LifestyleFood & DrinkRecipesAn Italian chef has shared her top tips to bring out the best flavour of a homemade tomato sauce – here's how to make it09:34, 02 Jul 2026A homemade tomato sauce ought to be silky and smooth, coating the pasta beautifully without drowning out the other flavours in the dish. Roberta d'Elia, Head Chef at Pasta Evangelists, delivers precisely that with this straightforward recipe, which takes just 15 minutes to prepare and feeds six people.‌Chef Roberta's recipe centre on ripeness, roasting, and freshness, with each element boosting the natural sweetness and depth of the fruit. "Tomatoes are best fit for cooking when they are slightly over-ripe," she advised, while slow-roasting them intensifies their flavour still further, reports the Express.‌Crucially, she cautioned against storing your tomatoes in the fridge, emphasising: "For a richer taste, buy (or grow! ) your tomatoes fresh and cook them as soon as you have them."‌Slow-roasted tomato sauce recipeIngredients1kg vine-ripened tomatoes, removed from vines and halvedFour cloves garlic, crushedTwo tsp demerara sugarTwo tbsp tomato puréeTwo tbsp extra virgin olive oilHandful fresh basil leaves, roughly choppedSalt and freshly ground black pepper‌MethodPreheat the oven to 190C. Grab a large roasting tray and arrange the halved tomatoes cut-side up in a single, even layer.Nestle the crushed garlic cloves amongst the tomatoes, pressing them into the flesh where possible so they infuse the fruit during cooking. Lightly dust the sugar over the top, along with a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper.‌Spread the tomato purée evenly across the tray with a spoon, then drizzle the top with several glugs of olive oil.Pop the tray into the oven and roast for approximately one hour, or until the tomatoes have softened completely and are beginning to caramelise around the edges.Start checking after forty minutes to prevent any burning.Article continues belowWhen ready, take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle over the chopped basil, and use a fork to lightly crush the tomatoes, forming a thick, textured sauce.This works brilliantly when spooned over freshly prepared pasta - the chef suggests orecchiette for a genuine Puglian feel - and finished with a fine grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌olive oilFoodRecipesLife hacks