Roasted Beefsteak Tomato Sauce (Easy Homemade Recipe)
If you’re wondering whether you can make pasta sauce with beefsteak tomatoes, the answer is yes. You can make a rich, flavorful beefsteak tomato sauce by roasting the tomatoes and combining them with onions, garlic, beef stock, and fresh herbs.
I have been making this roasted beefsteak tomato pasta sauce for years. It is rich, chunky, and one of the best homemade spaghetti sauces I make.
The recipe is bursting with flavor. Roasting beefsteak tomatoes concentrates their natural sweetness and gives the sauce a hearty texture.
I love to make my sauce from scratch by roasting beefsteak tomatoes. 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 simmers in the stockpot for 2 hours on the stove over low heat while you attend to something else. Make a big batch of this! The beefsteak pasta sauce gets better every time you reheat it!
Can you make pasta sauce with beefsteak tomatoes?
Yes, you can make excellent pasta sauce with beefsteak tomatoes. Roasting concentrates their flavor and reduces excess moisture, making them a great choice for homemade pasta sauce.
- They are large, so you don’t need many of them.
- They have a thick, fleshy texture that gives you a chunky sauce.
- They have a mellow, sweet flavor that is enhanced by roasting.
- Roasting beefsteak tomatoes helps remove excess moisture, resulting in a thicker sauce.
Homegrown tomatoes have wonderful flavor, but grocery-store beefsteak tomatoes work just as well.
You’ll need about 6 large beefsteak tomatoes for a batch of sauce. If you’re using smaller tomatoes, plan on about 24 medium-sized tomatoes to produce a similar amount of sauce.
Ingredient for beefsteak tomato sauce
To make this homemade beefsteak sauce, you will need the following ingredients:
- 6 beefsteak tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup of good-quality dry red wine (optional)
- ½ cup of beef stock
- 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper
- 6 tablespoons of tomato paste
You’ll also need a large stockpot and a baking sheet.
How to make beefsteak tomato pasta sauce
Roasting the tomatoes and using fresh herbs are the reasons this sauce has so much flavor. Homegrown tomatoes are sweet on their own, but when you roast them, it brings that natural sweetness to an amazing new level.
Preheat the oven
- Start by preheating your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or grease the baking pan with a small amount of olive oil.
Prepare the beefsteak tomatoes
- Cut the beefsteak tomatoes in half.
- Remove the area where the tomato was attached to the stem.
- Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Season the beefsteak tomatoes with salt to reduce their moisture.
Roast the tomatoes
- Roast the tomatoes for 35-45 minutes.
- The tomatoes will be tender with wrinkled skins when they are done.
Prepare the sauce ingredients
- While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the onions until they are translucent – about 5 minutes
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the herbs and wine
- Chop the fresh herbs.
- Pour the wine and beef stock into the onion mixture, stir well, and add the spices.
Protip: My recipe also calls for a ½ cup of red wine, but this is optional. The sauce tastes wonderful without using it, too. If you omit the red wine, increase the beef stock to 1 cup.
Add the mixture to a saucepot
- Transfer the wine and onion mixture to a large stockpot.
- Cook the sauce over medium heat until the liquid has reduced to half, about 5 minutes.
Add the beefsteak tomatoes
- When the tomatoes are done roasting, remove the pan from the oven.
- Allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
- Use tongs to peel away the outside skins. (They should come off easily.)
- Crush the tomatoes well. (You can use clean hands or a potato masher.)
Finishing the sauce
- Add the roasted tomatoes to the onion and wine mixture.
- Break any really large chunks of tomato.
- Add the tomato paste and stir well.
- Simmer over a low heat, covered for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid and simmer for 1 more hour.
Serve this beefsteak tomato sauce over pasta, as part of a lasagna recipe, or as a topping for sloppy Joes. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and fits into a Paleo and Whole 30 diet plan.
Variations on the beefsteak tomato sauce
Once you have this basic pasta sauce made, it’s easy to change it up for a new flavor profile.
- Meatless Monday: Add it to a vegetarian dish with mushrooms and fresh herbs from your garden.
- More earthy flavor: Add mushrooms to the sauce.
- Make a meaty spaghetti sauce: Add both pork and ground beef for a sauce that is out of this world.
- Go Italian: For a spicy version, incorporate the sauce in this Italian sausage and noodles recipe.
- Go Mexican: Add some corn and chili peppers to really spice things up!
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. Place the beefsteak tomato sauce into wide-mouth mason jars and freeze it for 3-6 months. These jars take the cold of a freezer well, and the sauce is just as good when thawed as when you first make it.
