Every year, I freeze surplus tomatoes from the allotment rather than let them go to waste. This tomato and roasted red pepper cooking sauce is one of my favourite ways to use them. I make a large batch, freeze it in portions and then adapt it depending on what I'm cooking. It's a great standby to have in the freezer.
Red peppers are also known as bell peppers or capsicum in other parts of the world. They add a wonderful sweetness and flavour to this versatile tomato and roasted red pepper cooking sauce.
The other day, I suddenly realised that another tomato season is almost upon us, and I still had a stash of frozen tomatoes left over from last year's harvest. With another crop just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to whip up another batch of my roasted red pepper and tomato cooking sauce.
This easy homemade cooking sauce is simply made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and red peppers, with just a little salt and a scant half teaspoon of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Other than that, the vegetables stay as natural as nature intended. There are no preservatives or unnecessary additives, just simple ingredients transformed into a versatile cooking sauce that can be used in countless recipes.
Depending on what I'm cooking, I take a portion of the sauce and add a few extra ingredients. Take a look at the Usage Suggestions further down the post for different ways in which you can use the sauce.
What I love about the sauce is how well it fits with my new 'cook once, eat twice' philosophy! Just freeze a few portions of this sauce, and you'll always have the beginnings of a delicious dinner, whether you're making with chicken, fish or pasta.
I also use a glut of tomatoes to make my own passata, which I use to replace cans of tomatoes when I'm making soups and stews.
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Roasted red pepper and tomato sauce at a glance
- Recipe overview: Place peppers in the oven to char. Soften onions and garlic in oil, then add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Peel and chop the roasted peppers, then add them to the sauce and simmer another 30 minutes until thick and glossy. Cook, then blend and freeze.
- Main ingredients: Red peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic.
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cooking time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1.5 litres or 6 cups
- Difficulty: Easy
Why you'll love this recipe
- Cook once, eat many times. This versatile cooling sauce can be used as the starting point for countless meals. Just add a few extra ingredients to suit whatever you're cooking.
- Make it with fresh or frozen tomatoes. Freezing a glut of homegrown tomatoes is a great way to preserve them, but this sauce works just as well with fresh tomatoes from the supermarket.
- Perfect for batch cooking. Make a large batch and freeze it in portions so you're always halfway to a homemade meal.
- Freezer-friendly. This sauce freezes beautifully and lasts for months in the freezer.
- Easy to adapt. Change the basic flavour profile into an Italian herb, a creamy cheese sauce or a South African-inspired curry sauce with just a few simple additions.
- A great way to reduce food waste. Whether you're using fresh or frozen homegrown tomatoes, or a bumper supermarket bargain, this sauce helps ensure nothing goes to waste.
- Tastes better than shop-bought. This might sound a bit big-headed, but this sauce really does taste far better than anything you can buy in the supermarket.
Main ingredients
**This is just an overview to explain why I used a particular ingredient. The exact ingredient measurements are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**
- Tomatoes. I had around 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds) of whole frozen tomatoes, which yielded 1.5 kg, once defrosted and partially drained. If you are defrosting whole frozen tomatoes to make this recipe, don't discard the tomato liquid; it is packed with the flavour of fresh tomatoes. Freeze it in an ice cube tray and add 1 or 2 cubes to your next stew or casserole for extra flavour.
- Using fresh tomatoes. This recipe works just as well with fresh tomatoes. Simply peel and chop them before adding them to the onions. Unlike frozen tomatoes, fresh tomatoes release their own juices as they cook, so there's no need to add any extra tomato liquid.
- Red peppers. The red peppers will be roasted in the oven until nicely charred, then peeled and added to the sauce. Roasting the red peppers brings out their natural sweetness, which pairs beautifully with tomatoes.
- Onions. These should be peeled and diced or sliced. The size doesn't really matter, as the sauce will be blended once cooked.
- Garlic. Use as much or as little as you prefer. You could also leave it out and add garlic when using the sauce in another recipe.
- Olive oil. Used to soften the onions. and also to coat the red pepper before roasting. Substitute with any cooking oil.
How to make roasted red pepper cooking sauce
Step 1: Slice the red peppers, removing the seeds and membranes. Coat them lightly with olive and arrange on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or baking parchment.
Step 2: Bake the peppers at 200C/400F for about 30 minutes, or until nicely charred.
Step 3: Place the cooked red peppers into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to stand until cool. Once cool, peel the skin from the peppers (It's OK if you leave little charred bits - it adds to the flavour). Chop into pieces and set aside until needed.
