A Simple Roast Tomato Sauce with Garlic and Basil
When it comes to seasonal cooking, it's all about adapting recipes we know and love. This how-to shows you the best ways to roast summertime tomatoes for a simple and flavorful sauce
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatoes any color and variety (grape, cherry, heirloom, red vine ripe, etc).
- 6 sprigs fresh basil leaves
- 6 cloves garlic 6-8 cloves work well here; keep them whole and peeled
- kosher salt and pepper to taste start with about a teaspoon of kosher salt and a half teaspoon ground black pepper; add more post roast for taste.
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- First thing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add tomatoes to a ceramic baking dish. Depending on size, you can slice the tomatoes in half or quarters. Spread tomatoes in an even layer in baking dish (measuring about 9×13″).
- Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.Layer your selected herbs. Think rosemary and thyme or fresh basil for summer. Add in a few cloves of garlic. Use as much garlic as you like! I like to use anywhere from 6 to 10 cloves for about 2 pounds of tomatoes.
- Roast tomatoes in oven for about 30 to 45 minutes until they are slightly blistered and soft.
- Once roasted, add all the basil, garlic, and tomatoes to a food processor or blender. Blend everything together until combined.
- Pour the sauce into a large skillet and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken slightly and flavors blend together. Add your cooked pasta and toss together to combine. Serve immediately garnishing with fresh parmesan and julienned basil. Alternatively, once blended you can place your sauce in freezer friendly containers and freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
- This is a great base for roast tomatoes and is highly adaptable. Use different fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme if basil is hard to find near you.
- You can also substitute dried herbs for fresh. If doing so, use about 1 teaspoon dried herbs to roast then add as desired for taste before blending.
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