Homemade Tomato Sauce (Marinara) || Batch-Friendly & Freezer-Ready
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Ah! Homemade tomato sauce… and I don’t mean ketchup but that super easy and delicious sauce you can run through pasta, top with cheese and it’s a winner with all the family.
It’s surprisingly simple to make and a healthier, sugar-free option to the pasta sauces you get at the supermarket. This is a great recipe to batch cook in bulk then freeze in portion sizes, ready to whip out during the 4-8pm witching hour on a weekday.
And now’s the time to be thinking about making it. Because there’s a moment, usually somewhere between late July and early September, when tomatoes are suddenly everywhere. In the garden, tumbling out of veg boxes, or piled high at the shops, practically begging you to take them home and often on special price as there’s such a glut.
And I do take them home. Usually far too many. Usually with a child under one arm and the other clutching a bag bursting at the seams with so many tomatoes.
Last summer, for example, I carted home 10kg of tomatoes “on special”. And this homemade roasted tomato sauce is my answer to any tomato glut and dinner panic all in one. It’s the recipe I turn to when life feels full…of noise, of needs, of “what’s for dinner?” shouts. It’s simple, forgiving, deeply nourishing, and, if I haven’t mentioned this already, batch-friendly.
Let’s Talk Ingredients For This Homemade Tomato Sauce
Start with ripe, juicy tomatoes. Plum or Roma are ideal, but truthfully? Use what you’ve got. Slightly bruised, overripe, even the ones languishing in the fruit bowl under a banana. They all roast down into the same sweet, savoury richness.
Garlic is a must; whole cloves, peeled but unbothered. The oven mellows their punch into something gently sweet.
Then a good splash (or three) of olive oil, because tomatoes love fat. It carries the flavour and gives that luxurious mouthfeel we pretend we’re too tired to care about (but we do).
Herbs like oregano, thyme or rosemary add that rustic, Italian-nonna-from-Sicily essence. Whatever’s dried and in reach will do.
A bit of salt and pepper to season…and that’s it. No sugar, no faff, just honest food doing its thing.
The Method
The beauty of this recipe lies in the roasting. I put together a video yonks ago of the method, so you might enjoy watching that.
What I love about this recipe is that everything goes into one tray. No peeling, no chopping. Just a tumble of tomatoes, a scattering of garlic, a dousing of oil, and a shake of seasoning. Into the oven they go at 180°C (fan) until the skins blister and the house smells flippin’ amazing.
Let it cool slightly and then everything goes into a blender. Oil, juices, garlic, tomato skins and all. It becomes a silky sauce that tastes like summer bottled up. Or leave it chunky, rustic-style. We’re not on MasterChef. We’re mamas keeping our shmozzle together and really need good food quickly, easily and with as little washing up as possible.
Oh, and if you need a bit of help with keeping your schmozzle together, then best check out the Mum-Life Management Planner below.
Swaps, Tweaks & Tips in Times of Crisis
No blender? A hand blender works fine, or even a potato masher for a chunkier finish.
No fresh herbs? Dried herbs are just fab. Keep. It. Simple. Aim for delicious rather than perfection.
Want extra veg snuck in? Roast a red pepper or two alongside. Or courgettes. No one will know. Shhhhhhh!
For spice lovers: Add a pinch of chilli flakes before roasting.
Big batch tips: If you’re mad enough like me to find yourself using 10kg of tomatoes (go you!), divide into several trays and rotate them halfway through roasting so everything caramelises nicely.
Storage, Freezer Notes and Recipe Ideas for Homemade Tomato Sauce
Let the homemade tomato sauce cool before portioning into containers or jars. Sterilised jars are lovely if you’ve got the time (and mental bandwidth). Otherwise, freezer bags or lidded pots do the job.
It keeps in the fridge for up to a week. In the freezer, it’s good for 3 to 6 months. Perfect for those evenings when the baby’s teething, there’s a weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, and everyone still expects dinner.
But how exactly could you use it? It’s great for a simple pasta sauce which you can jazz up with cheese or bacon. It’s also so tasty with chicken and olives in the slow cooker or lamb and harissa sauce. Finally, this homemade tomato sauce makes a delicious soup when you add some bone broth and a tin or two of butter beans.
One Spoonful of Sunshine at a Time
There’s something reassuring about a freezer full of this sauce. It feels like a small, Italian win amidst the busyness of motherhood. Like a generous nod to your future self saying, “I’ve got you covered AND the children will be eating something healthy and delicious”
So if your week’s been loud, your floor’s been sticky, and your meals have leaned heavily on toast, try this. Batch it. Freeze it. And when life goes sideways (again), you’ve got a pot of slow-roasted, garlic-kissed tomato loveliness ready to go.
And the best bit? It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and good-for-the-soul.
Share this with a friend who could use some extra yumminess & cooking ease in her life—or pin it for later when you need a quick win in the kitchen!
Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce (Marinara) || Batch-Friendly & Freezer-Ready
A rich, flavour-packed tomato sauce that’s easy to make in bulk and perfect for pasta, stews, soups, or anything that needs a spoonful of sunshine.
Ingredients
- * 2–3 kg ripe tomatoes (or up to 10 kg for big batch cooking!)
- * 6–10 garlic cloves, peeled (adjust to taste)
- * 4–6 tbsp olive oil
- * 1 tbsp dried oregano (or thyme/rosemary/herb blend of choice)
- * Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
- Wash your tomatoes and place them whole into large roasting trays or dishes. Work in batches if needed.
- Add garlic cloves (peeled but left whole) and scatter them throughout the tomatoes.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil, then sprinkle with herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Roast for about 1 hour, or until the skins start to brown and the tomatoes collapse and release their juices.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then tip everything—roasted tomatoes, garlic, oil, and juices—into a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth. (Or leave a bit chunky if that’s your thing.)
Notes
Storage:
- Pour into sterilised jars and seal for shelf storage, or let cool and freeze in portions for later use.
- Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week; in the freezer for 3–6 months.
Uses:
- Pasta sauce
- Pizza base
- Soup starter
- Braises and stews
- Layered into lasagnes or poured over roasted veg
Batch tip: If working with 10 kg of tomatoes, divide into 2–3 roasting trays and rotate halfway through for even caramelisation.
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