Step 4: While the peppers are roasting, dice the onions, chop the garlic, and fry them gently in olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring to prevent burning, until they start to turn translucent.
Step 5: Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard. The skins will slide off easily from the defrosted tomatoes. See How to Peel Tomatoes below if you are using fresh tomatoes.
Step 6: The defrosted tomatoes will have released a lot of liquid. This is tomato stock - don't discard it; it's liquid gold. We will add some of it to the sauce, and you can freeze the remainder in ice cube trays and add it to soups and stews.
Step 7: Add the skinned tomatoes to the onions, with 2 cups (480 ml) of the tomato liquid. If using fresh tomatoes, do not add extra liquid. Season with salt and sugar - both optional. Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat to low and leave the tomatoes to simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 8: Add the chopped red peppers. Cover with a lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
Step 9: The sauce should have thickened nicely, and leave a trail (that closes up quickly) when you draw a spoon through it.
Step 10: Use a stick blender to blend the sauce until smooth.
Pack portions of the cooled sauce into freezer bags and freeze. For my little family, one measuring cup is sufficient for a meal. If you have a larger family, you might like to freeze the sauce in 2-cup (or 1 pint) portions.
You could also pack the sauce into a clean jar and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your tomato and red pepper cooking sauce always turns out perfectly:
- Do roast the peppers before adding them to the sauce. This enhances their natural sweetness and deepens the flavour of the sauce.
- Place the hot peppers into a bowl and cover with cling film (or a plate). Leave to steam until they are cool enough to handle. The residual steam from the hot peppers ensures the skins loosen and pull away easily.
- Don't rush the onions. Cook them gently until they are soft and translucent. This brings out their natural sweetness.
- If the sauce seems too thin, remove the lid from the pan for the final 10 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Taste before seasoning. Tomatoes vary in sweetness and acidity. Adjust the salt or add an extra pinch of sugar as necessary.
How to peel tomatoes
This is the easy way to peel tomatoes:
- Place the tomatoes into a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Make sure they are completely submerged.
- Leave them to stand for 2 minutes, then plunge them into cold water.
- Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cross at the base of the tomato and peel the skin away.
Usage suggestions
With packets of this versatile cooking sauce in your freezer, you'll be able to create lots of easy meals at a moment's notice. Here are three of my favourite recipes that can easily be adapted to use this sauce. Weeknight cooking just got easier!
- Pie filling. Use the sauce in this poached salmon pie in red pepper sauce recipe instead of making the sauce from scratch.
- Easier ravioli. Make my easy ravioli with creamy red pepper sauce even easier by using a portion of sauce instead of fresh vegetables.
- Chicken livers. Use the sauce to whip up a batch of creamy red pepper chicken livers.
- Easy chicken pasta. Take 2 cups of cooking sauce and stir in a small tub of cream cheese. Combine with leftover rotisserie chicken, or poach a couple of chicken breasts and cut them into stirips. Serve over pasta for a quick and easy meal.
Helpful equipment tips
You'll find a complete list of the equipment in the recipe card. Here are a few extra tips that will help make the recipe even easier.
- I used a wok, which only has one long handle, to make this recipe. Because of the large amount of sauce this recipe makes, I found the pan quite difficult to move from the stove to the table when taking photographs. I know you're not going to be photographing the different stages of cooking, but a wok or a pan with 2 handles will be a lot easier to handle.
- If you line your baking sheet with tin foil (or even baking parchment), you won't have to scrub burned-on red pepper juice from the baking sheet.
- An electric stick blender is ideal for blending the sauce. If you don't have a stick blender, use a normal jug blender; otherwise, simply press the sauce through a metal sieve to remove any lumps and tomato pips.
Storage and freezing
- Refrigerator. If you are going to be using the sauce within 3 to 4 days, you can store a portion in the refrigerator in a lidded glass jar.
- Freezer. I freeze it in 1 cup (240 ml) portions. For larger families, 2 cups (480 ml) might be more appropriate. Just pour it into freezer bags, seal and label. You can freeze this sauce for up to 6 months. And if you've used defrosted, frozen tomatoes, you can freeze any leftover tomato liquid in ice cube or muffin trays to add extra flavour to soups and stews.
- Defrosting. Leave the sauce to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or leave it on the counter in the kitchen for an hour or two. You could also use the defrost setting on your microwave.
FAQ
It's not essential, but roasting the peppers adds a wonderful sweetness and depth of flavour. I think it's well worth the extra few minutes.
It's a matter of preference. Blending the sauce with a stick blender not only turns the sauce smooth and silky, but it also thickens at the same time.
