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Learn how to make garden-fresh Homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce from your back yard harvest with this quick and easy recipe in only 30 minutes. No roasting required!
If there’s one thing that I can grow plentifully in my garden, it’s cherry tomatoes! Beefsteak tomatoes, not so much, but the sweet, small globes of summer seem to take really well to my backyard soil!
And the great thing about them is–they’re reliably sweet and also very versatile. You can make them into a simple tomato cucumber salad, an amazing tomato confit with garlic spread, bruschetta caprese, cherry tomato pasta salad, soup or even this beautiful delicious cherry tomato spaghetti sauce.
With just a few additional ingredients like garlic, basil, olive oil, tomato paste and white wine, you can transform fresh cherry tomatoes into the most aromatic, sweet, fresh, homemade cherry tomato sauce in about 30 minutes.
And, unlike many other roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce recipes, this one does not require any roasting, but still has ALL the flavor. You can make the entire recipe in one pot on the stovetop.
You’ll love this basic recipe with pasta, meatballs, or whatever your palate desires! It’s perfect with Crispy Baked Calamari, Fried Artichoke Hearts, Baked Italian Sausages and Pesto Turkey Meatballs and makes the following recipes even better: Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers, Green Beans in Tomato Sauce, Baked Ziti and Sunday Lasagna.
For a tomato basil sauce made from canned tomatoes, head on over to my sugo recipe. You can also find an explanation of the differences between sugo, tomato sauce, marinara, ragu and gravy there! Mangia bene!
*Note: this recipe HAS NOT BEEN tested for canning and it is not a canning recipe.*
Main Ingredient Notes
The ingredients in this tomato sauce with cherry tomatoes are few but significant. Choose quality ingredients.
- Cherry Tomatoes: This recipe was developed specifically for all of us out there that have overflowing amounts of red cherry tomatoes during our summer garden harvests. Red grape or pear tomatoes can also be combined with cherry tomatoes for this recipe. If you’re looking for a recipe specific to super-sweet yellow sun-gold tomatoes, check out this sun gold tomato pasta recipe.
- Tomato Paste: Increases the overall tomato flavor and aroma of the sauce, as well as thickens the sauce a bit.
- Fresh Basil is used in two places in the recipe–toward the beginning to release its fragrant flavors early in the cooking process so that it can be properly infused into the sauce, and layered again at the end to give the sauce a punch of fresh herb flavor. In place of fresh basil, use about 1 Tbsp dried basil added to the pot at the same time as the tomatoes to give it time to rehydrate.
- Garlic: A significant flavor builder. I suggest finely chopping the garlic so as to not have any large pieces in the finished dish. And, definitely do not use jarred, pre-minced garlic as it contains additional flavors that are unpleasing. Fresh is best!
- Dry White Wine: Contributes acidity and a nice depth of flavor the sweet cherry tomatoes. If you prefer to not cook with wine, you can just leave it out.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Butter Use a great quality olive oil to sauté the garlic. Substitute half or all of the olive oil with butter for a richer flavor.
- Dried Oregano and Crushed Red Pepper: Additional aromatics that contribute to the overall flavor of the dish. Neither of these should be a strong flavor in this recipe, but rather subtle.
How to Make Homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Chop the garlic and basil.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the olive oil and/or butter, garlic and crushed red pepper over medium low heat and cook until the garlic has softened (about 5 minutes).
Pro-Tip
Cover the pot for a couple minutes to speed up the softening process, if desired.
- Move the garlic mixture over to one side of the pot and add the tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Next, pour in the wine in deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Then, add half the basil and all the cherry tomatoes, salt, black pepper and dried oregano and stir. Cover the pot and adjust heat to keep it at a light simmer.
Pro-Tip
Do not boil the sauce as it may burn.
- Simmer, covered, for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft enough to easily be smashed with a fork.
- Turn the heat off and carefully puree the sauce until smooth with an immersion blender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary, fold in the remaining basil and enjoy the sauce!
More Homemade Italian Favorites
Check out these Italian-American classics:
- Chicken Cutlets–everybody’s favorite
- Pasta with Peas–savory, easy and delicious!
