November 8, 2011

Easy Roasted Balsamic Tomato Sauce (to Freeze!)

I realize that doesn’t look much like tomato sauce down there. (Could it be extra, extra chunky?) It will in a second, though. Are there any stray tomatoes left out there? They’d feel right at home here.

My go-to pasta sauce is usually Emeril’s Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce that I keep stocked in the freezer. But because I had a(nother) bout of insanity, I ordered another big box of tomatoes. Feeling a little balsamic-y one day I decided to make a roasted tomato version. With lots of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I realized today that this is the first real recipe I’ve posted in over two weeks, and there is a good reason for that. A lot of exciting things are happening around here. More on that later…

So, take about 20 Romas, quarter them, and throw them on a sturdy baking sheet with some sliced onion and whole, peeled garlic cloves.

I hesitate giving measurements for this recipe, because — truly — it was a chop, drizzle, sprinkle kind of thing. Load the tomatoes up with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and some freshly cracked pepper.

Let them roast for 25-30 minutes and not only will you have a gorgeous pan of caramelized vegetables, but your house will smell like an Italian restaurant. A good Italian restaurant. The kind that doesn’t have high chairs and where you’d feel completely at home wearing a feather boa.

AAAND… if you’re tired or scared of canning. Or don’t know how. Or just plain lazy (Ahem, moi) store the sauce in canning jars and freeze them. Yep, you can freeze them, just leave an inch of space at the top for expansion. And don’t drop a frozen-solid jar of sauce into a sink of hot water to thaw. (Like you would do that, right?) Put it in the fridge to thaw. Or on the counter for several hours. (That’s probably not safe according to someone’s standards, but I do it all the time.)

Then do two things:

1. When you pull it out to use it, make sure someone is watching and they’ll think you actually CANNED it yourself.

2. Make something like this with it. Especially if you’ve had a hankering for pasta and cheese for, like, 3 months. (Me, again.)

Note: You can also store them in freezer safe zip-top bags, but that would defeat the purpose of #1.

Easy Roasted Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

around 20 Roma tomatoes, cored and quartered (enough to fill a half sheet pan)
1 small onion, halved and sliced thinly (or half of a large one)
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
3-4 T olive oil
3-4 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
3 T tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp basil or Italian seasoning
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth (if needed, to adjust texture)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet (those sturdy half sheet pans are wonderful!). Scatter onion and garlic cloves over the top. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over the vegetables, then sprinkle the salt and pepper. Using your hands, toss until everything is coated and spread vegetables evenly in the pan.

Roast for 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes and onions are tender and have begun to brown or blacken slightly. Stir once or twice during roasting.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a large saucepan. (Or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days until you're ready to finish the sauce.) Add tomato paste, basil, and half of the chicken broth. Cook over medium heat and stir to incorporate the tomato paste.

Puree the vegetables using an immersion blender or working in batches with a blender. (Hopefully you have an immersion blender. It's such a lifesaver in times like these.) Add more chicken stock to reach the consistency you want. Let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

Taste and add more salt, pepper, or vinegar as you see fit. Transfer to freezer safe containers and freeze. Or use it right away. It'll keep in the fridge for about a week.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

from Perry's Plate

Homemade Staples, Paleo/Primal, Perry's Plate Originals

22 comments »

22 Responses to “Easy Roasted Balsamic Tomato Sauce (to Freeze!)”

1

warmvanillasugar — November 8, 2011 @ 12:57 pm

This stuff is mad tasty looking. Great recipe!

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2

Lauren — November 8, 2011 @ 2:35 pm

Love it! I'm always looking for easy, distinctive tomato sauce recipes and this one looks like a keeper!

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3

Lauren's Latest — November 8, 2011 @ 3:24 pm

That pasta looks amazing with all that melted cheese! YUM!

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4

Karly — November 8, 2011 @ 4:16 pm

Come to mama.

Dumb question: Do you let the tomato sauce set in the jars until it gets to room temperature before you freeze them? I've been wanting to go the lazy route and freeze my jars rather than can them, but I was scared I'd do it wrong.

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5

Natalie — November 8, 2011 @ 4:18 pm

Karly – Not a dumb question. The thought crossed my mind while I was "canning" (heh) this. I did let them sit on the counter until the sauce was lukewarm, just to be on the safe side. The last thing I wanted was exploding tomato sauce in my freezer.

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6

Meg — November 8, 2011 @ 4:29 pm

this is getting bookmarked… i've been steadfastly been making & freezing soups for winter, why not pasta sauce as well? my favorite thing to do on a lazy sunday is roast vegetables for a recipe. but with balsamic vinegar? mmmmmmmmm excellent.

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7

Cassie//Bake Your Day — November 8, 2011 @ 7:44 pm

This sounds so good. I absolutely love roasted tomatoes. Perfect pasta dish!

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8

Budget Gourmet Mom — November 8, 2011 @ 9:27 pm

That made a lot of sauce! I roasted tomatoes from our garden a few weeks ago and I loved how they made the house smell!

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9

sprinkledwlove.com — November 9, 2011 @ 1:18 am

This looks so amazing! Pinning it for future making :)

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10

sprinkledwlove.com — November 9, 2011 @ 1:18 am

This looks so amazing! Pinning it for future making :)

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11

Kalyn — November 9, 2011 @ 1:59 am

Sounds like a fantastic recipe!

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12

Joanne — November 9, 2011 @ 3:00 am

Oh my lord, I would give ANYTHING to have all that roasted tomato sauce in my fridge! It looks luscious.

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13

The Three Little Piglets — November 9, 2011 @ 3:23 am

I would love to have a shelf full of this to go to all year long! It's one of the best things about canning!

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14

Tessa — November 9, 2011 @ 4:23 am

This sounds awesome with the balsamic mixed in. I'm with you, I'm a freezer, not a canner :)

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15

Maria — November 9, 2011 @ 3:17 pm

I love freezing sauce. Great recipe!

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16

Brandi — November 9, 2011 @ 7:45 pm

dang, now i'm sad my tomatoes are gone for the year!

i did roast romas and froze them in halves. i'll have to puree them into a sauce soon.

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17

Laura — November 10, 2011 @ 2:27 pm

This looks great! Just hopped over from Eat Live Run. Your blog is beautiful and your recipes look delicious!

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18

Food Jaunts — November 13, 2011 @ 8:52 pm

I've been loving all of these roasted tomato sauces I've been seeing everywhere. Your version with the tons of balsamic sounds a-maz-ing!

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19

becky — February 29, 2012 @ 5:28 am
Can I use already frozen tomatoes from the garden last summer? I would thaw them before baking :) ?

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- Natalie replied: — February 29th, 2012 @ 6:52 am
  
  Sure! They get pureed anyway, so it wouldn’t matter if they were a little mushy :)
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