This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

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 3 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.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

Leave a star rating and comment below!

Hi! I’m Natasha.

Salt & Lavender is a recipe blog with a focus on delicious comfort food using everyday ingredients. Beat the weekday grind with hundreds of easy-to-follow and hassle-free recipes!

Leave a comment

Please leave a recipe rating!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

37 Comments

    1. Hi! I didn’t peel them. I guess you could if you wanted to, but I found the texture was good and it adds more flavor.

  1. Trying this for the first time. Oh my the smells in the kitchen are wonderful – excellent recipe. Will definitely make again.

  2. 5 stars
    Ok, so I cheat. I chop my red peppers and tomatoes first and saute with the garlic in olive oil in my iron skillet. They then go under the broiler. You totally get a nice roasted flavor that can be used as is and in a lot of recipes. I’ve been cooking so long I’ve managed to come up with many short-cuts. Also worked in the restaurant business and it’s very common for short-cuts (that don’t affect quality) to be used, even in high-end establishments.

    1. I don’t see why not! I would ensure that you follow proper safety protocol for canning, though. Personally I’ve never done it before, so I can’t really say much about it… just make sure you do it safely. Not sure if there is a preservative you may want to add. I wish I knew more about canning to give you a definitive answer – sorry!

          1. 1/4tbsp citric acid/1tbsp lemon juice per pint.
            I’m canning this recipe right now; it’s easy enough. I prefer to peel my veggies after roasting for a smoother texture to use on pasta. You can also add cream when you reheat for a vodka style, or pork sausage for a Bolongese.

            Enjoy!

  3. This looks insanely delicious! But is it possible to make this without oil? (I’m HCLF vegan)
    Do you think it will destroy the good taste?

    1. Thank you! You know, I think it would still taste good without the oil. I’d be a bit worried about the veggies sticking to the baking sheet/foil a bit more, but I think you’d still be ok. I’m curious, let me know how it goes if you decide to try!

  4. Wow, this sauce really is easy to make and incredibly delicious. I use red sauces very often because all family love them. I definitely will try your recipe next time, it looks wonderful 🙂 Thank you for sharing ❤❤❤

  5. I have almost all of those ingredients in my garden at the moment so I will have to make some of this because it looks so delicious!
    p.s. I’m visiting via FoodGawker too!

  6. I saw this on FoodGawker (in the top row!) today, and instantly knew it was one of yours. Gorgeous photos as always, and this looks super tasty too.

  7. This sounds so good. My all-time favorite soup is tomato and roasted red pepper, so this sauce probably hits the same button… pinned for later!