Share this beefsteak tomato sauce on X
If you enjoyed making this roasted tomato sauce, why not share the recipe with a friend? Here is a post to get you started:
Make rich, chunky pasta sauce from fresh beefsteak tomatoes 🍅✨ This roasted beefsteak tomato sauce is packed with flavor and the perfect way to use up garden tomatoes. So easy, so good! 🍝🔥Get the recipe 👉 on The Gardening… Share on XPin this roasted beefsteak tomato pasta sauce recipe
Would you like a reminder of this post for making a tomato sauce with beefsteak tomatoes? Just pin this image to one of your cooking boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Admin note: This recipe for roasted beefsteak tomato sauce 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.
Beefsteak Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe (Roasted & Homemade)
This roasted beefsteak tomato pasta sauce is rich, chunky, and full of flavor. Learn how to use fresh beefsteak tomatoes to make an easy homemade pasta sauce.
Ingredients
- 6 beefsteak tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup of good quality dry red wine (optional)
- ½ cup of beef stock
- 2 tablespoons of fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper
- 6 tablespoons of tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
- Cut the beefsteak tomatoes in half and remove the area where the tomato was attached to the stem.
- Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Season the beefsteak tomatoes with some salt. This helps to reduce the moisture in them.
- Roast the tomatoes for 35-45 minutes until they are tender, and the skins are wrinkled.
- While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Cook the onions until they are translucent - about 5 minutes
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour the wine (if using) and beef stock into the onion mixture, stir well.
- Chop the fresh herbs.
- Add the herbs to the wine and onion mixture.
- Transfer this mixture to a large Dutch oven.
- Cook the sauce over medium heat until the liquid has reduced to half, about 5 minutes.
- When the tomatoes are roasted, remove the pan from the oven and allow the tomatoes to cool for 5 minutes.
- Use tongs to peel the outside skins. (They should come off easily.)
- Crush the tomatoes well. (You can use clean hands or a potato masher.)
- Add the roasted tomatoes, breaking up any really big chunks.
- Add the tomato paste and stir well.
- Simmer over a low heat, covered for 1 hour. Remove the lid and simmer 1 more hour.
- Serve with pasta or use in any dish that asks for tomato sauce.
Notes
Notes for smaller patio tomatoes: You will need 24 tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roast for only 20-30 minutes.
If you omit the wine, increase the beef stock to 1 cup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 191mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 9gSugar: 20gProtein: 7g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.
I don’t use or drink wine so what is a good wine?
Chianti tastes WONDERFUL in Marinara sauce!
Hi Lora,
I used chardonnay for this recipe. It is fairly dry. The alcohol evaporates during cooking leaving just the flavor.
Any white wine will do. Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio would all give a similar flavor to the sauce.
Carol
Do you remove the seeds? Any good tips on a quick and easy way to remove seeds?
I did not remove the seeds nor were they noticeable in the sauce.
The only way I can think to do it would be to strain the sauce afterwards, or to cut out the seeds before roasting.
Carol
I just finished making this marinara sauce with our fresh tomatoes, basil and spicy jalepeno’s that I added because we have too many and I wanted to use them from our garden. It is the best recipe I have ever tried! Thank you so much!! I am utterly impressed!
Hi Liz….nothing like home made is there? I’m glad you liked it. Carol
I would like to make a large batch to can…have you ever cooked it in the crock pot instead of the stove top? Any suggestions for canning?
I don’t can at all, so I can’t help you there. But many recipes are easily adapted to a crock pot. I have not done this one but if I did, I’d up the spices a bit and cook it for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 on low.
Carol
I’m looking to do the same thing with about 30 cups of tomato purée from garden fresh tomatoes. I guess I’ll improvise with this recipe. Have you found anything else?
Not sure what you mean by “anything else”?
Carol
Do you cover while simmering for two hours? First timer making marinara here!!!! 😉
Hi Angie,
You can do it both ways. Normally, I turn it very low and cover. If it is too thin, I cook it uncovered so that it reduces and thickens.
Carol
Awesome!!! Thanks! I’m very much looking forward to it!
Hey! Can i leave the white wine out? Will it drastically alter the taste? Any substitute?
You can always omit wine in a recipe and substitute chicken broth or beef broth, but it does affect the taste considerably.
Carol
I had some rotini but no sauce at home and didn’t want to run to the store. I DID have 2 1/2 tomatoes on the vine, some fresh basil, a bit of onion and plenty of garlic. I used your recipe as a base for making a small batch of marinara. I left out the wine (I don’t drink and so I never have it on hand) but roasted two small red peppers to throw in for fun. It’s simmering now and I’m so looking forward to having it with my pasta!
Thanks for sharing your recipe and showing me a way to make a sauce that didn’t start with canned tomatoes.
My pleasure Mary. This is the most shared recipe on my site. Hope you like it!
Carol
Does it work freezing the sauce or canning it?
