The end of summer is not the end of tomato season. Canned tomatoes ensure that you can enjoy all of those wonderful tomato recipes (and health benefits) year round!
Tomatoes are a versatile produce item that many people have in their kitchens. And for good reason! Tomatoes are teeming with health benefits (since they provide antioxidants in the form of lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin C) which can help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also great to use in a variety of meals and snacks!
While fresh tomatoes may be available year-round, they are only in season during the summer months. So, if you’re looking to get that fresh summer tomato flavor all year ’round, canned tomatoes are a fantastic option! Canned and jarred tomatoes are harvested at their flavor and nutrition peak and canned within just a few hours. Plus, they are quite affordable, meaning that this is a budget-friendly, easy, and convenient option for you and your family.
In addition to the affordability of canned tomatoes, they are rich in vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly and can help boost energy and reduce the risk of certain diseases. In fact, studies have shown that canned tomatoes are even more nutrient-rich and environmentally-friendly than fresh tomatoes. And, as people continue to cook from the comfort of their own homes, canned tomatoes have grown in popularity thanks to their ease of use, high nutrition content, and a variety of forms (like tomato sauce, tomato paste, marinara sauce, salsa, and diced, stewed and whole tomatoes).
While you can used canned tomatoes in soups and chilis, here are some other ideas of how to use them in the kitchen.
1. Make salsa. During the summer months, it’s usually fresh tomatoes that find their way into salsas. As the seasons change, they may not be available (or might be too expensive). Luckily, canned tomatoes work just as well, are less expensive, and offer more health benefits! Check out this recipe for a delicious homemade salsa.
2. Homemade marinara. Skip the store bought options and make your own! A homemade sauce will be lower in sodium and a lot more flavorful. The best part is that you can adjust seasonings to fit your personal taste!
3. Add some variety to your dips. The addition of tomatoes can make an ordinary dip extraordinary. We love the unexpected flavor combination in this Tomato Pesto Hummus.
4. Add it to a quiche. Fresh tomatoes are delicious sliced on top of a quiche, but you can achieve the same flavor using canned tomatoes. Try out this quiche recipe for your next brunch.
5. Use it when cooking grains. Substitute diced tomatoes (along with the juice) for water when cooking rice or quinoa. It will add flavor and nutritional value.
What are your favorite ways to use canned tomatoes in the kitchen? Let us know!
Looking for healthy crockpot recipes to get you through fall and winter? Here are some of the best easy crockpot recipes that are also Registered Dietitian approved!
Crockpots are a huge kitchen trend, and it’s not hard to see why. This method of food preparation enhances flavor, is kind to your wallet, requires minimal time and effort, and may even boost health. In fact, some studies suggest that heating produce—such as in canning or cooking—can increase the bioavailability of some nutrients. Slow-cooked meals, in particular, often feature processed products (like canned and jarred tomatoes) that seem to offer a boost of nutritional benefits.
So, get cooking with these easy crockpot recipes featuring canned and jarred tomatoes! While you can enjoy them all year-round, crockpot recipes tend to taste best during fall and winter, as they will help warm you up.
13 Healthy Crockpot Recipes
Looking for healthy crockpot recipes to get you through fall and winter? Here are some of the best easy crockpot recipes that are also Registered Dietitian approved!
This sweet potato lentil curry recipe is made in a slow cooker (crock pot) and is incredibly easy to make. It’s vegan and gluten free, packed with delicious flavors and nutrition. The perfect “dump and go” “set it and forget it” recipe!
When it comes to weeknights, we are always looking for new quick, easy, and family friendly meals. This Chicken Burrito Bowl checks all of the boxes, and is especially great for those families that have a picky eater or have different dietary restrictions. It's easily customizable to fit your needs and preferences, while still being nutritious!
Warm up with a big bowl of Hearty Crockpot Cowboy Soup! This comforting soup is packed full of veggies, protein, and flavor. It’s perfect for a cold day, for Meatless Mondays, and makes enough to feed a crowd. So gather your friends and family around the table for a cozy meal they’ll love. Enjoy!
Pizza soup is one of those recipes that is even more delicious than is sounds! All of the best ingredients of pizza combine to make this cozy and filling soup. Plus, it takes hardly any time to put together, making this an ideal recipe for any night of the week.
