Roasted Tomato Marinara
Roasted Tomato Marinara is a staple in our home because Friday night means it's Pizza Night.
Roasted Tomato Marinara
My grandkids love my homemade pizzas. And one of the things that make them so special is the marinara. While a good marinara is essential in creating a good pizza, but it's also makes an excellent dipping sauce. Here are some of our favorite foods that we like to use for dipping:
Grilled cheese sandwich
Mozzarella sticks
Focaccia
and more.
Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Tomatoes
Believe it or not you can use fresh, frozen, or canned tomatoes in this Marinara recipe. But in this post, I am using frozen San Marzano's that I grew last fall and stuck away in the freezer for a day such as this. I do recommend a paste tomato because they are very meaty which is what you want for a sauce. Canned San Marzano tomatoes should be easy to find in your local grocery store.
Getting Started
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the thawed or canned tomatoes onto the parchment paper. Spread evenly out across the pan.
NOTE:
If you are using fresh tomatoes, cut them lengthwise in half and place cut side up.
Ingredients
When it comes to garlic, everyone has their preference so use yours here. We love garlic so I chop up 4 to 6 garlic cloves depending on size. As far as I'm concerned, you can't have too much garlic. But if don't like a lot of garlic, you can chop 1 to 2 cloves instead. Whatever amount you choose, sprinkle chopped garlic over the tomatoes.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or fresh herbs of your choice) 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper over the tomatoes as well. Then, drizzle 2 tablespoons of a good Olive Oil and 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar over everything. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes.
NOTE:
You can substitute garlic powder for the fresh garlic if you need to. Sometimes I do it just because I don't feel like chopping up garlic, and that's okay. But remember, fresh is better.
Smells Divine
Once the tomatoes have been roasting for 30 minutes, remove from the oven CAREFULLY, and stir everything around again. Remember, Carefully, because it is all very hot.
Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
The Water Is Gone
Once the second 30 minutes of roasting time has ended, remove the pan from the oven and allow the tomatoes to cool until everything isn't too hot to handle. Most, if not all, of the water will be gone and that's what we want. If there's a little left in the pan no worries. It will absorb back into the tomatoes during the next step.
Time For The Magic
When the mixture has cooled but is still warm, transfer it to a bowl with high sides. The high sides will help to keep the splatter down if you chose to puree with a submersion blender which is my preferred method. A food processor or blender works great too.
Blend until it is completely smooth or you can leave small chunks if that's what you prefer. Once again, the choice is yours. Isn't this great!
Homemade Marinara
At this point I like to taste my Marinara and adjust the seasonings if I need to. Then, add to a freezer container and remove any air in the mixture with a chopstick before placing the lid on top. Label, date, and place in the freezer.
I wish I could tell you how long this Roasted Tomato Marinara will last in the freezer but it never last long around here. And it probably won't at your house either. Enjoy!
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If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars and add a photo of your Roasted Tomato Marinara to Instagram and tag me @simplymadehomestead.
Thank you so much!
Marian