- Lasagna al Forno with Beef and Spinach–a Sunday dinner tradition
- Baked Ziti (meatless)–so simple to make!
- Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta
- Rigatoni Arrabbiata–a picante tomato sauce with multiple forms of heat
- Pasta with Chickpeas–classic cucina povera
- Greens and Beans (Escarole and Beans)–hearty and nutritious
- Pasta with Broccoli–beloved by all!
- Zuppa di Clams–a red sauce restaurant classic!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! Freezing cherry tomatoes is a great way to immediately “deal” with a very large harvest. (I’ve done it many times!) This way, you can make homemade cherry tomato sauce when you have the time and plan on using it. Cherry tomatoes are small and don’t take very long to defrost. I suggest pulling them out of the freezer a couple hours before starting this recipe.
Just a note that frozen tomatoes may have more residual liquid. Just simmer the sauce as long as needed to achieve the thickness/consistency that you desire.
And in case you’re wondering, cherry tomatoes will last in the freezer properly stored in airtight freezer bags or containers for at least 6 months.
I know that it’s popular for many to add a little sugar to their sauce to sweeten it and offset the acidity and occasional bitterness of canned tomatoes. You certainly can add a little sugar if that is what you are accustomed to.
But, as a purist (most of the time), I have never added sugar to any homemade tomato sauce, ragu, gravy, sugo or marinara. If I notice that the flavor of the underlying tomatoes is overly acidic, I’ll add a couple of carrots to the simmering sauce, cut into big chunks that can easily be removed. Carrots are naturally sweet and generally have the same sweet result as adding sugar.
Also, cherry tomatoes (and all garden tomatoes) are generally pretty sweet and, therefore, do not have too much acidity.
For the most part, yes. Red pear or grape tomatoes can also be combined with cherry tomatoes for this recipe. If you’re looking for a recipe specific to super-sweet yellow sun-gold tomatoes, check out this sun gold tomato pasta recipe.
If you’re wondering what to do with frozen tomatoes, whether they’re “sauce” tomatoes like plum, Roma or San Marzano or other beefsteak-style tomatoes, check out my How To Make Sauce From Frozen Tomatoes post.
Check out this quick grape tomato pasta for another outlet for mini-tomatoes.
This depends on how saucy you like your pasta. It also depends on the shape and texture of the pasta, as some shapes and textures absorb more sauce than others.
Having said this, in my humble opinion a good rule of thumb to follow is about 3-3½ cups tomato sauce for every pound of pasta.
The recipe below yields about 5-5 ½ cups cherry tomato marinara or so. It’s enough sauce to dress one pound pasta with about 2 cups sauce leftover to use for so many other things! (See Serving Suggestions below.)The recipe can easily be cut in half or doubled, based on how much sauce you need.
This recipe is not meant for canning. For more information about preparing tomato sauce for canning, check out this link.
Substitutions and Variations
This cherry tomatoes sauce is meant to be a basic and classic, simple tomato sauce. Still, there is always room for a little variety in the recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Add some fresh parsley along with the basil at the beginning of the cooking process for a more intense herb flavor.
- Sauté one cup diced onions along with the garlic–more aromatics means more aroma, texture and flavor!
- Use half or all butter in place of olive oil. Some say that butter makes everything better. It is hard to disagree with that!
- Increase the heat: Double or triple the amount of red pepper flakes or add some Calabrian chile paste at the beginning of the cooking process (or both) for increased heat.
- In place of fresh basil, use about 1 Tbsp dried basil added to the pot at the same time as the tomatoes to give it time to rehydrate.
TOP TIPS for Homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce
- DAIRY-FREE: Use olive oil to keep this recipe dairy-free and vegan.
- POT: Use a pot or Dutch oven with tall sides so that splashing will be controlled while using the immersion blender.
- FREEZING: The sauce freezes really well in airtight containers for at least 3 months. It will also hold in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- CONSISTENCY: I love using a handheld immersion blender for convenience and speed and it will puree the sauce really well. However, if you want a perfectly smooth sauce, use a tabletop blender or food processor. See Notes in the recipe below for tips.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: There are so many great uses for this aromatic cherry tomato tomato sauce beyond using it as a spaghetti sauce.
