What to do with tinned tomato

Tinned tomato is definitely my number one pantry staple essentials. They're so flexible, last ages, are inexpensive & go a long way.

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!