Celery Free Roasted Tomato Sauce
There is something deeply satisfying about a tomato sauce that starts with a hot oven and a pile of fresh plum tomatoes rather than a can. Roasting the tomatoes cut-side up at high heat coaxes out their natural sugars, creating caramelized edges and a concentrated, jammy depth that no stovetop-only method can quite match. Whole unpeeled garlic cloves go into the oven alongside onion wedges, softening into something sweet and mellow before getting squeezed straight onto the pan — no waste, all flavor. Fresh basil, dried oregano, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a subtle warmth from turmeric round everything out before it all gets blended into a silky, vibrant sauce. Many jarred and restaurant-made sauces sneak in celery or celery seed as a background flavor booster, so making this from scratch means you know exactly what's in the pot. Every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify, which makes this a genuinely stress-free option for anyone navigating that particular sensitivity. Toss it with pasta, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or use it as a pizza base — it's the kind of versatile sauce worth making in a big batch.
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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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