You know those little jars of sun dried tomatoes packed in delicious herb infused olive oil that cost about $5 a pop? This (not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce is just like those yummy tomatoes. …Except not. Ha!
This was completely a happy accident and now my life will never be the same. I started out wanting to make something similar to this magic sauce, but was going to use it as a base for my homemade pizza tonight, so I added some tomato paste to make it more, well, pizza-like. When I gave it a taste I was absolutely stunned. it tasted just like those oil packed sun dried tomatoes!
I was so happy because nearly every time I’m at the store I want to buy those expensive little tomatoes, but the price always holds me back. Now I know I can make something that tastes really, really similar and for VERY little money.
So, what do you do with this “sauce”? Well….
- Use it as a pizza sauce (like I’m going to do tonight)
- Toss it with warm pasta, and then top with some parmesan cheese
- Use it as an uber flavorful sandwich spread (best with focaccia or other hearty bread)
- Use in place of garlic butter on sliced french bread for a tomatoey version of garlic toast
- Just go ahead and dip really good, crusty bread in it!
It’s so good that I’m sure you can come up with a million more yummy things to do with it!
(not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
Servings 2Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil ($0.64)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary ($0.02)
- a pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 10-15 cranks freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.27)
- 1/2 tsp honey ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to a small skillet. Stir and heat the mixture over low heat for about 3 minutes. It’s okay if it sizzles slightly, but you don’t want it to get hot enough that the herbs burn.
- Add the tomato paste and honey. Allow it to heat through as you stir. It will not form a smooth sauce. Continue to stir and heat over low for about 5 minutes or until you notice the tomato paste has darkened slightly. Either use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Sauce – Step By Step Photos
Start by adding 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a generous dose of freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill), and 1/2 tsp salt. Heat over low for a few minutes. It’s okay if the oil sizzles just slightly, but don’t let it burn. Cooking it for a few minutes helps infuse the oil with the herbal flavor and cooks out the raw garlic flavor.
Next add 3oz. (half of a 6oz. can or about 1/3 cup) tomato paste and 1/2 tsp honey. Don’t forget to freeze the rest of your tomato paste so that you have it on hand the next time you need some!
Cook and stir over low heat until it’s heated through and the tomato paste has darkened slightly (see the difference between the vibrant red in the last picture and this deep crimson color?). That should take about 5 minutes. Now it’s ready to use!
This recipe makes about a half cup of (not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce. The “sauce” will not be a smooth, cohesive mixture because of the oil/water thing happening. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious! Can you almost TASTE it?!
Do you think this recipe could be made in a slow cooker?
I’m not sure, to be honest, I’d need to test it to see how it turns out. But the sauce is such a small quantity that you’d need a VERY small slow cooker, anyway. It only takes about 10 minutes on the stove top, so unless you’re using the slow cooker because you don’t have a skillet or stove top, it probably isn’t worth using the slow cooker.
Thanks for the fast reply! I hate going anywhere near a hob in August (no a/c) but I went ahead and did it and I am so glad that I did. It just cooled down enough to test and my partner and I can not stop eating it.
I’m newly vegetarian and struggle sometimes to get the depth of flavor I’m used to without meat. This was absolutely fantastic. I already have a list of ways I want to try it. I’m going to start with mini pizzas tonight if there’s any left. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
This recipe saved dinner. Down to pantry basics, our of jarred pasta sauce, and we got something really quite nice on the table. Thanks!
I keep coming back to find this recipe. I love it so much. Been using it for years.
Sometimes eating on a tight budget sucks. Tonight was not one of those nights! This sauce gave me so much flavor for so little money! I used it to make pizza, and it far exceeded my expectations. Thank you, Beth! ๐
Do you think that you could substitute this for sun-dried tomatoes in an alfredo sauce?
I’m not sure, I think I’d need to test it to see if anything weird happens when combining the two. Sometimes when you add something very acidic to creamy sauce it can cause it to curdle, although a high fat content in the sauce, which alfredo has, can sometimes prevent that.
Holy smokes was this delicious! Had this over pasta and it was so incredibly rich and flavorful. It was also easy to have this going in one pot while the pasta was cooking in another. I’ll definitely be making this one again. Thanks for another great recipe! The world is a better place for having this sauce in it!
