Turn a can of tomatoes into a flavorful dish with these canned tomato recipes from registered dietitians.
Get ready to celebrate a world of flavors with canned tomatoes! We are celebrating National Nutrition Month all month long, and this year’s theme is all about how you can appreciate flavors from cultures around the world. This is a tasty way to nourish ourselves and appreciate our diversity, as we are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes! That’s why we asked some of our registered dietitian friends to share their best canned tomato recipes, as these nutrition professionals are the top in their class for providing healthful and delicious food that also celebrates culture.
We love using canned (and jarred tomatoes) as they provide a plethora of antioxidants (such as lycopene) that play an integral role in the reduction of certain types of diseases and cancers. In fact, numerous studies have linked lycopene consumption with prostate cancer protection. While lycopene is present in other fruits such as watermelon and pink grapefruit, tomatoes (which are the second most consumed vegetable second to potatoes in the U.S.), account for more than 85% of the lycopene in the American diet. Interestingly, cooked tomato products may hold particular significance, as the lycopene from cooked and processed tomatoes is more bioavailable than that of fresh tomatoes. Heating or processing breaks down the tomato cell matrix and promotes isomerization of lycopene from all-trans isomers to the more bioavailable form of cis-isomers. Research shows that single daily servings of processed tomato products produce significant increases of lycopene concentrations in blood and buccal mucosal cells in healthy adults.
So, what are you waiting for? Get ready to see how canned tomatoes can help you uncover a world of flavor with these recipes inspired by global cuisine.
20+ of the BEST canned tomato recipes for National Nutrition Month
Want to learn how do you make the best tikka masala sauce from scratch? Look no further! This vegan tikka masala recipe is loaded with plant-based ingredients and the perfect easy and healthy ethnic recipe to feed a crowd.
Do you love mushrooms? Then this is just the warming bowl of chili you’ll want to eat all winter long! Mushroom chili is heart healthy, high protein, vegan, and works for all your guests’ dietary needs. So delicious, too! Make a big pot of this meal prep friendly, low sodium chili today!
This is the best lasagna for kids! It's made with plenty of sauce, with cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and the spinach blends right in. Even kids who prefer not to eat anything 'green', will likely make an exception when they see this!
This recipe is all about insanely delicious Instant Pot Chicken Vindaloo made with chicken thighs and toasted spices. All the warm, smokey spices combine to create a silky smooth sauce packed full of flavor.
Vegetarian Pressure Cooker Minestrone Soup is a healthy recipe full of fiber, flavor and other good-for-you nutrition! Cozy up and enjoy a warm bowl on a chilly day.
The BEST no-boil lasanga recipe around. Made with tons of cheese, beef & sausage, plenty of tomatoes, and ricotta cheese all baked to perfection. Gluten-free instructions included.
This vegan white bean skillet recipe is one we make every week. With a combination of white beans, tomatoes, veggies and pizza spices, it’s earned its recognized name as Pizza Beans!
Vegetarian chili mac is a classic comfort food recipe that's made in one pot in just 30 minutes. This recipe is great for weeknight dinners and is super easy to make!
These vegetarian stuffed peppers are absolutely amazing and just may become one of your favorite meals to make! Colorful bell peppers stuffed with zucchini, onion, garlic, farro, beans, tomato, spices, and melted cheese, it's a meal that the whole family will love!
Make this 20 minute, pantry ingredient, one pot chicken parmesan pasta with crispy breadcrumbs instead of the traditional crispy, cheesy chicken parmesan. It's quicker, easier, and just as flavorful and cheesy.
One-pot Baked Greek Chicken Stew is bursting with flavor. Olives, tomatoes, capers, garlic, and beans make this easy chicken casserole one of my favorites!
This Beef & Quinoa chili makes a delicious and healthy one pot meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes. A perfect dinner recipe for busy weeknights!
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.
A traditional Middle Eastern dish with a North African twist, this easy shakshuka with harissa (eggs baked in a spicy tomato stew) is a delicious savory dish to put on your Sunday brunch menu!
