don’t count calories and therefore never include them with my recipes. However, if you do a google search, there are sites where you can put the ingredients in and it will tell you.
Tiffany P. says
I never saw the slice in half direction, so i just threw my cherry tomatoes in whole. Have made this twice now (both times, my basil had gone gross and I REALLY want to try it with fresh basil) but it is fantastic, easy, and I usually always have the ingredients (sans basil). Fran-freaking-tastic.
★★★★★
JakeHills says
Holy moly that looks good. I’m thinking that roast tomato mush over a nice cold salad in the summer would be bliss!
Bonnie Craddock says
I made this tonight for my pizza sauce, and it was so good! The whole family thought so. I love how easy it was too. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definately make it again and again. Can’t wait to try it over pasta!
JavierC says
In Almeria (Andalusia, Spain) we have a Tomato “Tomato raff” which is a variety of tomato which is grown on land with a lot of salt. The flavor is of the very best tomatoes. Try to grow your tomato in bad ground and with a lot of salt. 😉
Rob Kell says
I have made this sauce innumerable times – and other than adding some light brown sugar to blended sauce – no other changes. I use it for pasta dishes; and when I make pizzas from scratch using my Green Egg ceramic grill. This recipe although has been around for awhile – is the “bomb”. Just great; easy; healthy, and fine taste. I salute the author who made this recipe available.
Angela Broyles says
really good! we loved it and added some fresh oregano :))