This Midnight Roma Tomato Sauce is striking, deep and really flavorful. Midnight Roma tomatoes are truly special, and if you grow them like I do, then you know they are really abundant and prolific. This is the perfect recipe to use up that big harvest.
Enjoy this sauce tossed with pasta, layered in lasagna or add it to any recipe that call for tomato sauce. This is also a great preservation recipe.
Table of Contents
What Is a Midnight Roma Tomato?
Midnight Roma is a relatively new tomato variety developed by Oregon State University breeder Dr. Jim Myers, and licensed through Row 7 Seeds. I have been personally growing these in my garden for the last few years and they are really prolific. It is one of my Favorite Tomato Varieties.
Here are some things I find fascinating about this variety:
- Purple skin + red flesh. The outer skin is pigmented with anthocyanins (the same compounds you find in blueberries), giving it a dark, purplish or almost black appearance in certain light.
- Plum / paste tomato lineage. Though its skin is dramatic, it functions like a classic sauce or paste tomato: dense flesh, fewer seeds, good solids for cooking down. It can be used in place of Roma tomatoes in recipes like Roasted tomato Sauce, Galayet Bandora, Salsa Roja or even a Chopped Tomato Salad.
- Breeding & traits. Myers crossed Oregon Star (a meaty, dual‑purpose tomato) with Indigo Rose (a purple tomato rich in anthocyanins) to get this blend of color, flavor, and processing ability.
- He also selected for disease resistance (e.g. verticillium wilt) to make it more resilient.
- Ripening & sun exposure. The purple skin deepens with direct sun. To maximize that pigment, gardeners often prune to let more light reach the fruit.
- The fruit is ready when the top shifts from shiny blue‑purple to dull purple brown, with the bottom turning red.
- Timely harvest & preserving. Because it’s a semi‑determinate variety, many fruits ripen around the same period, perfect for making sauce or preserving in batches. Because they are semi-determinate, they can be grown as a container tomato.
- What Row 7 Seeds says: Row 7 highlights its “quick cook time,” “memorable flavor,” and high antioxidant content. They also point out that to preserve the antioxidants, you’ll want to include the skin in the early cooking stage, then pass the sauce through a food mill or sieve.
All this means that when you turn Midnight Roma into sauce, you get not just beautiful color transitions but also a deeper, more layered flavor. It’s got sweetness, acidity, and meatiness that handles cooking well.
Ingredients
This is a pretty straightforward recipe with very few ingredients. The goal is to let the star of the show shine through. Here’s what you will need:
- Tomatoes: Obviously, Midnight Roma Tomatoes for this Midnight Roma Tomato Sauce! Can you make this recipe with regular plum tomatoes, sure. You can choose to follow my Marinara Sauce Recipe instead.
- Aromatics: I am including onion and fresh garlic. They will provide a base for this sauce, lend some flavor and sweetness too.
- Fresh Herbs: The classic fresh basil flavor works well here.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Midnight Roma Tomato Sauce Recipe
Step 1. Sautee Aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, sautéing until they’re soft and fragrant (but not browned).
Step 2. Add Tomatoes. Add roughly chopped Midnight Roma tomatoes. Stir to combine.
Step 3. Cook Down. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to release their juices (about 5–10 minutes). Add basil now, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Step 4. Simmer. Let the sauce simmer, uncovered, until reduced but still a bit chunky, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool ~15 minutes.
Step 5. Strain. Pass the cooked tomatoes through a food mill (or fine sieve) to remove skins and seeds, yielding a smooth sauce.
Step 6. Adjust. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, maybe a pinch of sugar or red pepper flakes if desired). If you want a thicker sauce, return to the pot and simmer further, stirring frequently.
Expert Tips
- Include the skin. The anthocyanins in Midnight Roma are in the skin, so don’t peel before cooking. Milling later retains most of that pigment.
- Maximize sun exposure in the garden. Prune, stake, trellis to let light hit fruits evenly, helping deepen the skin color.
- Roast for more flavor. You can follow my Roasted Tomato Sauce or Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce recipes for a different take on this recipe. The roasting helps concentrate flavors even more and give your sauce a smoky taste.
- Simmer gently and stir often, especially toward the end when sauce thickens, it can scorch.
- Taste and balance. As it reduces, flavors concentrate. Adjust salt, acidity, or sweetness in small increments.
- Use a good food mill. A high-quality mill helps you retain flavor and smoothness without losing precious sauce.
- Batch & freeze smart. Make a big batch when tomatoes are abundant, cool thoroughly before freezing in airtight containers (deli containers work well).
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can fully cook the sauce, cool it, and refrigerate for up to 4–5 days. Just rewarm gently before serving.
Once cooled, portion into airtight jars or freezer-safe bags or deli containers (leave headspace), then freeze for up to 3–4 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat gently.
You can blend, but a food mill helps remove skins and seeds and gives a smoother texture. If you skip it, you may want to strain the sauce afterward or accept a bit more texture.
Too watery: simmer longer, uncovered, stirring to avoid burning.
Too thick: stir in a splash of water, stock, or a bit of reserved tomato juice.
Other Tomato Sauces
Tomato Recipes
Preservation
Preservation
Condiments
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Midnight Roma Tomato Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- ¾ Quart Jar – 750ml
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Large onion (finely chopped) – yellow or white
- 3-5 Garlic cloves (minced) – use as much or as little as you like
- 3 lbs Midnight Roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup Fresh basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sautee Aromatics. Heat 2 tablespoon Olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 Large onion (finely chopped) and 3-5 Garlic cloves (minced), sautéing until they’re soft and fragrant (but not browned).
- Add Tomatoes. Add 3 lbs Midnight Roma tomatoes (roughly chopped). Season with a big pinch of salt and black pepper (you will be able to add more later). Stir to combine.
- Cook Down. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to release their juices (about 5–10 minutes). Add ¼ cup Fresh basil now, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer. Let the sauce simmer, uncovered, until reduced but still a bit chunky, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool ~15 minutes.
- Strain. Pass the cooked tomatoes through a food mill (or fine sieve) to remove skins and seeds, yielding a smooth sauce.
- Adjust. Taste and adjust seasoning with Salt and pepper to taste. If you want a thicker sauce, return to the pot and simmer further, stirring frequently.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Obviously, Midnight Roma tomatoes for this Midnight Roma Tomato Sauce! You can grow your own, or find them at specialty stores. They are becoming much more common as farmers and growers start growing them for mass production.
- Aromatics: I am including onion and fresh garlic. They will provide a base for this sauce, lend some flavor and sweetness too.
- Fresh Herbs: The classic fresh basil flavor works well here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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