Tomatoes whether it is a tomato sauce, paste, or whether it is diced, crushed, sun-dried, or stewed as in this case offer numerous benefits.
Italian stewed tomatoes are one great recipe that rings a bell in Italian cuisines. A lot of people enjoy this recipe, whether it is homemade or not. But this does not mean you would have to maintain a particular method for your recipe.
Do you need to make Italian stewed tomatoes, but do not have stewed tomatoes? Well, there are outstanding substitutes for Italian stewed tomatoes.
Canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and even fresh tomatoes are great substitutes If you are looking forward to serving some mouth-watery meal.
Read on to find out about these substitutes.
Contents
What are stewed tomatoes?
Stewed tomatoes are fresh tomatoes that are cooked with or without salt or sugar. However, it is cooked with other seasonings like; bell pepper, celery, herbs, and onions spices.
This is to enhance the taste. After which the stewed tomatoes are canned.
Stewed tomatoes are quite flavorful and when you are ready to use them they can serve as an excellent side dish. It is also great for salsa and has a good number of recipes.
And stewed tomatoes like other tomatoes are choke-filled with health benefits. It is a great way to test and improve your culinary skills since there are other things you can make with them.
And with the way stewed tomatoes is prepared, it seems almost impossible to have substitutes. However, if you cannot have stewed tomatoes you can make some stewed tomatoes from other substitutes.
So now you know about stewed tomatoes let’s learn about the substitutes for Italian stewed tomatoes.
Read: Datterini Tomatoes Substitute
Substitutes for Italian stewed tomatoes
1. Crushed tomato
If by any chance you run out of stewed tomatoes, or you just intend to test your culinary skills, then crushed tomato is a nice place to start.
Crushed tomato is not like stewed tomatoes since they are not filled with herbs, salt, sugar, and other seasonings that make up stewed tomatoes. However, you have the chance to add all these ingredients yourself and come out with an appealing result.
In short, crushed tomato contains a combination of diced tomatoes, puree, or paste. And since you can add all the ingredients that make up stewed tomatoes in it you can get almost the same consistency.
So, crushed tomato is a great substitute for Italian stewed tomatoes.
2. Diced tomatoes
When it’s time to make some classy kind of tomato sauce diced tomato always saves the day. This tomato is added to salads and other recipes that call for it.
Most importantly diced tomatoes are diced and safely placed in tomato juice. It contains calcium chloride to help them maintain their chunky shape.
So if you want to have some tasty and savory chunks of tomato in your recipe even after cooking then diced tomato is a way to go.
Diced tomato is also a good replacement for in you wish to have a quick stewed tomato. However, it doesn’t contain all the necessary ingredients that make up stewed tomatoes.
So add some salt, sugar, herbs, and other seasonings to improve the taste and also achieve the same consistency you would achieve with stewed tomatoes.
How to make stewed tomato with diced tomato
Add ½ cup of chopped onion; add ½ cup of chopped bell pepper to it, then add celery ¼ cup of it would suffice.
It is time to boil the mixture. After which lower the heat to simmer, allow it to cook until the onions and other ingredients become soft.
Allow the diced tomatoes to cook longer because it is not like the stewed tomatoes that are simmered for a long time. Add some extra vegetables and seasonings to it if you are not satisfied with the result.
3. Fresh tomatoes
Since stewed tomatoes are primarily made from fresh tomatoes, fresh tomatoes are a great substitute for them. However, the fresh tomatoes would take time to cook.
This is because you have not simmered the fresh tomatoes for the first time.
How to make stewed tomatoes with fresh tomatoes
- Get large tomatoes that are fit for your recipe
- ½ of large chopped onions
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ½ tablespoon of salt
- Chopped celery
- ¼ tablespoon of dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
Prep your fresh tomatoes
It’s time to skin, core seed, and dice your tomatoes. The best part is you get to dice the tomatoes in chunks the way you want them.
Now boil the tomatoes, onions, pepper, and celery in a non-reactive pot. Then lower the heat to simmer. Cover with the pot lid and allow it to cook for some time 10-15 minutes.
Ensure the ingredients; celery, bell pepper, and onions become soft. Add other things; sugar, and salt, and then stir to mix.
4. Tomato paste
Tomato paste is not like other tomatoes, and just like the name paste, it has no seeds and there are no chunks of tomato in it. However, it is another great substitute for stewed tomatoes.
It is made from long-cooked tomatoes. A little tomato paste in your dish can enrich it. And although it enhances the color too, adding too much of it alters the taste of your meal.
It might seem hard to make stewed tomato with tomato paste but here’s a guide to making the best out of tomato paste.
How to make stewed tomato with tomato paste
Stir 8 tablespoons of tomato paste with 2 cups of water. Add to it 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
So since tomato paste doesn’t contain any chunks of tomato, add some chunks of bell pepper, celery, and onions. This would improve the look and the taste as well.
5. Tomato Sauce
This is great as toppings for salads and pasta. The sauce is not as thick as tomato paste however; the tomato is thicker than stewed tomato.
Tomato sauce would vary in the brand. So if you wish to add ingredients yourself it is best you get the sauce with fewer ingredients.
To make stewed tomato with sauce: ¾ cup of tomato sauce is okay to replace 1 cup of stewed tomato. When it’s cooking add herbs and other ingredients and seasonings to enhance the taste.
The only thing that you would worry about is the chunks of tomato in the stewed tomato and if that would not be disturbing then this is a great substitute for stewed tomato.
Frequently asked questions
Can you eat tomatoes without cooking them?
There are plenty of edible tomatoes that would not disturb you. Tomatoes are such fruits with huge health benefits. So yes you can eat raw tomatoes. And unless you are not allergic to tomatoes, tomatoes are safe to eat.
However, too many tomatoes could be dangerous.
More so, some recipes that would do great with raw tomatoes are; salads, sandwiches, tomato juice, and others.
Read: 8 Best Substitute For Cherry Tomatoes In A Salad
Conclusion
There are many substitutes for stewed tomatoes, so it is okay to explore a good number of them. Puree and whole peeled tomato are great substitutes too.
Learn about these substitutes and how to use them for stewed tomatoes to get the best out of them.
You can adjust the ingredients to fit your recipe. Add some herbs and seasonings to enhance the taste if you are not satisfied.
We have discussed the best substitutes for Italian stewed tomatoes. We hope you make a great pick!