I have not tried this one but have successfully canned other sauces and frozen them so it should work fine.
Carol
We had a couple dozen just picked tomatoes and found your recipe and thought I would give it a try. Turned out great. Used a cup of 2 Buck-Chuck Cab which was opened yesterday and then added some ground turkey which was browned up with cumin/sage/cracked red pepper. Turned out great!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Bert. This is my most popular recipe by far.
Carol
How many servings does this make?
I got the equivalent of two retail sized jars of sauce out of the recipe.
Carol
can marinara be frozen?
Hi Misty. Yes, it can. I freeze sauces all the time. Carol
Do you know about how many pounds of tomatoes? I have some roma tomatoes I want to use and am thinking I will need more since they are smaller than beefsteak. Thanks.
HI Brandy, I did not weigh them when I wrote the article and made the recipe. My guess is that it would be about 2 pounds perhaps. Carol
Hi Carol,
This sounds amazing and I’ve always wanted to make homemade marinara. My husband doesn’t like chunks of tomato in a marinara. Does this cook down to be smooth? Would it hurt or change the flavor to process the roasted tomatoes or the sauce after it is complete? Thanks so much!
Hi Dena. It is not exactly smooth but not really chunky either. You could blend it to make it smoother and it would be just fine. Carol
Can i use white cooking wine in exchange for the wine or will it make a difference?
Hi Sharon. The red wine gives the sauce a rich flavor but I have often cooked with white wine too and it’s just a slightly milder taste. It will be fine. I do recommend using drinking wine rather than cooking wine though for the best flavor. Carol
Sharon , cooking wine is very salty, alcohol cooks out of drinking wine pretty fast.
You can also turn the tomatoes the other way with seeds up and brush with olive oil and salt and turn your oven on the lowest temperature, and in about 9 hrs you will have delicious dried tomatoes. I use them in a dish with chicken or shrimp or plain, with garlic ,olive oil sun (oven) dried tomatoes with broccoli and whole wheat angel hair pasta.
Hi Harry. That sounds wonderful. Must try it soon. Carol
I failed to mention that when I make the oven dried tomatoes, i line my sheet pans with foil, then put parchment paper over that as you don’t want the acid in the tomatoes reacting with the pan.
Hi Carol!
I’m not the best cook, so please excuse my ignorance, but I have some questions and f/u questions to comments above:
1. How do you freeze sauces like this?
2. I’m going to use the crockpot (I love that thing!)…how much is “up the spices a bit?”
3. I have these varieties of tomatoes out back: a lg. heirloom, med. heirloom, early girl, and “sugar sweet” cherry
How many should I use? Which ones should I use? Could I do a mix of all the varieties?
4. One of the above ladies said she added green chilies…I have LOTS of “much nacho” variety and don’t know
how and how many to add? I’d like to use them, but I’m nervous about ruining your recipe. Anyone give me SPECIFICS on using them with this recipe and the crockpot? Seeded, chopped, whole…What? I want the flavor with mild to medium “heat.”
I’m really concerned about getting the quantity right because that matters to the “spice ratio,” right?
I really wasn’t kidding when I said I’m not the best cook! Though I recently tried “America’s Test Kitchen, Slow Cooker Revolution” recipe for “Farm Stand Tomato Sauce.” It was flavorful, but a little plain. I’m really eager to try your variety with the tomatoes roasted, etc.!
Hi Marlee.
You can just dump it in zip lock gallon freezer safe bags. I’ve also frozen it in mason jars. For the crock pot, I normally double the spices. It really is hard to say how many tomatoes. My guess is that it would be about 2-3 pounds. Just depends on the size of them. I’ve never made it with chili peppers since I like a savory marinara sauce, so I can’t advise you on that.
You really will love the flavor of this one. It is super good. Carol
I failed to mention that when I make the oven dried tomatoes, i line my sheet pans with foil, then put parchment paper over that as you don’t want the acid in the tomatoes reacting with the pan.I also use a paper towel and a wooden spoon to blot the tomatoes several times to remove excess moisture.
I made the sauce today, I didn’t peal the tomatoes after roasting, I ran them through my food mill with the largest holes, when the sauce was done I rand it through the smaller holes and it seemed to work OK.
Good to know Harry. I find it easy to peel mine after roasting but glad to know the food mill worked. Carol
just make sure to cook before freezing!
Just make sure to *cool* before freezing.
Wow, this looks delicious! I can’t get (and haven’t grown) any of the fresh herbs. except for parsley, but do have dried herbs. Would you recommend substituting a tablespoon of fresh herbs with a teaspoon of dried? How much dried thyme would you recommend instead of the fresh sprigs? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Harris. You will love the marinara sauce. I’ve made it with both dried herbs and also fresh. Both taste nice. Just use 1/3 of any measurements for the fresh to subsitute dry, so a tsp instead of a tablespoon of oregano and parsley and 2/3 tsp of basil. For the thyme, I’d use 1/2 tsp. I never measure my spices and you could use more. (I just go by the way it looks in my hand when I pour it out but these measurements should do fine.) Carol
This sauce turned out beautifully with your recommendations, thanks Carol!