A flavorful curry dish with chicken, chickpeas, ginger, garam masala, peanut butter, coconut milk, lime and cilantro. Served with fluffy Jasmine rice and crispy peanuts.
Take a trip to Italy without ever leaving the comfort of your kitchen! This recipe for Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken is a delicious Italian dish that will have your taste buds singing its praises.
Slow cooker vegan chili is an easy, satisfying meal. It’s so nice to toss ingredients into the slow cooker and not need to worry about them until you’re ready to eat. Then the house fills with delicious aromas, and your dinner is ready!
Slow cooker Greek chicken stew is perfect to make for a Sunday dinner and eat throughout the week. It’s packed with veggies, flavor, and is naturally gluten free.
Slow cooker meals are ideal for those busy weeknights! With a little prep work, you can have dinner ready with minimal effort. It’s easy to have everything ready to toss in the crockpot, turn it on, and come home after work to an already made dinner, which is why this Slow Cooker Chili is sure to be your new recipe BFF.
This super easy recipe for hearty, plant-based (vegan), gluten-free French Wild Rice Vegetable Soup is packed with nutrition and flavor, making it perfect for cool weather days but versatile enough to enjoy year round.
For other fall crockpot recipes, check out some of our favorites:
Looking to warm up during the cooler months? Here are the best soup recipes for fall and winter that are also dietitian approved.
There’s nothing quite like a comforting bowl of tomato soup to warm your soul, which is why these hearty soups are a nutritious option that will leave you feeling cozy. Additionally, these soups have ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen (like canned and jarred tomatoes), making them an easy option to whip up on any weeknight.
Thanks to the canned tomatoes, these recipes are heart healthy options that are also teeming with nutrients. And, since tomato sauce is rich in lycopene, it also contributes to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, as research shows that tomato products play an important role in preventing platelet aggregation (i.e. reducing the amount of blood clots that can lead to cardiovascular diseases). Additionally, tomato products can improve cholesterol by improving lipid profiles, as studies have found that consumption has lead to a significant decrease in cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as body weight and fat percentage.
So, go ahead and enjoy the following categories in this recipe collection:
instant pot soup recipes
crockpot soup recipes
vegetarian soup recipes
vegan soup recipes
Your heart, soul, and taste buds will thank you. Bon appetite!
Best soup recipes for fall and winter
These hearty soup recipes are sure to warm your soul during fall and winter.
Who said that soups can’t be filling and hearty? Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup is a warming and filling meal that can be eaten on its own as an entire meal or served alongside a fresh green salad!
Looking for a plant-based ingredient to add that creaminess factor to your soup? Try using walnuts in this Creamy California Walnut and Tomato Soup. This is a classic recipe, made completely plant-based. Try serving it alongside a grilled cheese for the ultimate combo!
Who said that soups can’t be filling and hearty? This sausage tortellini soup is a warming and filling meal that can be eaten on its own as an entire meal or served alongside your favorite dishes!
Soup’s up! There’s nothing quite like a comforting bowl of tomato soup to warm your soul during the cooler months. That’s why this recipe for Creamy Tomato Soup with Popcorn is a fan-favorite–it’s a unique twist on a classic meal that will leave you feeling cozy.
Take a trip to Mexico without leaving your kitchen! This Spanish-inspired Fideo soup (Sopa de Fideo) is perfect to cozy up with any time of the year. Plus, this recipe only requires 30 minutes of cook time, so it is great for a quick weeknight meal!
Here’s a simple, flavorful soup recipe that you can throw together in minutes! This Curried Leek Vegetable Soup has anti-inflammatory spices and antioxidant-rich veggies can help boost your health—and spirits—on the gloomiest day.
This easy one-pot recipe for Instant Pot Sausage Soup has no potatoes and no cream. It's a healthy pressure cooker sausage soup with a taste the whole family will love and it’s gluten free.
This healthy slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is the ultimate easy and delicious family-friendly meal that can be jazzed up with so many delicious toppings. It’s amazing for meal prep and freezer-friendly too! Definitely a recipe you’ll want to add to your regular menu rotation!
This vegetarian soup is filled with carrots, spinach, tomatoes, cannellini beans, pasta and zucchini with Italian herbs and seasonings in a Parmesan broth.
