Oven-roasted tomato sauce

PREP TIME

15 min

Makes

6 cups (1.5 L)

* PLUS Roasting Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

8 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes , or 15 plum tomatoes
2 medium onions
8 garlic cloves , peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp dried basil leaves
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Place oven racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Slice tomatoes in half. Place in a very large bowl. Coarsely chop onions and add. Add whole garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasonings (except fresh basil). Toss to evenly coat. Tumble onto 2 large, rimmed baking sheets.
Roast, uncovered, in top and bottom thirds of oven, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Switch position of baking sheets from top to bottom racks halfway through roasting.
Scrape mixture from 1 sheet into a food processor. Whirl until no large chunks remain. Then add 1 cup (250 mL) chopped basil and whirl until as puréed as you like. Repeat with remaining mixture and basil. Great over pasta, barbecued pork chops or chicken. Sauce will keep well, covered and refrigerated, up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories
76,
Protein
1.6 g,
Carbohydrates
8.4 g,
Fat
5 g,
Fibre
2.2 g,
Sodium
299 mg.

Fabulous tomato sauce doesn’t need to simmer for hours. In fact, it doesn’t even need to simmer. Simply oven-roasting tomatoes for half an hour adds a light smoky-sultry taste you can’t buy in any jar.

Make it Decadent

Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream and 1/3 cup (75 mL) vodka to sauce, if you wish. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until hot, about 5 minutes. Excellent with scallops or shrimp over linguine with shredded fresh basil on top.