Esmé
So glad the marinara sauce worked out well for you, Esmé. Carol
Someone wanted to know if there was a substitute for the wine. I made this yesterday using about 3 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette and a 1/2 cup water. It was wonderful! Thanks!
Thanks for the tip Susan! Carol
I have been looking for a homemade, fresh tomato marinara. Most are too bland, so I was excited to see one with fresh herbs. I have a bumper crop of tomatoes of all varieties, both cherry and traditional, so will try a mixture of what I have. I’ll report back with how many pounds I use and the results. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I made gazpacho using the mixture of tomatoes I have, and it was amazing! I have Sungold, Oregon, Brandywine, Red Grape, Yellow Pear, Black Cherry, and Sweet 100s. The different varieties added such an interesting flavor profile.
Hi Jackie. It sounds as though you have been busy growing this year. What a bumper crop! Carol
As promised, I’m reporting back on the marinara I made with the variety of tomatoes I had from my garden. It is amazing! So very flavorful! For the cherry tomatoes, I used a food mill to remove the skin. That was much easier than trying to hand peel the large number of cherry tomatoes I had, although it did make that part of the sauce very smooth. However, for the regular-sized tomatoes I just peeled them by hand and crushed them as per the recipe instructions, which added the chunkiness to the sauce that I wanted. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi Jackie Thanks so much for getting back with your results. I am really glad it worked out well for you. There is nothing quite like a home made sauce, especially when compared to store bought is there? Carol
I’m making this now. I had an open bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon so red wine it is…Can’t wait to see what my husband thinks! It smells fantastic!
HI Sandra. Let me know how he likes it. My husband loves this recipe. Carol
Would chicken stock work in place of beef? Anyone tried that?
I’ve used both and they work fine.
@Carol Speake, how about vegetable stock? I’m vegetarian and would love to know if you’ve tried your recipe with veggie stock and how it turned out. Thanks!
HI Mary, I haven’t tried it that way specifically for this recipe, but I do find there are just minor differences in taste when swapping out the stock. The main flavor of the sauce comes from the roasted tomatoes.
@Carol Speake, you’re so kind. Thanks for getting back to me.
Hi! I am going to make this today. You said red wine in your post, but wrote white wine on the recipe card. Did I miss something? I may have to open both, and drink one! haha~
I’ve made it with both and they work fine. I’ll fix the typo. Thanks for alerting me!
Can you jar and freeze this recipe?
Yes I have done this many times.
Do you boil to remove skin of tomatoes beforehand?
no, the skins come off easily after roasting so there is no need to boil them.
How much does this recipe make? Taste delicious. I cut recipe in half to try and used 12 tomatoes but only got 2 medium mason jars ☹️
That sounds about right. The recipe is not a batch recipe but can be doubled or tripled for more volume.
I have some roasted tomatoes that I froze. Could I use them in this sauce?
HI Debbie. I have not tried to do this, but think they would work. The sauce might be a bit more watery though. Carol
I had a whole bunch of giant heirloom tomatoes that were ripe, and I leave on vacation tomorrow, so I made this recipe. Wow! Delicious! I have a vegetarian daughter, so I substituted better than bullion for the beef broth. Definitely use the red wine, which add depth and yum. I roasted my giant tomatoes for about 20 min and then used tongs to strip the skin and put them into a bowl where I used my hand blender to blend them. That worked great.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta sauce recipe Liz. It is a favorite with my family too.
Is it okay to use chicken stocks if I don’t have a beef stocks available
Yes, the flavor will be a bit milder but it will work.
How does the beef stock affect the taste of the sauce?
You can use any stock but beef stock will make it a bit richer. I normally add ground beef to my pasta sauce, so the beef stock compliments it.
@Carol Speake,
Hi Carol,
Do you pour all the liquid in to the pot a long with the tomato’s?
Thank you,
Connie
Hi Connie. If you are talking about the liquid from the tomatoes, yes, I do.
Can I use chicken stock instead of beef stock
Hi Marta, Yes, any stock will work fine. There will be a slight difference in the flavor but not too much.
Nice, easy recipe to maximize the flavor from this year’s bounty of Brandywine tomatoes. Roasting added depth of flavor, as did the wine and beef stock, while hand-crushing the tomatoes created a nice, truly authentic mouthfeel. I make a bulk sauce annually using San Marzanos but this was a surprise hit that I’ll be sure to make again.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sam.