If you were serving this dish as a sauce at a braai or barbeque (South African style, spooned over mealie pap), I'd be inclined to leave it more chunky.
Yes. Red peppers are the sweetest and give the richest flavour, but yellow or orange peppers work well too. I wouldn't recommend green peppers as they have a stronger, slightly bitter flavour that can overpower rather than complement the tomatoes.
That's just my opinion - you may prefer the green peppers. Let me know in the comments if you use them.
Unlike a traditional pasta sauce, this recipe is designed as a versatile base that can be adapted to suit different dishes. Use it as is, or add herbs, cream, cheese, spices or other ingredients to create everything from an Italian-inspired pasta sauce to a creamy chicken sauce, or even a spicy curry sauce.
Save for later
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Related recipes
Here are some other ideas for using tomatoes that you might like to try:
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
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📋The recipe
Roasted red pepper and tomato cooking sauce
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Wok OR
- Large frying pan / saute pan / saucepan
- Baking sheet
- Tin foil optional
- Stick blender
- Sharp Knife
- Freezer bags optional
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Ingredients
Choose only 1 of the tomato options
- 5.5 pounds / 2.5 kg whole frozen tomatoes defrosted and drained (reserve the liquid)
- 3⅓ pounds / 1.5 kg fresh tomatoes skinned and diced.
Other ingredients
- 3 to 4 large capsicums / bell peppers / red peppers Seeds removed and quartered
- 2 large onions peeled and diced
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Quarter the red peppers, removing the seeds and membranes. Coat them lightly with olive, and arrange on a baking sheet lined with tin foil or baking parchment.3 to 4 large capsicums / bell peppers / red peppers
- Bake the peppers at 200°C/400°F for about 30 minutes, or until nicely charred.
- Place the cooked red peppers into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to stand until cool. Once cool, peel the skin from the peppers (It's OK if you leave little charred bits - it adds to the flavour). Chop into pieces and set aside until needed.
- While the peppers are roasting, dice the onions, chop the garlic, and fry them gently in olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring to prevent burning, until they start to turn translucent.2 large onions, 5 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard. The skins will slide off easily from the defrosted tomatoes. See How to Peel Tomatoes in the notes if you are using fresh tomatoes.5.5 pounds / 2.5 kg whole frozen tomatoes
- Add the skinned tomatoes to the onions, with 2 cups (480 ml) of the tomato liquid. If using fresh tomatoes, do not add the tomato liquid (the tomatoes will release liquid as they cook). Season with salt and sugar - both optional. Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat to low and leave the tomatoes to simmer for 30 minutes.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sugar
- Add the chopped red peppers. Cover with a lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
- The sauce should have thickened nicely, and leave a trail (that closes up quickly) when you draw a spoon through it. If it seems too thin, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
- Use a stick blender to blend the sauce until smooth.
- Pack portions of the cooled sauce into freezer bags and freeze. For my little family, one measuring cup is sufficient for a meal. If you have a larger family, you might like to freeze the sauce in 2-cup (or 1 pint) portions.
Notes
- Place the tomatoes into a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Make sure they are completely submerged.
- Leave them to stand for 2 minutes, then plunge them into cold water.
- Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cross at the base of the tomato and peel the skin away.
- Do roast the peppers before adding them to the sauce. This enhances their natural sweetness and deepens the flavour of the sauce.
- Place the hot peppers into a bowl and cover with cling film (or a plate). Leave to steam until they are cool enough to handle. The residual steam from the hot peppers ensures the skins loosen and pull away easily.
- Don't rush the onions. Cook them gently until they are soft and translucent. This brings out their natural sweetness.
- If the sauce seems too thin, remove the lid from the pan for the final 10 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Taste before seasoning. Tomatoes vary in sweetness and acidity. Adjust the salt or add an extra pinch of sugar as necessary.
With packets of this versatile cooking sauce in your freezer, you'll be able to create lots of easy meals at a moment's notice. Here are three recipes that can easily be adapted to use this sauce.
- Pie filling. Use the sauce in this poached salmon pie in red pepper sauce recipe instead of making the sauce from scratch.
- Easier ravioli. Make my easy ravioli with creamy red pepper sauce even easier by using a portion of sauce instead of fresh vegetables.
- Chicken livers. Use the sauce to whip up a batch of creamy red pepper chicken livers.
- Easy chicken pasta. Take 2 cups of cooking sauce and stir in a small tub of cream cheese. Combine with leftover rotisserie chicken, or poach a couple of chicken breasts and cut them into stirips. Serve over pasta for a quick and easy meal.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!