Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

Here is a delicious fire-roasted tomato sauce using canned fire-roasted tomatoes. These canned tomatoes are superior to plain diced tomatoes as the fire-roasting brings out amazing flavors! With just 4 ingredients you most likely have lying around and 15 minutes to simmer and thicken, you’ll have a unique, smoky spin on the classic tomato sauce.

No fresh tomatoes required for this delish sauce!

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Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce– Secret Ingredient

The secret ingredient here is CANNED TOMATOES, yes that’s correct. Specifically, fire-roasted canned tomatoes. That’s where the big flavor comes from and you really can’t use anything in its place.

What’s so special about fire-roasted tomatoes? These canned tomatoes are roasted over open fire and usually sold diced. They are sweeter than traditional canned tomatoes and have a more balanced flavor profile. The sweetness balances out the acidity of the tomatoes and there is a hint of smoky char. They are bright red and speckled with charred, blackened bits.

This sauce can either be thick and chunky or thin and spreadable. An immersion blender (or your regular blender) can bring this sauce to a really thin, silky consistency. Do as your preference dictates.

Ingredients For Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

We love how easy this sauce is and we basically buy cans of fire-roasted tomatoes for this sauce. On nights when you just don’t have the energy to answer ‘what’s for dinner’ enter this sauce to save the day. Toss it with pasta or gnocchi and a handful of veggies and bada bing, bada boom.

Here’s all you’ll need:

2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes: Any brand will work! The diced variety is what we usually reach for as there is no need to blend or puree the sauce at all. Sometimes you’ll see fire-roasted tomatoes with green chiles, these work also but are a less Italianish sauce.

Fresh garlic: Tomato sauce and garlic? It’s a must. You can use the jarred minced garlic here or mince your own using a knife or Microplane.

Olive Oil: That minced garlic will simmer away and give this olive oil a lovely flavor for the sauce. Butter also works if that’s more your situation.

Dried Herbs: We’re going with an Italian inspiration here so oregano, thyme, basil, pizza seasoning, or Italian seasoning herb blends will work great.

Ways To Use Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

This fire-roasted tomato sauce recipe is versatile. The beauty of this sauce is not only that it comes together in 10 minutes, but you can use this as a base for so many recipes! Use on pizza, pasta, gnocchi, mixed into scrambles, or as a sauce for grain bowls.

Reinvent leftover sauce as a base for salsa or bruschetta, a seasoning for taco filling or chili, or as a base for puttanesca sauce.

Related Recipes: San Marzano Pizza Sauce | Vegan Cheese Pizza | Roasted Garlic Pesto

Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce FAQs

1. What do fire-roasted tomatoes taste like? Fire-roasted canned tomatoes are less acidic than regular canned tomatoes. They are also a little sweeter, making the overall flavor more balanced. Fire-roasted tomatoes have a similar flavor to canned San Marzano Tomatoes, which are the best of the best!
2. What’s in fire-roasted canned tomatoes? Depending on the brand, it’s tomatoes that are roasted, tomato juice, salt, and potentially a preservative and that’s it! It’s the roasting that brings out robust flavors in this type of canned tomato.
3. Can you freeze this sauce? Fire-roasted tomato sauce freezes very well for about 3 months. Make up a big batch and enjoy some now and some for later.

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