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Roasted tomato and red pepper sauce – a versatile sauce that is simple to make, super flavorful, and can be used on pasta, pizza, or anywhere a tomato-based sauce is needed.

easy roasted tomato and red pepper sauce on pasta in a blue bowl with a fork

Slow roasting the veggies really brings out their flavor (and the garlic… oh my!).

Your kitchen will smell wonderful while this is cooking.

close-up of a glass jar of homemade roasted red pepper and tomato sauce with basil leaves

In summer, this would be a great way to use up excess fresh tomatoes. I know a lot of people seem to end up stuck with them. I don’t have a vegetable garden, so I wouldn’t know 🙂

a colander with two red peppers and whole tomatoes

The herbs I suggest are just a guideline. Feel free to sprinkle your favorite dried (or fresh!) herbs on. I don’t think you can go wrong. I looove the combination of basil and tomatoes so I wouldn’t leave that out, but anything else works.

close-up of roasted tomatoes and peppers

The roasting brings out the natural sweetness in the tomatoes and peppers, so no sugar is needed here.

Tools used to make this recipe:
KitchenAid Food Processor

How will you use this roasted tomato and red pepper sauce?

Roasted tomato and red pepper sauce - a versatile sauce that is simple to make, super flavorful, and can be used on pasta, pizza, or anywhere a tomato-based sauce is needed.
5 from 4 votes

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce

A versatile tomato sauce with red peppers and herbs.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 40 minutes
Total: 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 dozen roma tomatoes
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 10 leaves fresh basil
  • 5 whole cloves garlic
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat oven to 275F. Place the rack in the top third of the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
  • Cut tomatoes into halves and remove cores. Cut peppers into quarters and remove any seeds.
  • Add olive oil, dried herbs, roughly torn basil, garlic, and salt & pepper to a bowl. Coat tomatoes and peppers in the mixture (I placed them in the bowl one by one and used my hands to coat them in the oil mixture).
  • Place tomatoes and peppers on the baking sheet face up. Add garlic cloves in between the tomatoes and peppers, and place any remaining basil onto the tomatoes and peppers. Drizzle any remaining oil from the bowl on top of the tomatoes and peppers. Place in oven and cook for 2.5 hours.
  • Once cooked, let the tomatoes and peppers cool for at least 10 minutes.
  • Transfer contents of baking sheet into a food processor (you may need to do two batches) and blend until desired consistency is reached.
  • Re-heat before serving if needed.

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Hi! I’m Natasha.

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5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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42 Comments

  1. Michael says:

    Would it better to mash down and cook for 1 – 2 remove, cool skin and cook in a pan under low heat.

  2. Amy Worley says:

    First attempt is in the oven now. It smells great!

    1. Natasha says:

      Let me know how it goes, Amy!! Hope you love it!

  3. Sara says:

    5 stars
    Excellent 👍👍👍👍

    1. Natasha says:

      Thank you so much, Sara!!

  4. Paul Keegan says:

    2.5 hours at 275F? Really? Burnt ingredients.

    1. Natasha says:

      Adjust the cooking time however you want, Paul.

  5. So. B says:

    I tried this today for lunch with the veggies I had left at home. It simply turned out delicious!

    Thank you for the recipe, it’s a Keeper!

    1. Natasha says:

      Fabulous! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

  6. Julie says:

    Have you tried this recipe adding fresh onions?

    1. Natasha says:

      Nope, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. 🙂

  7. Joy Thomson says:

    It isn’t safe to cook acidic foods on aluminum foil. Maybe parchment paper would be safer

    1. Natasha says:

      You can do whatever you prefer, Joy.

  8. Ken says:

    5 stars
    I did mine in my air fryer. Turned out delicious, used large cherry tomatoes and mini red peppers.

    1. Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says:

      That’s so great to hear, Ken! We appreciate your review 🙂 Love that it worked out in the air fryer!

  9. John A says:

    Hi

    I made this for the first time and followed the recipe but it had a burnt taste rather than a roasted taste. Any thoughts on what I did wrong ? I would like to have another go as the other reviews sound great.

    Thanks

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi John! I would probably just give the peppers a bit less time – that should help. 🙂

  10. Kenn Alamo says:

    Got leftovers? How do you store it and shelf life?

    1. Natasha says:

      I’d recommend freezing it. It will last about a week or so in the fridge. I am not skilled at canning, so unfortunately I can’t give you tips on that – sorry!