A rich, jammy roasted cherry tomato sauce made with fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. No peeling or stovetop simmering required - just roast, blend, and use it for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or easy freezer meals.
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This roasted cherry tomato sauce is my favorite way to turn a big batch of summer cherry tomatoes into a rich, jammy sauce without peeling tomatoes or simmering a pot on the stove. The tomatoes, onion, garlic, and thyme roast together until caramelized, then everything gets blended with fresh basil and thyme for a sauce that tastes sweet, savory, and so complex.
I like roasting the tomatoes for a full hour so they shrivel, concentrate, and create those browned bits on the pan - that's where so much of the flavor comes from. Use this sauce for pasta, pizza, lasagna, meatballs, sandwiches, or freeze it for quick dinners later.
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⭐️ Why This Sheet Pan Tomato Sauce Works
- Deep roasted flavor: Roasting cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, and thyme until jammy and caramelized gives the sauce a naturally sweet, rich flavor without a stovetop simmer.
- No peeling required: Cherry tomatoes can be roasted whole and blended with the skins, making this much easier than traditional fresh tomato sauce.
- One sheet pan: Everything roasts together on one pan, then gets blended with fresh basil.
- Great for extra cherry tomatoes: This is one of the easiest ways to use up a large batch of summer tomatoes.
- Smooth or chunky: Blend it until silky, or leave some texture for pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or dipping.
- Freezer-friendly: Make a batch now and freeze it for quick weeknight meals later.
🍅 Ingredient Notes
- Cherry tomatoes - You will need about 6 cups, or 2 pounds. Red cherry tomatoes will give you the brightest red sauce, but mixed-color cherry tomatoes work just as well and create a slightly more golden-orange sauce.
- Yellow onion - Roasts until sweet and caramelized. You can use red onion or 3-4 medium shallots instead.
- Garlic - Roasted garlic adds savory depth and helps balance the sweetness of the tomatoes.
- Fresh basil - Add it after roasting so the sauce tastes fresh and bright.
- Fresh thyme - Adds an earthy, herby flavor that works especially well with roasted tomatoes.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - Helps the tomatoes caramelize and gives the blended sauce a silkier texture.
- Red pepper flakes - Optional, but great if you like a bit of heat.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Use frozen cherry tomatoes: Roast them straight from frozen, but add 10-15 minutes to the roasting time (remove the other ingredients from the pan at the 1 hour mark).
- Use grape tomatoes - Grape tomatoes work well, though they usually have thicker skins and a slightly less sweet flavor than cherry tomatoes.
- Make it smoother or chunkier: Blend longer for a smoother sauce, or pulse just a few times for a rustic texture.
- Swap the herbs: Use oregano or rosemary instead of thyme for a different flavor profile.
🔪 How to Make Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Onto a large baking sheet, place the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour olive oil over all ingredients, and stir with a large spoon, making sure to coat all of the ingredients really well with olive oil. Spread vegetables out evenly.
Roast for 1 hour, until the tomatoes have burst and shriveled, and onions are caramelized.
Carefully transfer half of ingredients on sheet pan (you will purée your sauce in two batches) into a food processor or blender. Make sure that you scrape off all the crunchy bits stuck on the pan - that's flavor! Add fresh basil (and red pepper flakes, if using) and blend until you reach your desired consistency and texture.
Transfer sauce to a medium bowl and purée the remaining ingredients. Pour sauce into canning jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You will have about 3 ½ cups of sauce.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Don't crowd the pan too much. Spread the tomatoes out evenly so they roast and caramelize instead of steaming.
- Roast until the tomatoes shrivel. The sauce gets its flavor from concentrated, jammy tomatoes and caramelized onions.
- Scrape up the browned bits. Those sticky bits on the sheet pan add a lot of savory depth to the sauce.
- Add basil after roasting. Fresh basil tastes brighter when blended in at the end instead of roasted with the other ingredients.
- Blend in batches if needed. Hot sauce can expand in a blender or food processor, so don't overfill it.
- Adjust the texture. Pulse a few times for a chunky sauce, or blend longer for a smoother pasta or pizza sauce.
👩🏼🍳 Storage & Freezing
Store cooled roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, transfer the cooled sauce to freezer-safe containers or bags (leave room to allow for expansion) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Important: this sauce is not shelf-stable as written, so it should be stored in the fridge or freezer rather than canned for pantry storage.
🍝 Ways To Use No Peel Tomato Sauce
This roasted tomato sauce is thick, jammy, and versatile enough to use anywhere you'd normally use marinara or tomato sauce. Toss it with pasta for an easy dinner, layer it into vegetarian lasagna, spoon it over meatballs, or use it as a simple pizza sauce.
It's also delicious spread onto crusty bread, tucked into sandwiches, served with focaccia, or spooned over beans, tofu, eggs, or roasted vegetables. I like to freeze small portions so I can pull out just enough for pasta bakes, homemade flatbreads, or quick weeknight meals.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
No. Cherry tomatoes do not need to be peeled for this roasted tomato sauce. Roasting softens the skins, and once blended, they add body and texture to the sauce.
Cherry tomatoes can very in juiciness. If the sauce is thinner than you'd like, simmer it in a skillet for a few minutes after blending. You can also find more tips here on how to thicken tomato sauce.
Yes. Grape tomatoes work well, though they usually have thicker skins and are not quite as sweet as cherry tomatoes. The sauce will still be delicious!
🍽 More Sauce & Pasta Recipes
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Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes, stems removed (about 6 cups)
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and skins removed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Onto a large baking sheet, place the cherry tomatoes, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour olive oil over all ingredients, and stir with a large spoon, making sure to coat all of the ingredients really well with olive oil. Spread vegetables out evenly.
- Roast for 1 hour, until the tomatoes have burst and shriveled, and onions are caramelized.
- Carefully transfer half of ingredients on sheet pan (you will purée your sauce in two batches) into a food processor or blender. Make sure that you scrape off all the crunchy bits stuck on the pan - that's flavor! Add fresh basil (and red pepper flakes, if using) and blend until you reach your desired consistency and texture.
- Transfer sauce to a medium bowl and purée the remaining ingredients.
- Pour sauce into canning jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, store it in the freezer (make sure to leave at least 1-inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion) for up to 3 months. You will have about 3 ½ cups of sauce.
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Notes
- Store cooled roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, transfer the cooled sauce to freezer-safe containers or bags (leave room to allow for expansion) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.
Bsrb says
I love how many uses there are for this sauce!
MaryAnne says
Same! I added it to a cheese sandwich over the weekend!
Jenny says
Let me start by saying, I very rarely leave reviews for anything. Something has to be exceedingly wonderful, or exceedingly horrible for me to leave a review . That being said, this is hands-down, the best sauce I have ever made! I have been making sauce from fresh tomatoes for years, but nothing I have made has ever tasted like this! Perfectly sweet, savory, smoky, all at the same time in a perfect balance. And it was so easy! Roast, throw in basil, purée. That’s it! done! My son, who is a major “foodie”, said this sauce was better than restaurant quality. I can’t wait to try your other recipes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
MaryAnne says
Hi Jenny, thank you so much! 😊 I also love this sauce, and could honestly slurp it from a bowl on a daily basis. 😂 Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Kristen says
Wow, this sauce is fantastic! My favorite use for it is putting it on a meatball sub. Seriously, you all have to try it...it's so easy and you'll never go back to your old sauce again!
MaryAnne says
Thanks so much, Kristen! Adding it to a meatball sub sounds excellent!