Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe

This roasted tomato sauce is a nice change from commercial jarred sauces. Roasting fresh tomatoes brings out their natural tangy, sweet notes. For complex flavors, use two or more types of tomatoes. Roma tomatoes have tangy garden-fresh flavor with dense flesh and are an excellent choice for sauces. Pair roma tomatoes with the sweeter cocktail or cherry tomatoes or fresh grape tomatoes. Use heirloom tomatoes for their rich flavor and interesting color. The ingredients in this sauce can easily be altered to suit your taste. Instead of italian seasoning, use 3/4 teaspoon each of dried oregano and basil and 1/4 teaspoon each of dried crumbled rosemary and dried thyme. If you aren't a fan of onions, feel free to omit them. The sauce is an excellent vegetarian or vegan sauce or you can use it as a base sauce, adding browned ground meat or sausage. It's a great sauce to use in a layered lasagna or chicken parmesan as well. The recipe makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups of sauce, which is more than enough for 12 to 16 ounces of spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini. If you have a surplus of tomatoes, scale the recipe up and freeze the sauce in 1-pint containers.