This homemade Cherry Tomato Sauce is the perfect blend of tomato-rich flavor, Italian-inspired seasoning, and a hint of vegan creaminess! Spoon it over your favorite pasta or serve it as a dipping sauce. All you need are a few simple ingredients and 20 minutes!
Use cherry or grape tomatoes in this simple, fresh, and flavorful marinara! It’s so good, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful.
We love to buy mini tomatoes in bulk. We snack on them, add them to salads, salsas, homemade pizzas, and anything else we can think of.
Sometimes though, we can’t seem to eat through them fast enough so this tomato and basil recipe is a perfect way to use them up before they go bad.
This pasta sauce is easy to make and happens to be vegan! It goes so well with my Stuffed Shells recipe or as a dipping sauce for these Baked or Air Fried squash rounds.
The sautéed tomatoes create a perfectly smooth texture in this sauce. No need to peel the tomatoes or strain the seeds. It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen for later.
Reasons To Love This Recipe
- Dairy-free
- Quick & easy
- Made with fresh tomatoes
- Just a few simple ingredients
Ingredients and Substitutions
Tomatoes - Fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are the foundation of this delicious sauce. They are full of flavor and add a bit of natural sweetness. Red or a colorful medley can be used in this recipe. It’s best when the tomatoes are ripe, which can be determined if you squeeze into the center a bit and the skin springs back.
Onion - I have found white onion to add a perfect complement to this sauce.
Garlic - Just a few cloves of garlic will give this sauce an irresistible flavor.
Tomato Sauce - A simple can of tomato sauce gives this recipe a rich flavor. Use unsalted tomato sauce for less sodium.
Fresh Basil - Fresh basil adds an authentic flavor and aroma. Use the leaves from the top of the plant. They can remain whole for this recipe. If you don’t have fresh basil handy, you can use about 2 teaspoons of dried basil. You can also add other fresh herbs such as parsley or thyme!
Seasoning - Salt, pepper, and oregano add another delicious layer to this sauce. Feel free to add more or less depending on your preferences.
Plant Milk - I feel unsweetened plant milk is best here because it adds the perfect level of creaminess while allowing the tomatoes to shine through. I prefer oat or soy.
How To Make Cherry Tomato Sauce
Dice the onions, mince the garlic, halve the tomatoes, and gather the remaining ingredients.
Bring a large sauté pan to medium heat, then add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions to the pan. Stir them for about 2 minutes as they start to appear translucent.
Next, add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir them as they cook for another 3 minutes or until they have softened.
Add the tomato sauce and seasoning (oregano, salt, and pepper). Stir occasionally while the sauce cooks for 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the plant milk and basil leaves. Cook the sauce for another 10 minutes, occasionally stirring as it fully emulsifies.
Serve the marinara over pasta or use it as a dipping sauce!
Storage & Reheating
- Store leftover sauce in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheat the leftover sauce on medium-low heat in a saucepan or the microwave at 30-second intervals (stirring in between).
Serve This With...
I hope you loved this Cherry Tomato Sauce! Please leave a star rating and comment below.
Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup white onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 14 ounces tomato sauce, canned
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ¾ cup plant milk
- 15 medium-sized basil leaves or 2 teaspoons of dried basil
Instructions
- Dice the onions, mince the garlic, halve the tomatoes, and gather the remaining ingredients.
- Bring a large sauté pan to medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions to the pan. Stir them for about 2 minutes as they start to appear translucent.
- Add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir them as they cook for another 3 minutes or until they have softened.
- Mix in the tomato sauce and seasoning (oregano, salt, and pepper). Stir occasionally while the sauce cooks for 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the plant milk and basil leaves. Cook the sauce for another 10 minutes, occasionally stirring as it fully emulsifies.
Video
Notes
- Store leftover sauce in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheat the leftover sauce on medium-low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave at 30-second intervals (stirring in between).
Nutrition
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
Kim
Wonderful!
Bonnie
Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it.
Becky
Thank you so much. I have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes this season and the four sickly plants that I put in my garden in June turned into something like Little shop of horrors where if you dove in deeply enough to grab the red tomato that was hiding You might not come out with a hand at all. I was trying to peel the tomatoes but happily this recipe says I don't have to so I'm not going to. I love the sweet sauce that they make.
Bonnie
You're so welcome! I too love the sweet sauce they make and prefer it over anything store-bought. Best wishes with your tomato plants!