Packed full of peppers, onion, garlic, and tomatoes, this soup will provide you with enough nutrition to keep your immune system fully charged, and help keep you healthy during the winter months.
Lentil Soup is a creamy, comforting dish that is full of flavor and delicious year-round! The best part? This is a simple soup that only takes one pot to make – my kind of cooking!
This low sodium lentil soup is the easiest you can imagine! We use regular ingredients that you probably have hanging out in your fridge and pantry, and toss them all in a pot to cook in only 30 minutes.
15-bean vegetable soup is a tasty, comforting, warm bowl of goodness: perfect for a chilly day! Enjoy the variety of colors and textures in this easy vegan recipe. You can make a batch on the weekend and then enjoy it during the week for convenient packed lunches or dinners.
This Instant Pot Chicken Stew will be a cool-weather staple. It’s packed with hearty vegetables, beans and lean protein making it a simple well-rounded meal.
This late summer roasted poblano soup with chicken is the perfect late summer soup! It's filled with roasty toasty sweet corn and spicy poblanos, black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, shredded chicken and spices. You'll love it!
Made from pantry-staple ingredients and designed to work with any budget, this Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry recipe is an easy and healthy weeknight dinner!
Get the scoop on Tomato Wellness member, Kagome. We are proud to have them on board as part of the tomato community!
Kagome may have started small, but they have increased their reach to have a collaboration with growers, partners and customers to cultivate a passion for food that now spans the globe. While they produce a colorful variety of fruit and vegetable products, they have never strayed from founder Ichitaro Kanie’s principles of making great tasting foods that are true to nature.
The term “Kagome” translates to basket weave pattern in Japanese which is a reference to the lattice baskets used to harvest produce. Kanie first began growing Western crops, including tomatoes in 1899, and started producing purees and sauces a few years later. In 1989, Kagome opened for business in Los Banos California, and emphasized creating customized sauces for U.S. restaurants. In 1993, they expanded to include an internal research and development center and have continued to expand their reach and offerings. Kagome now operates 15 facilities in 10 countries offering a wide variety of products.
Kagome utilizes current agricultural research to increase the overall quality of their crops and improve the efficiency of their production process. Along with this they put an emphasis on creating unique and flavorful sauces by bringing a chef into their research and development team. Their products include pizza and pasta sauce, salsa, BBQ sauce, cocktail sauce, along with a variety of Asian sauces and other flavor enhancing toppings.
The Kagome Way
This is an all-encompassing phrase that they use to describe the pride they have in the company. They value customers, long-term relationships, elite quality, food safety, and commitment to their communities. Their team displays respect, passion, grit, teamwork and commitment every day, and holds themselves to the highest standards. Watch this video to learn more.
Welcome a piece of Kagome into your home by trying a few of their tasty recipes.
The recipe makes a great family dinner for weeknights because it comes together very quickly and relies upon pantry staples and only a few fresh ingredients. I love using salad as a vehicle for almost any type of cuisine as an easy way to pack in veggies with a variety of fun toppings.
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
Salad:
8 ounces 99% lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1/3 cup water
2 quarts chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup canned corn kernels, rinsed and drained (or freshly cooked or frozen)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 avocado, cubed
1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
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Dressing:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 teaspoons honey
½ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons water
Instructions
1. Spray a sauté pan or skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and heat on medium-high heat. Add turkey, and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then break up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Continue to cook until no longer pink.
2. Drain the extra liquid, add taco seasoning, and 1/3 cup water. Stir while cooking, until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Set aside.
3. While turkey is cooking, prepare the dressing in a medium bowl by whisking together the tomato paste, red wine vinegar, olive oil, onion, honey, paprika, and 2 tablespoons water until well combined. Add more water, if needed, to achieve desired consistency. Set aside.
4. In a large serving bowl or platter, add lettuce, and top with corn and beans.
5. Arrange cooked ground turkey on the greens. Top with avocado, shredded cheese, and cilantro. Drizzle dressing on top of the salad.
Notes
Top the salad with tortilla chips for extra crunch.
Recipe by Lauren Harris-Pincus MS, RDN, owner of Nutrition Starring YOU, a practice in New Jersey specializing in weight management and prediabetes. She is also the author of The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook and The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club.
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