It is difficult to overstate the stretch value of this sauce … I literally cannot imagine when I won’t have some pasta or bread, as well as some frozen or canned tomato paste on hand (with the oil and spices) to make this recipe to glorious result! It tastes extremely sweet and satisfying on pasta (nowhere near the “deprivation feeling” one can get when so limited by what’s in the house), and can also do extra duty as a compliment-worthy hostess spread for crusty bread or pizza sauce! Not to mention the fact that you can freeze the leftover sauce for later too! This will be a new staple!
I made this for the first time today and it tastes fantastic! I wanted to see if I could make the sauce more cohesive, so I added about 1/2 tsp liquid lecithin, and it emulsified the sauce pretty well, though it still split a little so I may use a different emulsifier next time. In any case, this is definitely going to the top of my list of go-to tomato sauces, and I think I’ll use it next time my partner and I make pizza!
Thank you! I had a sundried tomato emergency (glanced in the pantry at roasted red peppers, without my glasses on). You saved me a trip too the store!
Easy and very tasty.ย
Can you freeze your not sun dried tomato sauce? If so, for how long?
Thank you!
Lori
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I would think it would freeze fine (I freeze my tomato paste by itself all the time and I know you can freeze herbs in oil). There often isn’t an exact cut off for how long you can freeze something, rather it’s just a slow decline in quality. So I always try to use my frozen goods within a few months.
I wish Iโd found this years agoโitโs so good and can go with so many things! My favorite so far is spread over plain sourdough toast then topped with a fried egg. Heaven! Thank you so much!
Wow! I’m impressed. I came across yet another recipe that called for the sun-dried tomatoes that I never have on hand so finally it occurred ro me to google “sub for sun-dried tomatoes” and this recipe came up! Lovely sun-dried tomato flavor for pennies. This solves a problem I’ve been puzzling about for YEARS! Thanks a million!
Absolutely amazing!!! Cannot tell you how many times my husband and I have made this. We usually add artichoke hearts and spinach and toss in bowtie pasta. Yum!
My VERY picky 5 year old ate this last night on pasta. It was the first time in a long time my entire family ate the same thing for dinner. I call that a winner! What a delicious, easy sauce.
Oh. My. GOODNESS. I will never buy canned pizza sauce again. This is so much cheaper and infinitely more flavorful.
I discovered this recipe 3 years ago and just wanted to tell you that I still come back to it every couple of weeks! It’s amazing in pasta, on pizza, with bread…*ahem*…on a spoon by itself…Anyway, I adore your website, the way you think, and the flavors you always manage to come up with on a budget!
I’ve tried this recipe with tomato paste, with great results (as always)!
However I’m more likely to have ketchup rather than tomato paste on hand. Have you ever tried ketchup with any luck?
Ketchup has quite a bit of sugar and isn’t as concentrated as tomato paste, so I think it wouldn’t be quite as potent.
Understood. Thanks!
I was so surprised about how dang delicious this turned out. I tossed it all with a box of cavatappi and we were in chewy pasta heaven. We couldn’t stop eating it. My only tweak was to add in a tsp of sugar. Thanks!
Great idea. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t like to use a lot of oil what measurements would you reccomend if I used less oil and more tomatoe paste or something else?
You could probably reduce it to 1/4 cup oil, but I wouldn’t lower it any more than that. You don’t need to replace it with anything, either.
I made a double recipe with 2T oil and it was very good. Next time I will cut it back to one tablespoon. Nice smooth paste!
Why did you ask of you weren’t going to take her advise anyway?
ahem…. 2T oil is exactly the 1/4 cup suggested
I also had to reduce the amount of oil to get this meal under 500 calories.
I am sure it tastes great with the original amount of oil. But in my opinion the low fat version with 1.3 tablespoon of olive oil was still very good! Thanks for such a simple and great recipe!
I just have to chime in to tell you how much I love your food, food choices, style of writing, user friendly site etc..I’ve been using your recipes for a while now and I LOVE every single one! Kid-tested & mama approved. .lol. I’m making this “Not Sundried Sauce tomorrow with the leftover paste from your Tortilla Soup w/Sweet Potatoes which I crave regularly, along with
so many other recipes you offer. You’ve expanded my meal selection & I’m super grateful to you for this. I was a good cook already but now I’m so excited about food & especially not waisting it! Thank You for sharing your idea’s and putting yourself out there! :p
Way too salty. Even my boyfriend who loves a lot of salt thought so. BUT other than that, a neat trick of making inexpensive imitation sundried tomato sauce! Next time I’ll just cut the salt in half.
Thanks!
Wow! So simple yet it was uber tasty and full of flavour. Thanks!!
