Tinned tomato is definitely my number one pantry staple essentials. They’re so flexible, last ages, are inexpensive & go a long way.
What to do with tinned tomato
Maybe I was Italian in a past life?
With a maiden name like Kelly (and now Cameron), it sure doesn’t indicate that but you never know.
It would explain something at least – my love for tinned tomato.
Seriously, you should see my stash of tinned tomatoes.
I buy at least 6 tins at a time.
If you had to ask me one item that I without fail will always have in my pantry, it’s tinned tomato – definitely high on my list in the capsule pantry.
That’s a concept I thought I’d come up with in a moment of genius in the shower a while ago (aren’t genius moments always in the shower?) but once I was dry I Ecosiased (I’m trying to get that term to stick! – it’s a new earth-friendly search engine) and nope, not something I’d come up with.
A capsule pantry is apparently something that has been around for a while.
So long that things like ‘capsule pantry challenges’ exist.
In this challenge participants choose 33 ingredients and that’s all they can cook with for 3 months.
That includes things like salt and herbs and spices. EVERYTHING has to be included in the 33 items.
My idea of a capsule pantry is a little less rigid but the idea is the same… there are so many things you can do with just a few basic ingredients and I tell you, oh how I love a good old tin of tomato.
Yes, it’s true that nothing beats the real thing but if you buy good-quality tinned tomato then it comes in a close second.
If you have a tin of tomato then you can probably whip up a meal with a few other ingredients (click here for a copy of my free tinned tomato recipe eBook).
My cooking philosophy is as much as possible, cooking with whole, pure ingredients rather than pre-made ingredients.
It saves us money but most importantly, it saves us from nasty additives, preservatives and colours which I do my best to keep out of all of our diets.
Take a bottle of Italian pasta sauce for example.
Putting aside the fact that it probably has a few ingredients we could do without, with that you can make pasta of course or maybe a few different Italian dishes if you’re creative.
BUT, with a tin of tomatoes, you can make all of the above and so much more.
What do to with tinned tomato:
- tomato pasta sauce, ketchup (you can use passata or tinned tomato for this recipe) or barbecue sauce
- curries
- stews & casseroles
- bolognese
I love them because they’re inexpensive, flexible (Indian to Italian!), keep for ages and are easy to store.
Plus I know that’s all there is to them – tomatoes!
Tips for buying
- Look for BPA free tins (some tins are line with this nasty plastic that is not great for us).
- Avoid dented, rusted, swollen or misshapen tins which might contain nasty bacteria.
- Check the ingredients – Make sure they only have tomatoes with no added sugar or salt.
- I prefer to buy organic tinned tomatoes so I know there are no pesticides or artificial fertilisers or chemicals used in the growing that can leech into the tomatoes and end up in our food. Plus they have a lot more flavour!
Warning…
Once opened, don’t store tomatoes in opened cans — the contents end up tasting like metal and the cans weren’t designed for refrigeration.
Transfer to a fridge-safe container (glass jars are perfect for this) and store for up to 4 days. If I have any leftover I pour it into a glass jar.
So what do I do with the 10 tins of diced tomatoes I buy every month?
Click here to get a copy of my free eBook – five easy, delicious recipes using tinned tomato – so that you never have to race to the supermarket in witching hour again!
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