Is there anything better than fresh tomatoes in Summer!? They are so bright and vibrant in color that it’s the perfect thing to make any dish look elegant. Plus, there are so many recipes you can use them in. My homemade summer tomato sauce is definitely one you’re going to want to add to your weekly rotation!

I was making dinner the other night and I was just staring at the fridge hoping inspiration was going to fly out at me. My original plan was grilled chicken, zucchini noodles and a roll. Eh, kinda boring I thought. Then I saw the container of fresh cherry tomatoes! Let’s be honest – sometimes end up not getting used or lost in the back of the fridge. I thought, yup, a fresh tomato sauce on top of some pan fried chicken sounds absolutely amazing.

Not only is this sauce easy to make, it’s much better for you than any pasta sauce from the jar. With fresh ingredients it makes all the difference! It’s the perfect thing to make for a summer meal. It’s light and flavorful and done in no time.

While I love to spend my time (waste my time if you ask my husband) scrolling Pinterest for amazing new recipes to make, it’s always refreshing to just be standing there and have a recipe come into my mind. How could I say no to that!?

Now, I’m not lying when I said this sauce is easy to make with only a handful of ingredients. You’ll need cherry tomatoes, a clove of garlic, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, fresh basil, marinated artichoke hearts, olive oil and butter. I’m sure you probably have most of those ingredients already!

I served this simple sauce on top of pan-fried chicken breasts and pasta but it’s so versatile. Since it’s la ight and chunky sauce compared to a pureed sauce, you could serve this on top of grilled salmon or pork chops. I hope that however you choose to serve up this sauce that you enjoy it!

Homemade Summer Tomato Sauce

The perfect sauce to make using those fresh summer tomatoes. This is going to have you saying goodbye to your normal store bought selection!

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 pint Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Garlic Clove minced
1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/4 cup Marinated Artichoke Hearts chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
splash of Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Reserved Pasta Water if you're not serving this with pasta, use water.
1/2 Tbsp Butter

Method

Add olive oil to a heated pan and medium high heat. Add in your sliced tomatoes and salt and pepper. Allow tomatoes to cook for about 8 minutes. This will allow them to release their juices and get soft and tender.
Once the tomatoes are soft and tender and a sauce is forming, add in your garlic and herbs de provence. Allow to cook for about 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add in your artichoke hearts and basil. Let simmer for 30 seconds, then add in Balsamic vinegar.
Add in a 1/4 cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. You can add more or less depending on how thick you want your sauce to be.
After simmering for about 3 minutes, turn off the heat and add in your butter.
Serve over pan fried chicken, pasta, zoodles, pork chops, salmon. The options are endless!