Roasted Fresh Tomato Sauce

I took my usual pilgrimage to the farmer's market on Saturday and found lots of signs proclaiming the last crop of heirloom tomatoes of the season. Deeply distressed, I went a bit overboard buying them. That very night, I was out with my friends Rachelle & Steve and they were telling me about this fabulous and simple sauce they make using the gorgeous tomatoes they grown in their garden. They found the recipe on NPR and were really loving its simplicity and fabulous flavor. So, I decided to use the last of my heirlooms to create a roasted tomato sauce.

There are a lot of different ways to do this type of sauce, you could really use any combo of tomatoes, herbs and extras. In the future, I may throw in some mushrooms, zucchini or olives as well. The key is to use some different types of tomatoes. I supplemented my heirloom stash with some roma and plum tomatoes I picked up. In addition to being colorful, the resulting sauce was so flavorful and complex, you could really taste the different varieties and how they added to the sauce.

Best of all this recipe is SIMPLE. Chop, toss and roast. It does take a bit of time, but it's absolutely worth it. I regret not making a bigger batch to freeze.

Read more for the full recipe!


Ingredients:
3lbs fresh ripe tomatoes (heirloom, roma, plum, ect...)
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, halved
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp fresh oregeno
2 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp fresh black pepper
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1.5 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8oz whole wheat pasta

Step by Step Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425

2. In a roasting pan, spread chopped tomatoes evenly

3. Add onion and garlic

4. Sprinkle with herbs and olive oil, toss to coat

5. Roast for 90 minutes, stirring every 30  minutes

6. Serve with pasta