This fresh and tasty Spicy Fish Stew with Potatoes and Fennel is inspired by the classic Italian saute of fennel, garlic and crushed red pepper. Perfect year-round, I especially like it in the spring when the nights are still chilly but I’m craving lighter dishes.
Chunky tomato cabbage soup is the ultimate cozy comfort food. And this one is so simple to make, you’ll be enjoying it in no time! Cook up a batch and enjoy the leftovers for days. Or pop it in the freezer for some busy time.
For other delicious tomato-based recipes, check out some of our favorites:
A non-profit spreading kindness through lasagna?! It sounds too good to be true, but with over 20,000 volunteers around the country, it most certainly is true, as they are using lasagna to spread the love.
Meet Lasagna Love! A nonprofit started at the beginning of the pandemic, by founder Rhiannon Menn, a mama who was searching for a way to help support her community during this time of need. What started with just a quick Facebook post in a mom group, offering home cooked meals to anyone who could use one, has grown into a national movement, with over 20,000 volunteers delivering meals made with love every week.
What we do is simple: feed families, spread kindness, and strengthen communities.
Here’s how it works:
Families in need go to lasagnalove.org/request and fill out a request form. They are then matched with a local volunteer, or Lasagna Chef as they are called, who make and deliver them a home cooked meal.
What qualifies a “family in need”:
Anything! Facing food insecurity and could use a hot meal for your family? Working mom juggling working from home, home schooling kids, and could use some help with dinner? Going through a hard time? Lasagna Love is here to help!!
Lasagna Love is a kindness movement. Our mission is to not only address the rise in food insecurity, but also strengthen communities through kindness by providing an easy way for every person to help a neighbor.
Lasagna Love has grown to be more than just about lasagna, but about kindness and weaving kindness back into the fabric of our communities. The Kindness Pledge is a simple way to get involved, show support for the mission, and spread kindness, no cooking required!
I’m a huge fan of “cooking out of your pantry”—the concept of making simple, rustic meals out of seasonal, local foods and shelf-stable ingredients that you keep on hand. This is the way people have been cooking for centuries, before the advent of supermarkets and cookbooks. It’s the concept of “making something out of nothing”, yet these are some of the best dishes on the planet. A great way to employ this strategy is with veggie lasagna, like this Swiss Chard Pecan Lasagna. You can take any seasonal vegetable and layer it with noodles, a fragrant tomato herb sauce, nuts, and cheese (plant-based for vegans). So, why don’t you try cooking out of your pantry today? I show-cased a bunch of swiss chard from my garden in this recipe. Swiss chard is one of the easiest things to grow in your garden, and it survives in cooler as well as warmer weather. Use this simple Swiss Chard Pecan Lasagna recipe for inspiration to cook out of your pantry. Based on primarily pantry ingredients, you can enjoy this delicious meal any night of the week. If you don’t have swiss chard, simply swap it out for other leafy greens you have on hand, too—such as spinach, kale, or collards.
Watch this video below on Sharon Palmer’s favorite ways to use this nutrient-rich vegetable in your diet.
Yield: 6 servings
Swiss Chard Pecan Lasagna
Based on pantry staples and fresh chard, this easy, hearty recipe for Swiss Chard Pecan Lasagna is a nutritious recipe that your whole family will love. Plus it’s 100% plant-based (vegan).
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend
Pinch black pepper
Pinch sea salt (optional)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup water
1 ¼ cups finely chopped pecans, divided
8 sheets lasagna noodles (look for whole grain), dry
1 bunch Swiss chard, sliced
1 cup plant-based cheese, shredded
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan.
Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic for 8 minutes.
Add Italian seasoning, black pepper, and sea salt (if desired), stirring well.
Add diced tomatoes with liquid, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and 1 cup of the pecans. Stir sauce well and heat for 3 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Layer the following ingredients in a 13 X 9-inch baking dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray: 4 sheets of dry lasagna noodles; Half of the chard; Half of the tomato vegetable mixture; Half of the cheese. Repeat the layers so that there are two layers.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup pecans, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Your family will never know there’s a mouthful of vegetables in every bite of this delicious lasagna dish fresh from the garden with a creamy mixture of cheese and whole wheat noodles. Whether the veggies are from your garden or farmers’ market, it’s hard to find a healthier lasagna recipe that will be a crowd pleaser!
