• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Wimpy Vegetarian
  • Home
  • About Susan
    • About Susan
    • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Recipe Index
  • Essential Pantry
    • Reduced Balsamic Vinegar
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Resources
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Meal Plans
    • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » VEGAN

    Spicy Smoky Tomato Sauce

    Modified: Feb 29, 2024 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    This spicy smoky tomato sauce develops layers of flavor from roasting in the oven. It only takes 15 minutes to put together before sliding it into the oven, and can be used for many recipes.

    Adding one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce adds a touch of smokiness and heat to the sauce, making it unique from any store-bought sauces. And a little balsamic vinegar increases that umami flavor we all crave.

    Jump to Recipe
    A large pot filled with a spicy tomato sauce cooked with onions and dried chipotle pepper.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe

    Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.

    Jump to:
    • 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
    • 🔪 Recommended Equipment
    • 👩‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works
    • 💡Ideas for Possible Variations
    • 👩‍🍳 Ways to Use Homemade Tomato Sauce
    • Smoky Spicy Roasted Tomato Sauce

    When you have some thick, flavorful tomato sauce on hand, you are minutes away from lots of meals. So, whether you have guests coming in, or know a busy week is coming up, make this sauce ahead of time to make your life easier.

    This recipe uses canned tomatoes, but I have another Roasted Tomato Sauce that's best in the summer since it uses fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes at their peak.  


    🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes

    The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.

    For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.

    • Yellow onion - A white onion is fine, but don't use a red onion. It will be too sweet.
    • Crushed tomatoes - Be sure to get San Marzano tomatoes that are certified as grown in the San Marzano region, if at all possible.
    • Diced tomatoes - I use fire roasted diced tomatoes in this recipe.
    • Whole peeled tomatoes - same comment as above for the crushed tomatoes.
    • Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - I've tried several different brands, and don't have a preference. So, just pick up what's convenient for you.
    • Dried oregano
    • Balsamic vinegar - Any balsamic vinegar will do. You won't need much.


    Top view of looking down into jars filled with thick tomato sauce.

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.


    🔪 Recommended Equipment

    • Large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot
    • Chef's knife

    👩‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

    • Using 3 kinds of tomatoes - whole peeled tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes - results in a tomato sauce with just the right amount of texture, without it being too smooth nor too chunky. You can slice up the whole peeled tomatoes, but I like to gently squeeze them and tear them apart for some irregular shapes in the sauce.
    • Adding a little balsamic vinegar sharpens the flavors and increases the umami satisfaction we all crave.
    • The chipotle pepper in adobo sauce adds a touch of smokiness and heat to the sauce, making it unique from any store-bought sauces.
    • San Marzano tomatoes are worth the extra money, and purchasing particularly the whole peeled tomatoes grown in this region of Italy makes this a high-quality tomato sauce.
    • The long roasting concentrates the flavors, making this a very special tomato sauce. Additionally, by surrounding the pot with 400˚F in the oven, it heats the sauce more evenly than on the stovetop, and prevents the sauce from cooking too much only on the bottom and possibly burning. Roasting it in the oven allows you to slide the sauce in, and walk away for an hour.
    Three jars labeled spicy tomato sauce with a little dripping over the side.

    💡Ideas for Possible Variations

    • If you like your sauce a little spicy instead of smoky, nix the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, and instead add a couple pinches of red pepper flakes and add some garlic.
    • For a southern Italy or Greek approach, add ½ cup sliced Kalamata olives. They are a fabulous addition.
    • Add chopped celery, carrot and / or mushrooms to make it even heartier. It's plenty thick already after roasting, so add some water or vegetable broth if you take this path.
    • Play with the herbs and swap out oregano for basil, or add 3 large garlic cloves, minced.
    • If you want the smokiness without the heat, substitute 2 dried chipotle peppers for the chipotle peppers in adobo to make the sauce less spicy.
    • Nix the smoky flavor and go with the clean flavors of tomatoes, onions, fresh oregano, and basil with this Spicy Marinara. A sprinkling of dried red pepper flakes adds some heat to this sauce.
    • Simplify the recipe by using this one for San Marzano Tomato Sauce.

    👩‍🍳 Ways to Use Homemade Tomato Sauce

    • A super easy way to use this sauce is this spaghetti and chickpeas pasta dish.
    • Use it on pizza, in quesadillas with some cheese, or ladle over roasted eggplant slices with some provolone cheese slices.
    • Or, combine it with these Beyond Beef meatballs for a meatball casserole dinner with or without pasta.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe
    A large pot filled with a spicy tomato sauce cooked with onions and dried chipotle pepper.
    4.38 from 8 votes

    Smoky Spicy Roasted Tomato Sauce

    This spicy tomato sauce develops layers of flavor from roasting in the oven. It only takes 15 minutes to put together before sliding it into the oven, and can be used for many recipes.
    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe Add to Recipe Collection Go to Collections Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Spicy Pasta Sauce, Spicy Tomato Sauce
    Servings: 8 cups
    Calories: 27kcal
    Author: Susan Pridmore
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot
    • Chef's knife

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 large onion, diced about 2 cups diced
    • 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
    • 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
    • 1 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes
    • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, left whole
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or ½ teaspoon table salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
    • Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed, oven-safe pot. The pot should be able to hold 8 cups, or 1 quart, of sauce comfortably. Add the onions and sauté for 5 - 7 minutes, or until softened.
    • Stir in all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, about 7 - 8 minutes. Slide the pot, uncovered, into the oven. Place a baking sheet on a rack below the pot, in case it boils over - although I've never yet had this happen.
    • Roast for 1 hour, and remove from the oven. Correct for any seasoning, and cool before ladling into jars.
    • The sauce can keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 6 months.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.7g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.3g | Sodium: 316.3mg | Potassium: 35.3mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 1.2g | Vitamin A: 99.6IU | Vitamin C: 1.4mg | Calcium: 9.7mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    « A Vegetarian Thanksgiving : 27 Appetizers & More
    Best 5 Vegan / Vegetarian Kitchen Staples for Quick Meals »

    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. mjskitchen

      December 22, 2019 at 4:30 pm

      5 stars
      Adding a little smoky chipotle to a tomato is a great way to spice it up as well as making it a little different than a normal sauce. We're all about changing things up once in a while. 🙂

      Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season Susan!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        December 23, 2019 at 1:22 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you so much, MJ! That' totally what we're all about! I add a dried chipotle to all my beans when I cook them up too - love them! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season too!!! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

        Reply
    4.38 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Susan at The Wimpy Vegetarian

    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    READER FAVORITES

    • A bowl of fresh strawberry salsa with a crostini spread with cheese and topped with salsa.
      Easy Strawberry Salsa Recipe with Chocolate Nibs
    • A bowl of cooked, fluffy brown rice topped with a little fresh thyme.
      How to Cook Fluffy Rice with Tips (White AND Brown Rice)
    • Four dishes from a vegetarian St. Patrick's Day roundup of recipes with text overlay.
      Irish Vegetarian Recipes (St. Patricks Day)
    • Serving dish of braised citrus ginger carrots with a serving fork.
      Glazed Honey Ginger Carrots Recipe

    15 Tips for Going Vegetarian (Updated!)

    A colander filled with freshly washed apples with text overlay.

    Purchase My Cookbook!!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Purchase my cookbook
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe Index

    Copyright © 2025 The Wimpy Vegetarian

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.