How to Make a Big Batch of Two Day Roasted Tomato Sauce to Store for the Winter

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! When I bought the 10 pounds of seconds tomatoes last weekend, I was worried that my ultimate goal of transforming them into a succulent sauce was, well, a bit lofty. But, fortunately, the plan worked like a charm and I was able to use my small batch process on a much larger scale.

There are many, many ways to make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes. Some like to blanch the tomatoes for easy skin removal. Others remove the seeds as well. Some people do neither. I particularly like the flavor the tomatoes take on when roasted and the ease of cooking too. Plus, the skins practically jump right off.

I highly recommend lightly salting this. It will impart a more tomato-y flavor that can be adapted into other sauces.

Oh, and don’t be fooled by the two-day process. It isn’t as time-consuming as it sounds. Really. I mean it.

Day One: Roast the tomatoes.

Wash tomatoes and place them side by side in a baking pan (deep is better, though a foil-lined jelly roll pan can work too).

Broil on high for 15 minutes on each side.

Spoon juices into a bowl or pan and set aside. Remove tomatoes and let cool (covered) for a few hours. Once tomatoes are cool, slip them out of their skins, remove stems and blemishes, and crush half of them. The other half, remove the skins and stems only. Place all the tomatoes into a large pot or covered bowl. Strain reserved juices (plus any juices from the bowl you cooled the tomatoes in) into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Refrigerate overnight.

Day two: Make the sauce

On the second day, it’s time to make your big batch of roasted tomato sauce. Yes, this is a long process but the flavor of the sauce is worth the effort. As for storing, this sauce is best frozen.

Big Batch Two Day Roasted Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes are roasted and then rested overnight before being transformed into a big batch of tomato sauce to put up for winter.

Print

Ingredients

• about 10 lbs tomatoes, (can be seconds)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 extra large sweet onion, diced
• 1 bulb garlic, cloves removed and crushed
• 1 cup dried Italian seasonings
• 4 6 oz. cans tomato paste, mixed with an equivalent amount of water
• salt, to taste
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Day One: Roast the tomatoes.

1. Wash tomatoes and place them side by side in a baking pan (deep is better, though a foil lined jelly roll pan can work too). Broil on high for 15 minutes on each side. Spoon juices into a bowl or pan and set aside. Remove tomatoes and let cool (covered) for a few hours.
2. Once tomatoes are cool, slip them out of their skins, remove stems and blemishes, and crush half of them. The other half, remove the skins and stems only. Place all the tomatoes into a large pot or covered bowl. Strain reserved juices (plus any juices from the bowl you cooled the tomatoes in) into the bowl with the tomatoes.
3. Refrigerate overnight.

Day two: Make the sauce

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. When hot, add the onions and garlic, stirring frequently. Cook until onions are translucent – 5-8 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and spoon mixture into a food processor. Process into a paste.
3. In a large stock pot, combine the roasted tomatoes, the onion mixture and the Italian seasonings. Stir well.
4. Whisk together tomato paste and water. Add to the stockpot.
5. Set stove on medium-low and bring the sauce to a rolling boil (be sure it’s either covered with the lid ajar or that you are using a splatter guard. What a mess!). Stir frequently while boiling for 30 minutes.
6. Add salt (not too much though, you can always re-salt in small batches later) and sugar. Stir well.
7. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove from heat.
8. Let cool to lukewarm before storing. Freeze in tightly covered containers.

——————————————————
Psst! September is an Eat Local Challenge month! How better than to prepare for a winter of eating local by making fresh tomato sauce with local tomatoes?