Made with fresh tomatoes and sweet bell peppers, this Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce is incredibly flavorful, subtly sweet and so easy to make. Roasting brings out all of the rich flavors of vegetables and saves you from standing over a hot stove.
Sponsored by Erath Wines
My favorite meal
A plate of sourdough pasta topped with this simple yet flavorful tomato sauce is my absolute favorite meal. Especially in the summer when I can harvest tomatoes and peppers straight from our garden. But this sauce is great year-round.
I love how easily this comes together, just throw the tomatoes, peppers, garlic and anchovies with a little olive oil in a baking dish and sit back as the oven does all the hard work of developing flavors for you.
Serving suggestion
My favorite way to have this sauce is over a bed of sourdough pasta. Here are some toppings I love:
- capers
- parmesan cheese
- fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, thyme)
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- burrata
- black olives
Paired with a light red wine like Erath Oregon Pinot Noir, with its sweet entry and long and fresh finish and you’re set for the perfect evening.
Garden fresh ingredients
Tomatoes picked during the peak of their season are sublime. They also impart a delicate and refreshing flavor to this sauce that you don’t often get with most tomato-based sauces. If you don’t have your own garden patch, you can use cherry, grape, roma or heirloom tomatoes since they have the most flavor. This sauce is meant to be easy, so feel free to substitute red bell peppers or any mild pepper if that’s what you have on hand.
What you need
Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes - The star of the show, use garden-fresh tomatoes if you have them or purchase them from your farmer’s market for the best results. If you must purchase from the grocery story, use heirloom tomatoes, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes since they have the most flavor.
- Sweet bell peppers - Adds sweetness and pepperiness to the sauce. Substitute any other mild pepper, but don’t use anything too spicy.
- Salt and pepper - Enhances the flavor of the sauce
- Garlic - Intensifies the savory flavor of this sauce (I think we all know what garlic brings to the party).
- Anchovies (optional) - Adds a layer of complexity and an umami flavor to the sauce. Optional but highly recommended.
- Olive oil - Balances the acidity of the tomatoes, adds body and depth.
Equipment
- Baking dish
- Blender or food processor
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Prep the vegetables
- Combine ingredients in a large baking dish
- Roast vegetables for 20 minutes
- Blend roasted vegetables to desired consistency, season with salt and pepper
- Serve on a bed of sourdough pasta
This sauce is so incredibly versatile use enjoy it on sourdough pasta and gnocchi, as a topping for pizza or as a dipping sauce for garlic bread. You’ll love this sauce on absolutely everything!
Simply roast the ingredients in the oven for 20 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and are lightly browned, then throw it in a blender and enjoy!
While I prefer fresh tomatoes, you can certainly use canned. Use whole peeled tomatoes, not tomato sauce. Roast the tomatoes with the remaining ingredients and leave out the sauce that they come in.
Yes! If you don’t eat fish or simply don’t like the taste of anchovies, substitute 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to add an element of umami.
Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce
- 453 grams 1 pound tomatoes (preferably heirloom, grape or cherry)
- 226 grams ½ pound sweet bell peppers (or any mild chili)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 28 grams 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 filets anchovy optional
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- Roughly chop tomatoes into 1 inch pieces. Remove the seeds from peppers and chop them into 1 inch pieces. Peel garlic.
- Place tomatoes, peppers, garlic on a baking pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over vegetables and lightly toss. Nestle the anchovy filets into the dish (if using), and drizzle olive oil evenly on top.
- Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes or until soft and lightly charred on top.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve over a bed of sourdough pasta.
Did you make this recipe? Do you have questions? Let me know!