I guarantee that most people have at least one or two cans of tomatoes in their cupboards that have been lying dormant for an age. It’s one of those things that always seems like a good idea at the time— “Yeah, I’ll use this in something!” However, aside from pasta sauce, what else can you use those pesky canned tomatoes for? While you may not be able to use it to replace whole, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes can add a lot of flavour into something in ways you may not have thought. Here are some of the best ways in which to add canned tomatoes to dishes:
- Slow-cooker meals. The biggest issue here is whether or not you have a slow cooker. However, if you do, canned tomatoes are a great additive. Add canned tomatoes to your next slow-cooker stew or casserole for that added tomatoey goodness.
- Stuffed potato filler. Adding canned tomatoes to a stuffed potato mix is a great way to fill the potato with other delicious, and healthy ingredients.
- Meat sauces. Tomatoes compliment meats in meals regularly. Using canned tomatoes as a base for a chicken sauce will go great with roasted vegetables and brown rice, for instance.
- Fajita mix. Fajitas may be one of the more delicious meals on earth. If you haven’t tried them, please do. Not only will you thoroughly enjoy the taste, but you can also get rid of another can or two of tomatoes.
- Mince/chilli. Adding canned tomatoes to a batch of mince or chilli is a both great for taste, and for clearing space.
- Risotto. When you think about it, so many risotto flavours sound even better when you add ‘with tomato…’
- Homemade salsa. What doesn’t go well with salsa? Salsa brings so much to the table, including delicious tomatoey flavours. See where this is going?
The more you experiment with various meals and flavours, the more you will find ways to slip canned tomatoes into an aspect of the meal. Whether it is at the forefront of the dish, or a cheeky additive that adds nutrition and flavour more subtly, you will finally be able to empty your pantry of canned tomato stock.
