Spread the tomatoes over 2–3 sheet pans, cut side up, with the garlic and seasonings. Roast at 400°F for 45–75 minutes, rotating pans as needed, until the tomatoes collapse, edges caramelize, and quite a lot of water has evaporated.

Then scrape everything — juices included — into a large pot.

From there, you have two directions:

- Rustic sauce: mash with a potato masher and simmer another 20–40 minutes.

- Smooth sauce: use an immersion blender, then simmer to your desired thickness.

If skins bother you, you can run it through a food mill after roasting. Personally, for a big homemade batch, I’d leave them unless they’re especially tough.

Ten pounds of fresh tomatoes will usually give you roughly 5–7 quarts of sauce before aggressive reduction, depending heavily on how watery the tomatoes are. If you reduce it to a thicker pasta-sauce consistency, expect less.