This bright and fresh tasting homemade tomato sauce from fresh or canned Roma tomatoes, olive oil, and basil goes great with pasta, summer vegetables, or as a base for tomato soup.
15largeripe plum tomatoesseeded and halved or 1 (28-oz) can plum tomatoes, drained and juices reserved
¼cupolive oildivided
½mediumwhite onionchopped
2tablespoonschopped fresh basil leaves
½cupwater
2 ½tspsea saltdivided
½tspfreshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion with ½ teaspoon salt and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the tomatoes and onion to a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender) and pulse until smooth. Return the sauce to the saucepot and add the basil, water, 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes to marry the flavors. Serve hot or transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Roma Tomatoes: For the best flavor, use ripe summer plum/Roma tomatoes in this recipe. Otherwise, canned San Marzano Roma tomatoes are a fantastic substitution.