Amy idea if this sauce freezes ok?
Hmm, not sure about that one. I bet it would, although the oil might separate out some.
I used this as a spread on a grilled eggplant and mozzarella sandwich. Delish!
BRILLIANT!
Thank you for this! Now I finally know what to do with the left over tomato paste that sits in my fridge until it becomes a science project.
I made this tonight when I realized I didn’t have any crushed tomatoes for sauce. I’m glad I was out because this is delicious! I’ll definitely be making it again!
How crucial is the honey? Have all the ingredients except the honey.
Much appreciated as always!
Well, it definitely helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. If you don’t have honey you can use brown sugar or even regular white sugar instead.
I have literally spent hours on your site today…devouring your recipes and pinning them for the next few weeks’ meals (this week is already cooked).
I love your site, your pics and your ideas. Thank you for sharing them.
Sooo good! It was great on pizza, at least the sauce that was left after tasting! Thanks Beth!
This is a five star recipe.
Absolutely amazing!!! Sooo good I couldn’t help licking the spoon. Never, ever had a sauce sooo easy to make and sooo delish.
This should be in every poor student’s cooking arsenal. I only had garlic, basil, and oregano on hand and it was still absolutely delicious. It only used 1/3 of a 69 cent can of tomato paste, so I can see this becoming a weekly staple!
thanks for sharing.
I just whipped this up as a dressing for a pasta salad. It had elbow macaroni as its base, and ended up with lots of onions (caramelized and raw), tomato, cucumber, cooked yellow squash, raw carrot, and fresh parsley/basil. Made about 3/4 box of pasta and your recipe completely coated the salad brilliantly. Sprinkled parmesan all over. Hope it will be the hit of our picnic! It tastes AMAZING!
Delicious! I had some herbes de provence already mixed, making it even easier. I served it over angel hair pasta and wilted some spinach into it. Mmm, spicy and sweet.
I think I would call this DIVINE. So easy. I needed pizza sauce, so I whipped this up. I ended up eating it off a hamburger bun, it’s that good. As Guy Fieri often says, that would be good slathered on a flip flop! Thanks for the recipe, no more jarred pizza sauce for me!
This is an awesome idea! Trying it with gnocchi this week along with many of your other great meals :)
Looks great; I’m definitely going to try it!
I’ve had this for the last three nights. It’s so good!
Wonderful explained recipe! It looks very nice on the photos too.
Made this tonight and threw it on some whole wheat spaghetti and chicken. So easy and so awesome!
Wow, just tried this it’s SO good. I actually put it on some of your ricotta gnocchi that I had in the freezer :) Delicious! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
What a fantastic sauce Beth! I love sundried tomatoes… so I can’t wait to try this out!
I just tried this and OMG I think I’ve eaten like half a loaf of bread because of this! it’s sweet and tangy and so so good. thank you for this recipe!
You have done it again!!! This sounds fabulous! I will be adding it to my recipes. I used your recipe for the Red Enchilada sauce. It was the best! even my son,whom is a picky eater said they were the best I have made because of the sauce. I added more garlic powder,chili powder,g. cumin. and used 1/2 oil & 1/2 butter. It was the best Red enchilada sauce i have made. I have subscribed to alot!! of food blogs and yours is one of my top ten favorites. you are greatly appreciated for all that you share. many blessings
Looks delicious! How long do you think this would keep in the fridge?
Your total on the part where you add up the ingredients says 2.16 instead of 1.17. Just FYI, I know what you meant!! :)
this looks delicious! I’m gonna try it this weekend with some shrimp for a super simple seafood pasta dish.
this looks great! i love the flavors…and the cost :)
Serendipity… so there I was, fantasizing about some bruschetta to go with my leftover salmon for lunch. But there are no ripe tomatoes in my garden, and I was thinking I was just going to make some cheese toast, when this magically appeared in my feed.
I just eyeballed the dry spices, and added more garlic, because, well, why not??? It took all of five minutes to make, and it was beautiful. Between me and the kids, we ate a whole batch and half a loaf of bread. Okay, okay, *I* ate half a loaf of bread.
I’m contemplating making another batch out of the leftover paste for dinner to go over some shells. It is THAT good. You are a sooper genius, Beth. Can I casually worship at your feet now?
Your pics of this look fabulous!!! I might try it over some three cheese pasta I just got at the store! Looks super yum!
This looks fabulous! Would make a good sauce for a pizza or flat bread as well
Mal @ The Chic Geek