Low Sugar Roasted Tomato Sauce
Most jarred tomato sauces sneak in cane sugar or corn syrup to balance acidity, which means even a simple pasta night can quietly pile on sweeteners you never intended to eat. This roasted version gets its natural sweetness entirely from the oven — plum tomatoes, yellow onion, and whole garlic cloves caramelize and char at 425°F until they're deeply golden and rich without a single added gram of sugar. The blender brings everything together with fresh basil, dried oregano, a pinch of turmeric, and a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil, creating a sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon. That final few minutes on the stovetop thickens it just enough to cling beautifully to pasta, spoon over polenta, or use as a pizza base. Every bit of flavor here comes from real ingredients and real heat — nothing hidden, nothing sweetened.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 lbs plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- ½ tsp turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the tomato halves cut-side up on a large rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the onion wedges and unpeeled garlic cloves around the tomatoes. Drizzle with 3 tbsp of the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- 2
Roast on the center rack for 40–45 minutes, until the tomatoes are deeply caramelized at the edges, collapsed, and beginning to char in spots, and the onion wedges are softened and golden at the tips.
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