When you cant get fresh tomatoes in the height of the summer season straight from the stem, then your best bet is to get them straight from the can with a descent can of tinned tomatoes!
Tinned tomatoes are a cheap, convenient, easily accessible product and remains high on my budget store cupboard list as I use them so regularly. I quite often buy a 4 pack of tinned plum tomatoes every week to cook big family dishes.
A tin of tomatoes can quite easily be turned into a fresh pizza sauce, a quick soup or a Bolognese or stew. They also count as a another veg if you are like me and are constantly trying to sneak anything vegetabley into the kids.
Which tinned tomatoes should I buy?
Tinned tomatoes are harvested at their peak of ripeness and preserved for later use with a little sugar and salt. They come in a variety of different forms these days. Which ones do u buy and for what purpose? Let’s check out the classic types…
Whole plum and Chopped tomatoes…
Whole plum tomatoes have a great fresh flavour, natural sweetness and a better flesh texture than their chopped counterparts. When you are using the plum tomatoes in a dish you may want to whizz or crush as you use to achieve the consistency you want. The top tier tomatoes can get a bit pricey but tend to be a better quality product.
Chopped tomatoes are a more processed product than the whole tomatoes and do release more water into the can, you do however get more tomato flesh for your money with the chopped. Sometimes I drain the tomato juice off so you can control the thickness of the final product.
Passata
Passata is made from fresh tomatoes, often from the broken or round tomatoes which can’t go into the other cans. It’s a super smooth, sieved tomato sauce without any seeds or skins in it. Passata is great in any dish where you need an instant, smooth slightly more concentrated tomato flavour than the other options.
Purée
Tomato purée is a cooked down, thicker, more intense passata. It is more of a flavour enhancer to a dish than a base ingredient. I use tomato purée spread on some good toast, topped with cheese and grilled for a really quick, tasty snack 🙂
Do the expensive tinned tomatoes make a difference?
In my personal opinion you really do get what you pay for when you pay a bit more for your can of tomatoes.
There are a lot of varieties around these days at all different price points, but classically the most popular are the Italian tomatoes. Among the Italian varieties are the San Marzano thick, fleshy tomatoes grown at the base of mount Vesuvius where the growing conditions are ideal. Absolutely delicious!
The only way is to decide is to try a premium can for yourself. Alternatively the cheap products can be quite watery and lacking in flavour and sweetness. You may be able to cover the cheap choice of tomatoes with other flavours and products including purée when cooking certain dishes but any recipes where the tomatoes are the key ingredient may require a more premium product.
how many tomatoes in a can?
Well it depends if you have a 400g or an 800g tin and what tomato you have tinned. Generally speaking, a 400g tin of your classic plum tomatoes will contain 5 to 6 tomatoes, a 800g tin containing 10 to 12. Tinned chopped tomatoes will always give you more tomato for your money as the entire tin is full of smaller chunks of tomato.
How Calorific are tinned tomatoes?…
Tinned tomatoes are low in calories, providing approximately 32 calories per 240ml serving. They are a nutritious addition to meals, offering antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals whilst providing one of your daily fruit and veg portions.
Can I suggest 3 really easy dinner recipes using tinned tomatoes?
To make Mediterranean Chickpea Stew, Sauté onions and garlic, then add tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, spinach, and your favourite Mediterranean fresh herbs. Simmer until flavours meld for a simple, delicious dish.
To make a really easy Tomato Basil Bruschetta, drain a couple of tinned tomatoes and mix with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and a good pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture onto toasted bruschetta and top with more olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic and maybe even a little dob of mozerella.
To make Tomato and Lentil Soup, sauté onions, carrots, and celery in a pot. Add tinned tomatoes, red lentils and vegetable stock. Simmer until lentils are cooked through, season to perfection and blitz if necessary.
Recipes…
My Super Easy Budget Bolognese Recipe
My Super Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
