Thinking back, I am certain this is the first recipe I created completely originally. My hubby really loved these roasted cherry tomatoes I used to make, and I thought to myself “why waste all this flavor on a side dish when it can be the star?” Cherry tomatoes are so sweet and make an excellent juice that caramelizes as you cook it; the absolute perfect base for a tomato sauce.
We celebrate nature’s abundance all summer long making this sauce. Considering tomato season just started, I have been hankering for some cherry tomato sauce for a long, long time! Cherry tomatoes are super cheap right now. You can get a couple pounds at CostCo for under $5.
This is a vegetarian pasta dish, but it is also excellent with a pound of browned, crumbled Italian sausage. Here are the simple steps.
Saute shallots and tomatoes for about 15 minutes over medium to high heat. The objective is to slightly brown the tomatoes and also to get them to “pop” and release their juices. Stir this once every 2-3 minutes until all the tomatoes have popped open. IMPORTANT: If you don’t have a splatter screen, buy one before trying this recipe. The tomatoes will pop all over your stove and make a huge mess.
Crush the tomatoes to make a saucy consistency. A potato masher works well for the task.
Throw in some fresh herbs, garlic, seasonings, dried herbs, and cognac (my secret weapon in all tomato sauces). Fresh and dried herbs both bring something unique to the party so I like using them in combination. Next, let the sauce simmer and reduce for 15 minutes (more if you want a thicker sauce). At the last minute, you mix in basil leaves. It makes the sauce taste light and fresh.
This is seriously simple cooking, and it beats jarred tomato sauce, hands down, every time.
Fresh Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce
Makes sauce for 6 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 small shallots, minced, about 3/4 cup
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (aka Italian Seasonings)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cognac
1/4 cup basil leaves, sliced into strips
Heat olive oil to pan over medium high heat. Cook the shallots until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until skin has “popped” on all tomatoes (about 15 minutes). Crush the tomatoes into a sauce-like consistency. Add the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, red pepper, sugar, and dried Italian herbs. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in the cognac. Leave your pot uncovered and allow to simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
Remove the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Mix in the fresh basil right before serving over pasta or cheese tortellini. The sauce also makes an excellent pizza sauce.
Tip – If you don’t use cognac use ½ cup red cooking wine, reduced by half.
I shared this recipe with my friends at:
- Tuesdays at the Table
- Tempt my Tummy Tuesday
- Tuesday Night Supper Club
- Tasty Tuesdays
- Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays
- Made from Scratch Tuesday
- It’s a Keeper
- Full Plate Thursday
- Prairie Story Recipe Swap
- This Chick Cooks
- Saturday Swap
May 26, 2011 at 7:52 pm
Hi K,
I can’t wait until my little cherry tomatoes are ripe to make this sauce! And thanks for sharing it over on Fresh Clean and Pure Friday . . . . I think that your recipe suits the theme so perfectly! Once again, I hope you have lovely weekend! Roz
May 27, 2011 at 3:57 pm
I started cooking seasonal in the last two years. It makes a huge difference in flavor and in overall price. (especially now that I grow my own)
How much success have you had with cherry tomatoes? The last two years I planted, I got zero. I have an heirloom version I am trying this year and it is not producing as fast as my big tomatoes.
May 27, 2011 at 2:34 pm
That pasta sauce sounds amazing with the fresh cherry tomatoes and herbs. I had never thought of using cherry tomatoes to make sauce before but I bet it would be delicious.I’d love for you to stop by and show off your wonderful idea at These Chicks Cooked Recipe spotlight. Have a blessed weekend 🙂
Katie
May 27, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Done! Thanks for sharing the link 🙂
May 28, 2011 at 12:35 pm
I LOVE fresh, homemade tomato sauce. This looks and sounds delish! Great way to use fresh tomatoes this summer. Thanks so much for linking to Recipes To Run On. Have a wonderful long weekend!!!
May 30, 2011 at 11:29 am
Hi Erin,
Great sauce! We will have tomatoes ready for this sauce from our garden just any day now. We have basil that is ready now, we will really enjoy this fresh sauce. Thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
May 30, 2011 at 11:46 am
Thanks Miz Helen! I hope you put this recipe to good use! 🙂
June 2, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Hi Erin. Diana Kay directed me to your website when I asked for tomato recipes. I’m so glad you posted this recipe because we have scads of cherry tomatoes in our garden and I was running out of ideas. We’ll have to give this recipe a try next week! Thanks!
June 2, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Thanks for stopping in Erin! She has mentioned your blog to me too. I will bookmark you. Let me know what you think of the sauce. Paul and I love it
August 30, 2011 at 10:43 am
After a friend gave me a huge amount of cherry tomatoes. I discovered and made this sauce recipe. It was delicious. However, I had a huge amount to tomato skins. Was I supposed to do something eliminate them? I didn’t find them appealing, so I removed them by hand … what a chore? But, what do you do with the skins?
August 30, 2011 at 4:01 pm
I don’t mind the skins so i just leave them. The easiest way to remove skins from a tomato sauce is by running the sauce through a food mill.
July 11, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Hi there! I just found your blog because of a search I did for sauce made from cherry tomatoes! Your sauce looks great. I am thinking of canning it or possibly freezing it. Have you ever tried either methods of preserving this sauce? Also, I am wondering if you would mind if I blogged about the recipe. I would, of course, link back to you.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Off to search more of your recipes.
July 11, 2012 at 5:00 pm
I freeze this recipe often. I just let it cool, pop it in a freezer bag, and freeze. It is a great freezer recipe. I’ve never canned anything other than jams so I don’t know how well it would do canned.
And you can absolutely blog this recipe. I am pretty inactive right now as a blogger so I have no issue at all wih you linking up to my old stuff.
July 13, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I loved this recipe, however i was dissapointed with the skins and MANY SEEDS so i improvised and used a food processor after all the flavors cooked in and then usrd my splatter screen and strained it through the splatter screen. it took a few more minutes but I was left with a delicious smooth tomato sauce!
July 13, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I’m glad you liked it. Another option would be to run it through a food mill if you have one. The way I see it is if I were to make roasted tomatoes? I would eat skins and seeds, so they don’t bother me. Good for you for improvising 🙂
August 19, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Emeile:
I noticed lots of seeds and skins as well. I decided to blend it together with my hand blender. The sauce looks and tastes amazing.
August 19, 2012 at 9:46 am
Have you tried canning the sauce? I have a giant cherry tomato plant and I’m planning on making a few batches if all goes well. Any hints on how to properly can or freeze the sauce?
August 19, 2012 at 9:53 am
I’ve never canned it. To freeze, cool your sauce to room temp or in the fridge over night. Then I just freeze it in freezer bags, stored flat to keep them from taking up room. This is one of those sauces that freezes very well.
August 28, 2012 at 5:40 pm
This is the same exact way my mom made her tomato sauce! Using my dining hall as a supermarket, I’m happy to see that the sauce turns out just as good with cherry tomatoes from the salad bar.
As a first time cook, your site is great and very easy to follow with the realistic photos. Thanks!
September 3, 2012 at 6:45 pm
Just found your recipe when I was looking for ways to use the abundance of cherry tomatoes. I made it last week and it was amazing. Loved it. It didn’t stick around long enough to can or freeze but I may do a double batch this week and try freezing it. Thanks.
August 20, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Can you omit the cognac or substitute something else for it? I’m pregnant and don’t want to risk alcohol not coming off completely.
August 20, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Feel free to omit it. I used it while pregnant but made sure I let it simmer alot.