Roasted Garlic Tomato Marinara

It's the close of tomato season, even here on the mild Central Coast. And yet...I somehow scored twenty pounds of small, sweet tomatoes at our local Farmers Market for $20! This could not be passed up. The first round of tomato madness was Roasted Tomato and Garlic Marinara. Oh, my heavens. This is flavor packed!

Ready to make some sauce? Let's go!

This recipe can easily be doubled, even quadrupled!

Ingredients
2 quarts (about 8 cups) tomatoes. really big pieces, I only halved these small tomatoes
2 onions, cut into 1/8th's
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tablespoon fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (red wine or vegetable stock works great, too)
1 teaspoon salt
sprinkle with pepper

Preheat oven to 425.
Keeping the ingredients in large pieces saves tons of time! I never seed my tomatoes but go ahead if you prefer.

Spread everything out on a roasted pan or half sheet pan with a lip to contain the juices.
Roast for about an hour, stirring things up half way through. I roasted one pan for an hour, and a second for 90 minutes simply for my own convenience.

Now you can use an immersion blender (after putting it in a bowl), your blender, or as I did- throw it all in the food processor. Don't forget to add all of those flavor packed tidbits in the pan. Scrape them in, too. We like a chunky sauce around here so just a few pulses and it's done. Blend longer for a smoother sauce.

You can use your pressure canner for shelf stable storage, and a pretty pretty pantry. I haven't checked the seals on my pressure canner this season and chose to freeze in jars this round. Fill wide mouth mason jars with 1" head space. Flash freeze to allow for full expansion before sealing with lid and ring. Remember to label with name and date. Enjoy! For more of my favorite recipes, follow along with my Pinterest board: Eat!
xo,
Amy