This is a perfect way to use up tomatoes from your summer garden crop. Thanks to my dad and uncle, I had plenty of green and red tomatoes to use for this sauce! This was my first time making tomato sauce completely from scratch - without the canned tomatoes. It tasted so fresh and was worth the wait!
Time: 8 hours
Ingredients:
- 12 whole tomatoes (I used frozen tomatoes green and red tomatoes that I let defrost overnight in the fridge, makes them so easy to peel!)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves, torn into smaller pieces
- I handful fresh thyme leaves (I used broad-leaf thyme)
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Recipe:
- Wash and peel the tomatoes. If they are frozen from earlier in the summer, it helps to boil them for 5 minutes so the skin peels off easier. After they're peeled, set them aside.
- Slice the edge of the garlic bulb (skin on) so that the tops of each glove are exposed. Coat with olive oil and wrap in foil - roast on 425 for 40 mins.
- Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil and diced onions in a large pot on medium heat. Mix around until the onion is opaque.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, sugar, crushed red pepper, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Mix until combined.
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil for about 10 mins on medium-high heat.
- Lower the heat, remove the cover, and stir. The mixture will start thickening - looking almost like salsa rather than a sauce.
- Remove the garlic from the foil paper and squeeze the softened cloves into the pot. Mix around, the garlic will melt.
- Add the cup of water, stir, and recover the pot. Leave the heat on a low simmer.
- Keep checking the sauce and stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn. If it has a lot of chunks, use an immersion blender. Leave it on the stove for 3-6 hours (or longer if you have the time!)
Depending on how ripe the tomatoes were, you may need to add a little more sugar or a little more salt after tasting it. If you prefer a spicier sauce, you can add more crushed red peppers.
Serve over warm pasta or use as a dipping sauce for breads!