BRING A LARGE POT OF WATER (MAY ADD SALT) TO A BOIL OVER HIGH HEAT. ADD THE LASAGNA NOODLES AND COOK UNTIL JUST TENDER, ABOUT 10-12 MINUTES OR ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURERS DIRECTIONS. DRAIN AND SET ASIDE.
HEAT OIL IN A LARGE SKILLET AND ADD THE ONION, SHREDDED CARROTS AND SPINACH. COOK UNTIL VEGETABLES ARE HEATED THROUGH AND ONION IS TRANSLUCENT. DRAIN OFF ANY EXCESS LIQUID.
PLACE THE TOMATO SAUCE AND TOMATO PASTE IN A MEDIUM SAUCE PAN OVER MEDIUM HEAT. WHISK UNTIL FULLY COMBINED THEN ADD IN THE OREGANO AND GRANULATED GARLIC. REDUCE HEAT TO MEDIUM LOW AND SIMMER, UNCOVERED FOR 10 MINUTES.
IN A LARGE BOWL, COMBINE COTTAGE CHEESE, DRIED PARSLEY AND GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE. MIX WELL TO COMBINE.
SPREAD 1 CUP OF TOMATO SAUCE ON THE BOTTOM OF A LARGE LASAGNA PAN. LAYER WITH A SINGLE LAYER OF NOODLES, ¼ OF THE CARROT AND SPINACH MIXTURE, ¼ OF THE CHEESE MIXTURE, AND ANOTHER LAYER OF TOMATO SAUCE. CONTINUE TO CREATE THREE ADDITIONAL LAYERS ENDING WITH A SINGLE LAYER OF NOODLES AND REMAINDER OF SAUCE. SPRINKLE MOZZARELLA CHEESE OVER EACH PAN OF LASAGNA AND COVER WITH FOIL.
BAKE IN A CONVENTIONAL OVEN AT 375°F FOR 50 MINUTES; CONVECTION OVEN AT 350°F FOR 40 MINUTES.
REMOVE FROM OVEN AND ALLOW TO COOL FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING. SLICE INTO INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS AND SERVE.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: 368 calories, 8.9 g fat, 2.9 g saturated fat, 0.0 g trans fat, 13 mg cholesterol, 365 mg sodium, 217 mg potassium, 51.5 g carbohydrates, 9 g fiber, 6.5 g sugar, 20.9 g protein (USDA)
Recipe created by Tomato Products Wellness Council
We are the voice of the tomato products industry. We love all things healthy, nutritious, delicious, and tomato!
Recipe from Red Gold Tomatoes. You will never miss the calories in this lighter version of the Red Gold Classic Lasagna. Use ground turkey, low fat cheeses and whole wheat lasagna noodles to lower the calories and fat, and double the fiber! A hearty and flavorful lasagna you won’t feel guilty about eating, only 330 calories per serving! Skinny Lasagna
Ingredients
½ CUP WATER
1 (28 OUNCE) CAN RED GOLD® CRUSHED TOMATOES, OR 2 (15 OUNCE) CANS RED GOLD CRUSHED TOMATOES
2 (14.5 OUNCE) CANS RED GOLD® DICED TOMATOES WITH BASIL, GARLIC & OREGANO
GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
1 TEASPOON ITALIAN SEASONING
1 POUND GROUND TURKEY, COOKED AND DRAINED
1 (16 OUNCE) BOX TRADITIONAL WHOLE WHEAT LASAGNA NOODLES
1 (15 OUNCE) CARTON LOW FAT COTTAGE CHEESE
2 CUPS SHREDDED LOW FAT MOZZARELLA CHEESE
½ CUP GRATED LOW SODIUM PARMESAN CHEESE
We are the voice of the tomato products industry. We love all things healthy, nutritious, delicious, and tomato!
Recent Comments