Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
Updates on the garden, a recipe you'll keep forever, and big news at the end!
I’m back in your inbox, how exciting. Consistent writing is hard for me so please be proud, lol. During the pandemic, I challenged myself to learn two new hobbies: baking and gardening. I had the slightest clue on how to start gardening but I’ve been watching my grandma and mom for years and decided to go to Home Depot and let the ancestors guide me. The first year went great! Made some mistakes along the way, and got overwhelmed with the produce coming in, but I found my favorite thing- tomato sauce. Of course, when starting a garden, you HAVE to grow tomatoes. For the most part, you can’t go wrong as long as you give them water and plenty of sunlight.
Elle’s Tomato Growing Tips
Snap off all of those baby leaves at the bottom of the vine and the plant is very deep. Like deep deep, all the way to the first level of branches. Since the plants are essentially vines, they will begin to root along the stems. You want to give the root enough room to grow strong.
The more sunlight, the more fruit! Plant your tomatoes, somewhere they’ll get plenty of sunlight and attract pollinators.
Be sure to water! Tomatoes need about an inch of water a week to keep growing. Be sure to water from the bottom so that all of the nutrients go straight to those deep roots.
Determine what kind of tomato plant you’re growing. Bushier plants may need staking while long vines will need tomato cages to support growth and fruit bearing.
When making tomato sauce, the most authentic way, the best tomatoes to use are categorized as “paste tomatoes”. Roma tomatoes are in the paste category because of their low moisture content. Because they are less juicy and contain half of the seeds as a Beefsteak tomato, they are recommended for making sauce. However, our kitchens means our rules. I like to use as many different tomatoes as possible from my garden. The best tip is to give them a squeeze once sliced into a small bowl and most of the seeds and juice will come out. It’s okay to skip this step, our sauce will be great.
What You Need:
10 to 12 Tomatoes, in my recipe I used better boys, romas, san marzanos, and small cherry tomatoes for sweetness. The key to remember is 5 to 6 tomatoes will make a quart of sauce.
1 large Yellow Onion, peeled and quartered
4 to 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
6 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, about a tablespoon if using dried or ground herbs
6 sprigs of Fresh Oregano
8 to 10 Basil Leaves, I won’t allow dried basil for this part, you need fresh I promise. I’ll even give you some from my own garden!
1 ½ tbsp of Sea Salt, or to taste
Coarse Ground Black Pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
What to Do:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare a large bowl for your ingredients and a rimmed baking sheet for roasting.
Prepare the tomatoes by cutting out the core of the tomato from the top center and squeezing out any seeds and juice. If this sounds like too much, cut the tomatoes in half and cut the core out. I like to cut a small “x” on the bottom of the tomato to help with removing the skin.
Place the tomatoes and onion in the bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Give them a toss and then place them on the baking sheet.
Arrange the garlic on the baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven to roast for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and add in the herbs. Place back in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 more minutes. You should see the skin lifting from the tomatoes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Peel the skins from the tomatoes using your hands or a pair of tongs.
Transfer all of the mixture to a large bowl and blend using an immersion blender or place it all in a food processor and process.
If I’m using the sauce right away, I like to transfer the mixture to a medium pot or large sauce pan and simmer for up to an hour. If not, I allow it to cool and place it in a jars for later.
Enjoy and don’t forget to tag me in pic if you try the recipe!
Ah! You’ve made it to the end. Thanks so much for reading my newsletter, you know the doll can be extra :) Anyway, I’ve been thinking of new ways for you all to try some of the recipes I create for my Homegirl Kitchen Pastry Shop. In September, I will be launching themed pastry boxes that will be available for purchase at HomegirlKitchen.com. The first box that I will be curating includes all of my favorite autumn flavors and spices. A maple icing drizzled blondie with Michigan apples and Canadian maple syrup. Rich and hearty oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies. Pumpkin gingerbread loaf with cheesecake buttercream. Maple pecan pie bars with a shortbread crust. And my favorite, apple orchard-style cinnamon cider donuts. Local Detroit pickup will take place on September 20th, just in time for the 22nd aka the first day of Fall! I’m excited to share that I will begin US shipping for Halloween. I’m really excited to share this with you all. I have so many great recipes planned!
