I have posted a number of Italian recipes with a roasted tomato sauce. Those roasted tomato sauces stem from the spaghetti sauce that I’ve been honing for years. Making tomato sauce from scratch provides an explosion of flavors! After having posted recipes containing a simplified roasted tomato sauce, I figured it was time to finally share the ultimate spaghetti sauce recipe!
This sauce has three types of tomatoes. First are the slow roasted tomatoes. Spread across a baking sheet, the tomatoes are slowly roasted in the oven with garlic and fresh herbs. Don’t be scared of the amount of garlic in this recipe. It is not overwhelming; it’s just perfect! I had a bumper crop of tomatoes, so before ripping out my tomato plants to winterize my beds, I grabbed the remaining tomatoes and cherry tomatoes to make this sauce!
While they roast, the other half of the sauce is started on the stove top. After sautéing onions, I add a ground meat mix that contains one-third ground beef, one-third ground pork, and one-third ground veal. You can do the same or use 100% of any one of them! I am not one to leave the meat grease in the pan. It just generates too much, so I drain it off in a large colander before returning the meat and onions back to the saucepan.
Then comes the second type of tomatoes ~ canned diced tomatoes. Topped with a good amount of wine and a bit of balsamic vinegar, the sauce is left looking kind of purple… don’t worry! It won’t stay that way.
After the tomatoes are finished roasting, they go into a blender or food processor along with the roasted herbs and garlic. Processed until smooth, the roasted tomatoes are added to the sauce. Now you should have a deep red sauce!
Then the third type of tomato… sun-dried tomatoes. Adding sun-dried tomatoes provides such a unique taste that the flavor does stand out. I also add pesto to the sauce to give an extra burst of basil flavor.
This may be far from the traditional Italian sauces, but it is hands down the best tomato sauce you can make. There is nothing like the flavors that come from making tomato sauce from scratch with a base of oven roasted tomatoes! I tweak this sauce to make so many different meals. Check them out here:
Meatballs with Grilled Romaine
This tomato sauce is delicious over whatever pasta you choose! We love it with either pappardelle or angle hair pasta. When my son was younger, we used these bowls painted with different Italian waiters. I would dish everything up and then we would all guess which bowl we got! Silly fun when your kids are young 🤪
This is such a great Sunday dinner! It’s also a dinner we normally serve around Christmas when we have a large table of relatives. But alas, that’ll have to wait another year 🙁.
Stay safe and enjoy!
How to Make the Most Flavorful Homemade Spaghetti Sauce from Scratch
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Italian, Sunday Dinner
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
15 large vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
20 garlic cloves, left whole
large handful of basil and oregano
salt and pepper
2 TBs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1½ mixed ground meat (I do ⅓ ground beef, ⅓ ground pork, and ⅓ ground veal ~ you can do all ground beef if you prefer)
1 – 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
2 TBs balsamic vinegar
1 TB fresh thyme
6.7 oz pesto (without the pine nuts)
8.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes (if using julienned or halved, finely mince them)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
Distribute the tomatoes evenly across a baking sheet, cut side up. Like sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the garlic cloves around the sheet and top with a handful of basil and oregano. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
While the tomatoes roast, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and lightly sprinkle with salt. Cook about 5 minutes, or until just starting to soften. Add the thyme and stir until fragrant. Add the ground meat breaking up any lumps, until browned (it’s okay if there are a few pink spots). Drain the meat and onion mix in a large colander, draining all of the grease from the pan and thoroughly shaking to drain the grease from the meat and onions. Return to the pan.
Add the canned tomatoes, red wine, and balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine. Once the sauce starts to lightly simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the roast tomatoes are done, stirring occasionally.
Place the roasted tomatoes and garlic in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the sauce and mix to combine. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil and stir to thoroughly combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Serve over your favorite pasta.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, Homemade Tomato Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce From Scratch, Tomato Sauce From Scratch, Homemade Spaghetti, Spaghetti Recipes
