Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce with Beefsteak Tomatoes

I have been making this roasted tomato pasta sauce for years. It is rich and chunky and one of the best-tasting homemade spaghetti sauces I have ever tried.

The recipe is just full of flavor. The key ingredient to the taste and texture of the sauce is roasted garden tomatoes. My preference is beefsteak tomatoes, but all types of tomatoes work well.

This homemade marinara sauce is the perfect way to use fresh tomatoes when you have more than you need for normal meals.

I have made this recipe with all types of tomatoes, from beefsteak tomatoes to patio tomatoes that are much smaller. The sauce always turns out well.

I have discovered many recipes for homemade spaghetti sauce on the internet, but when I look at them, they ask for canned tomatoes. Sorry…but that is not my idea of homemade.

I call that type of recipe “semi-home-made”, and while there is a place for this in the kitchen, for me, it doesn’t extend to sauces. I love to make my sauces from scratch.

You might think that this type of sauce will take all day to prepare, but that’s not actually the case. Roasting the tomatoes is quick and easy in a hot oven, and preparing the sauce can be done in about 15 minutes while the tomatoes are roasting.

Then the sauce just simmers in the stock pot for 2 hours on the stove over low heat while you get on with something else.

Make a big batch of this! The homemade spaghetti sauce gets better every time you reheat it!

How to make a fresh tomato sauce for pasta

My raised garden bed is producing ripe tomatoes now, and they are perfect for using in this recipe. 

If you don’t grow your own tomatoes, large vine-ripened grocery store tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes also work well.

You’ll need 6 beefsteak tomatoes since they are super big. If you make it with vine-ripened or patio tomatoes, you’ll need 24 small to medium-sized tomatoes to make a batch of sauce.

Roasting the tomatoes is the reason that this sauce has so much flavor. Homegrown tomatoes are sweet on their own, but when you roast them, it brings that natural sweetness to a new level that is amazing.

The roasted tomatoes give this sauce a flavorful base, but it is enhanced by the use of a generous helping of fresh herbs. I used fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano.

These fresh herbs give the tomatoes a lovely Mediterranean flavor that goes well with any protein.

My recipe also calls for a splash of red wine, but this is totally optional, and the sauce tastes wonderful without using it, too.

The version of homemade marinara sauce is my most often viewed recipe on the site for a very good reason. It tastes amazing!

The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and fits into a Paleo and Whole 30 diet plan.

Roasting beefsteak tomatoes takes about 35-45 minutes at 425°F (220°C). Patio tomatoes are faster – about 20-30 minutes at 400°F (200°C).

During that time, you can cook the onions, fresh herbs, and garlic in olive oil so that they are ready to go into the sauce with the tomatoes. 

Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste to thicken the sauce.

From that point, it’s just a matter of letting the sauce gently simmer for a few hours.

Variations on the basic roasted tomato pasta sauce

Once you have this basic marinara sauce made, the sky is the limit as to what you can add to change it up for a new taste.

Every time I make this sauce, I tinker with it. Sometimes I am more in a Meatless Monday mood, and I turn it into a vegetarian dish with mushrooms and fresh herbs from my garden. Check out my mushroom marinara sauce here.

Other times, I get in a spicy Italian mood, and my recipe for Italian sausages and noodles hits the table.

Our family loves pork, as well as ground beef. When I am in the mood for comfort food, this roasted tomato sauce for pasta gets a heaping addition of both beef and pork for a meaty homemade spaghetti sauce recipe that is out of this world.

Add some corn kernels and a jalapeno chili pepper for a Mexican flavor. The sauce is versatile for all types of flavors.

With my basic homemade marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes as a base, your next spaghetti night will be a huge hit. You will never buy store-bought pasta sauce again!

This recipe freezes well, too. I just put the roasted tomato sauce into wide-mouth mason jars and freeze it. They take the cold of a freezer well, and the sauce is just as good when thawed as when I first made it.

Share this beefsteak tomato sauce on X

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No need to go to the store to buy pasta sauce! Make your own with fresh garden tomatoes that are roasted in the oven. Get the recipe on The Gardening Cook. 🍅🍅🍅 Share on X

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Admin note: this post for roasted beefsteak tomato sauce recipe first appeared on the blog in July of 2013. I have updated the post to add all new photos and a video for you to enjoy.