This roasted tomato pasta sauce is packed with rich, deep flavor from slowly roasting tomatoes, onions and garlic before blending into a sauce. Fresh basil adds brightness, while a few anchovies melt completely into the sauce, adding an incredible savory depth that really makes this pasta special.
Hi! This pasta sauce is such a fantastic recipe to have in your repertoire. Everything is thrown into a dish and roasted until caramelized to create the most flavor packed sauce. If you think you don't like anchovies, this could change your mind. You can't taste them at all but they add a depth of flavor that cannot be replicated. You can skip them if you must.
Roasting deepens the flavour profiles of the ingredients. Most foods have natural sugars inside them and roasting takes advantage of them making everything sweeter and more concentrated. I find it is also so much easier to just whack everything together in one tray and forget about it for 45 mins. Can't beat the smell too!
Ingredients
Tomatoes - I use whatever tomatoes look best at the supermarket. This time I used a mix of vine and cherry tomatoes. Use whatever you like, or use good quality tinned tomatoes if fresh tomatoes aren’t in season.
Onion - Roasted onion adds so much flavor to this sauce. The charred edges bring sweetness and depth, while blending the onion helps create a rich, creamy texture.
Anchovies - Anchovies melt completely into the sauce and add an incredible savory depth. If you’re unsure, just start with a few the first time you make it. I really like Ortiz anchovies. Leave them out if you are vegetarian.
Garlic - I roast the garlic cloves unpeeled, then squeeze them out before blending. Use as much garlic as you like.
Honey - A teaspoon of honey helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and rounds the sauce out nicely.
Red pepper flakes - Totally optional, but they add a gentle warmth to the sauce. Start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust to taste.
Basil - Fresh basil added at the end brings brightness and freshness to the sauce.
How to make roasted tomato pasta
The full ingredient list and more thorough step by step instructions are in recipe card below.
1. Layer the tomatoes, onion, garlic and anchovies in a baking dish.
2. Drizzle with the olive oil and honey then scatter the red pepper flakes and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Roast until lightly charred 45 mins - 1 hour.
4. Transfer to a large saucepan that will fit the pasta in.
5. Blend with a stick blender (or do this separately in a food processor). Gently heat on the stove while you cook your pasta. Add the torn basil.
6. Let the cooked pasta gently bubble away in the sauce for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Finishing the sauce
Gently the heat the sauce on the stove with some torn basil. Add your cooked pasta in and let it gently bubble away for a min or two. Finish with the butter is using.
Expert tips
- Roast until lightly charred. The onions are the best indicator here. You want the edges of the onions and tomatoes to be just starting to char for the deepest roasted flavor.
- Don’t skip the anchovies. They melt completely into the sauce and add an incredible savory depth that really makes this pasta special.
- Let the pasta bubble in the sauce. Once the sauce is blended, get your pasta cooking and let it gently bubble away in the sauce for a minute or two before serving. If using dried pasta, undercook it slightly so it finishes perfectly in the sauce.
- Warm your plates. Pasta cools down surprisingly quickly, so I always warm my plates in the oven while the pasta cooks.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
Common questions
Yes! You can leave them out if you prefer or need the sauce to be vegetarian. They add a savory depth to the sauce rather than a strong anchovy flavor.
Yes. Good quality canned whole tomatoes work really well when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
Yes! The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat gently on the stove and loosen with a splash of pasta water if needed.
Yes, this roasted tomato pasta sauce freezes really well. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months and defrost before reheating.
Some other tomato pasta recipes to try
Did you make this recipe?
I would LOVE it if you could leave a review and star rating down below. Also please tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of the dish!
Recipe
Easy Roasted Tomato Pasta
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this link to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 400 grams dried pasta
- 600 grams tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters depending on size
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 6 anchovies
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon runny honey
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup packed fresh basil, torn
- 30 grams unsalted butter (optional)
- Fresh parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Arrange the tomatoes and onion in a small roasting dish so they fit quite snugly together.
- Scatter the anchovies and garlic over the top, then sprinkle over the red pepper flakes and drizzle with the honey and olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the onions and tomatoes are lightly charred around the edges.
- Transfer everything to a saucepan or blender and blend until smooth with a stick blender (or do in a food processor).
- Stir through the basil, then place the sauce over a low heat while you cook your pasta.
- Add the cooked pasta straight into the sauce with a splash of pasta water and the butter.
- Let the pasta gently bubble in the sauce for 1–2 minutes, then divide between plates and top with freshly grated parmesan, extra basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Notes
Hi, I'm Emilie
I've spent years testing pasta doughs, sauces, and weeknight favorites so you don't have to. Everything on The Burnt Butter Table is designed to be simple, comforting, and unbelievably delicious.
