Get the scoop on Tomato Wellness member, Stanislaus Foods. We are proud to have this family-run company as part of the tomato community!
Stanislaus Foods has been a landmark in the central valley of California for 80 years. In 1942, they first opened their doors in the heart of Modesto, California. They take pride in offering high-quality tomato products to chefs and Italian restaurants throughout the country. Their lineup includes a variety of options from whole peeled and diced tomatoes, purees, and pastes to fully prepared pizza and pasta sauces.
“You can’t make good wine from bad grapes,” is a motto that the Cortopassi’s stand by in their effort to make great-tasting tomato products. They took the values instilled from their Italian parents and grandparents. Hard work, doing your best, not cutting corners, and keeping your word are just a few of the “real Italian” values they brought into their business. As a family-owned business, they make it a point to work with farmers who share their passion and beliefs.
To ensure consistency in their products, each load of tomatoes is evaluated to determine key flavor characteristics. Their Raw Product Lab is unique to Stanislaus Foods and allows them to make necessary adjustments to continue to offer the same great-tasting product in each and every can. We are OBSESSED with their Basil Room! It’s always our favorite part of their tour.
Welcome a piece of the Cortopassi family into your home by trying one of their traditional Italian recipes.
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 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.
Tomatoes are a superfood that contain several vitamins and nutrients that promote health. Here are 5 key nutrients present in canned tomatoes that pack a powerful nutrition punch.
When you think of the word superfood what comes to mind? Is it a tomato? Tomatoes are such a commonly eaten food filled with so much nutritional power, yet you may not think of them as a superfood. Not only are tomatoes packed with flavor, but they are also filled with important nutrients that are vital for overall health. Let’s unpack what science has to say about some of these key nutrients.
Lycopene. Lycopene belongs to a class of compounds called carotenoids, and are powerful antioxidants that promote skin health, protect against certain cancers, and decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Tomatoes are an excellent source of lycopene, but heat during the cooking process makes the lycopene even more bioavailable to our bodies, which makes canned and cooked tomato products an excellent choice.
Beta-carotene. This is a phytochemical that is converted to retinol in the body which then becomes vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for supporting eye health and protects against cataracts and macular degeneration.
Vitamin K. This is a fat soluble vitamin that is important for protein production. These proteins are necessary for the formation of blood clots, and the prevention of bone loss. Vitamin K has also been shown to protect against heart disease.
Fiber. This nutrient has so many benefits, yet many people don’t get enough in their diets. Most know that fiber can promote bowel health and encourage regular bowel movements. However, it also can lower cholesterol levels, control blood glucose levels, and help maintain a healthy weight.
Tomato products should be a staple in every kitchen pantry. Not only are they quick and convenient, they contain many nutrients that promote health! The heating process that all tomatoes go through for preparation actually helps break down the cell walls and make the nutrients easier to absorb. For example, when cooked tomatoes deliver 2-3X more lycopene than a raw tomato! So, what are you waiting for? The next time you’re at the store go ahead and grab a can (or three) of some canned tomato products to use in the kitchen this week.
Need some recipe inspiration? Try out some of our favorites:
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