- I use it to make parms and parm subs of all sorts (chicken, eggplant, sausage, meatball), eggs in purgatory, quickly throw together baked ziti, lasagna, stuffed shells or eggplant polpette or, frankly, use it as a dip for crusty bread to create a simple meal on its own.
Homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce (Very Easy)
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil, or butter (or 50/50)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic, (use more or less to your taste)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, (optional)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- ½ cup whole or hand-torn fresh basil, fairly-packed, divided (See Notes.)
- 3 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt, (or to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper, (or to taste)
- ½ tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. (Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the olive oil and/or butter, garlic and crushed red pepper over medium low heat and cook until the garlic has softened (about 5 minutes). Cover the pot for a couple minutes to speed up the softening process, if desired.¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- Move the garlic mixture over to one side of the pot and add the tomato paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.¼ cup tomato paste
- Next, pour in the wine in deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.½ cup dry white wine
- Then, add half the basil and all the cherry tomatoes, salt, black pepper and dried oregano and stir to fully combine everything.3 pounds cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp dried oregano
- Cover the pot and increase the heat to medium/medium-high. Bring the mixture to a light simmer, then adjust the heat to keep it at a light simmer. Do not boil the sauce as it may burn.
- Simmer, covered, for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft enough to easily be smashed with a fork. You should have a sweet-smelling, aromatic sauce that permeates your kitchen!
- Turn the heat off and carefully puree the sauce until smooth with an immersion blender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary, fold in the remaining basil and enjoy the sauce! Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- *Use olive oil to keep this recipe Dairy-Free.*
- This recipe makes 5 to 5½ cups cherry tomato sauce and can easily be doubled for a larger yield. It’s enough sauce to dress one pound pasta with about 2 cups sauce leftover to use for so many other things! (See Serving Suggestions above.)
- The sauce freezes really well in airtight containers for at least 3 months. It will also hold in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Note that this recipe HAS NOT BEEN tested for canning and it is not a canning recipe.
- Use a pot or Dutch oven with tall sides so that splashing will be controlled while using the immersion blender.
- BASIL: Use 1 Tbsp dried basil if you don’t have fresh basil and add all of it to the pot at the same time as the cherry tomatoes to give it time to rehydrate.
- I have also used frozen basil in various forms in this sauce. Just like my garden tomatoes that I freeze, I freeze basil either in whole leaves (flattened out between paper towels and stored in a freezer bag) or pureed with a little bit of oil throughout the summer to use throughout the year. Any and all forms of these basils will work in this recipe.
- IMMERSION (HAND) BLENDER TIPS:
- Immerse blender in the liquid before turning it on.
- Keep it moving for best results and do not hold it steady in one place. Immersion blenders do their best work when moved around and tilted while blending. This helps the blender to pick up all ingredients and purée evenly.
- Some people prefer to let hot dishes cool completely before blending (due to the fear of occasional hot splatters). This is up to you, but I promise that your comfort blending with the immersion blender will grow with each use.
- SAUCE CONSISTENCY: If you prefer a perfectly smooth sauce, use a tabletop blender or food processor instead of an immersion blender. With an immersion blender, you may still see some residual tomato skin and seeds. Just be very careful when transferring the hot sauce from the pot to the blender. Let it cool a bit first and then carefully ladle a few cups of sauce at a time into a blender or food processor and blend. Be sure to work in small batches (in other words, fill the appliance only halfway) to keep the soup from splattering or exploding in the blender or food processor, and be sure the lid is firmly in place and secure before you power it on. I do not recommend removing the center of the lid when puréeing hot items.
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I’m curious about the warning about canning. Why couldn’t/shouldn’t this be canned?
Official canning rules involve the canned product (food) needing to have certain ph (acidity) levels in order for it to be safe for canning and this recipe has not been tested for that. I generally get asked about canning a lot for my sauce recipes, so I wanted to make this clear. Thanks for asking!
The best outlet for all those cherry tomatoes that I’m harvesting every day from my garden, other than fresh, of course! Making more tomorrow to freeze!