Jenny says
Hi Emilie, I made this today with excess tomatoes from our garden. I’ve spoon tasted it and can’t wait for hubby to come home so we can have it for Sunday lunch. We make tomato sauce the traditional Italian way, once a year, so eat a lot of pasta. This will definitely be added to the repertoire. I added anchovies even though I don’t like them. Won’t ever skip them in recipes again. The texture and consistency of the sauce was perfect. Can’t wait to check out more of your recipes.
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Jenny! Thank you so much for making it and well done for using anchovies! Hope your husband enjoyed it 🙂
Izzy says
Your recipes look interesting, but why don’t you ever mention the amounts of each ingredient? What a shame, can be bothered.
Emilie Pullar says
Huh? There are detailed recipes in the recipe cards at the bottom of every single post.
Izzy says
Apologies! Full recipe and amount of ingredients did not come up on my phone! Got frustrated whilst in the shop ?. Got the recipe on my PC at home. Thanks.
Sylvie Gagnon says
It’s been two days, and husband is still thanking me for this (at least three times a day).
Thank you so much Emilie, I was looking for ways to use italian tomatoes grown in my backyard and this gave a fantastic sauce, so good on it’s own but also a perfect base for other recipes.
Thanks again from the Montreal suburbs! 🙂
Emilie Pullar says
This makes me so happy Sylvie thank you! Makes a great base for pizza too! 🙂
Karin says
I'm in the US and am a bit confused by "160 fan or 180 convection (350f)." I'd like to make sure that if I use my convection mode, the temp should be 350. What does the 160 fan mean if the convection temp is 350?
And if I choose not to use convection heat, what should the oven temp?
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Karin, so sorry that is confusing. Our ovens are different here in NZ. Just set your oven to 350f, it doesn't matter too much with this recipe as you just need to get some nice colour on everything 🙂
Tracie says
OMG this was amazing tasted like I was eating in a restaurant and cleaned my plate as it was so good. I used this as a base then added saute sausages, onion, mushroom and red peppers to round it out to our liking. This one is already in our list to re make and yes add the anchovies
Emilie Pullar says
Love those additions Tracie! You've reminded me I need to make this, always great to have a batch in the freezer too. Thanks so much for making 🙂
Diana says
Is this sauce able to be preserved please?
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Diana, I am not sure about jarring sorry, not my area of expertise. It does freeze really well 🙂
Annie Satts says
What a perfect way to use end of season ripe tomatoes. I made a triple batch and two fresh chilies from my garden. Freezing some for when I need a bit of Summer during the cold months. So so good ?
Abi Lowe says
Started growing my own tomatoes and this recipe is perfect for when we have an over abundance of them and want something easy to make. I left out the anchovies and used hot honey instead of regular honey to give it some kick.
Emilie Pullar says
Oh love the idea of the of the hot honey!
Sophie says
Made this tonight without the anchovies (didn’t have them on hand) and it was amazing! The honey and the chilli with the roast tomatoes *chef’s kiss*
Emilie Pullar says
It's definitely still great without them! Thanks so much for making it Sophie!
Jane Clarbour says
This is an amazing recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I made it as a very large batch approximately quadrupling it. Fabulous x
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it Jane! That is a mega batch!
Elizabeth H. says
OMG!!!!! I eat a few bites of it plain on a spoon every time I open the fridge!
Emilie Pullar says
hahaha love that!! 🙂
Kaylie says
I tried this recipe and it is amazing! I was hoping to freeze it in batches since I have so many tomatoes to use up from my garden. Should I put the basil in like normal or should I wait until I actually use the sauce?
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Kaylie, so glad you enjoyed it! Definitely add the basil in when you use it otherwise it will go brown 🙂
Carolyn Kotler says
I followed the recipe exactly using vine ripened tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. Adding the anchovies is key and brilliant. However, because there is not a large amount of sauce, I recommend using the immersion blender in a quart container rather than blending in a saucepan. It just didn’t work until I put it in the quart container. It then blended well, and I also recommend adding some pasta water as the sauce is quite thick. I then added my al dente spaghetti and basil and used tongs to blend the spaghetti into the sauce. This pasta dish is out of this world, a bit spicy, which I like. You could reduce the amount of red pepper if you so desire. I used 200g of spaghetti for this amount of sauce, two servings. Next time I will double the recipe and still use 200g of pasta. I like my pasta very saucey. This truly is a 4 star pasta dish!
Carol says
Very good sauce! The anchovies are key. I used heirloom tomatoes which worked great. Usually I add a little cream to my sauces at the end of cooking, but this one was so good I didn't need it. Will definitely make again!
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Carol, thanks so much for making. So glad you enjoyed!
Shannon Reed says
This is absolutely delicious and is my go-to recipe! The anchovies give it a great kick. I made with and without the anchovies; use the anchovies!!
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Shannon! Thank you so much! So glad you love the recipe, the anchovies totally make it!