Last Updated on 22nd December 2021 by
I look at tomato puree as a base ingredient, as I use it to make tomato paste, tomato sauce, and tomato soup. I like to use it for a number of recipes, and having it at home and prepared to use is convenient for me. It tastes way better than the store bought stuff packaged in a can. That just tastes kind of fake, and I prefer freshly made tomato puree that doesn’t have any preservatives.
Of course, if you make it yourself, then the tomato puree won’t last as long. Without the preservatives and only using fresh ingredients, the shelf life will be considerably shorter, but the freshness of the taste and the purity of the food is important to me. I think it is worth having the perishable version on hand just because of the quality of what I am eating. It improves the quality of the foods I use it to make.
There are a few different ways how to make tomato puree, and I want to share those with you so that you can make your own no matter what kind of tomatoes you are working with. Instead of buying the sad-tasting stuff in the can, you can make your own and feel accomplished. You will be in control of the ingredients, which is very important for me and, I think, for anyone else who is concerned about their health and keeping their food as natural as possible. Another advantage is that you will have it on hand to use when you need, not necessitating a trip to the store.
So, let’s get going and learn how to make tomato puree.
How to Make Tomato Paste from Tomatoes
I like to use fresh tomatoes whenever possible when I make tomato puree, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. I will show you how to make tomato puree from canned tomatoes and other kinds of tomato products as well, but let’s start with fresh tomatoes. I say starting with the best is the way to go, and this is definitely my preferred way to make tomato puree. It’s not necessarily the quickest, easiest, or most convenient, but it gives you the best tasting and most authentic tomato puree, in my opinion.
Which kind of tomatoes to use for puree? I prefer Roma or plum tomatoes. That’s because they have little water content compared to other kinds of tomatoes and they are rich in flavour too. That flavour is very important for tomato puree.
So, if you are making tomato paste from canned tomatoes, be sure to get rid of the excess water. It will simply dilute your puree. How to make tomato puree from canned diced tomatoes? Try to get Roma tomatoes and remove any additional water, and then follow the directions I have for fresh tomatoes.
You can use damaged tomatoes as well for this food, since you can simply cut the bruised and unsightly parts off and use the remainder.
To prepare your fresh tomatoes for pureeing, you need to cut them in half and then remove the seeds. You don’t want to puree the seeds with the rest of the tomatoes, as they will make the puree bitter.
You can peel or not peel the tomatoes- it is up to you. I think the skin works just fine pureed with the rest of the tomato puree, not hurting the flavour in any way. You can use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, though, if you want. With canned tomatoes, you wouldn’t have any issue there. The skin adds some fibre to the puree, making it healthier, so it has that advantage.
You should cook the tomatoes before pureeing them. They will puree better, and tomato puree is supposed to be made from cooked tomatoes anyway, technically speaking. After you cook them, let them cool for a few minutes, and then toss them into your
Once the tomato puree comes out of the
How to Make Tomato Puree from Paste
You can use tomato paste to make your tomato puree if you like. If that’s what you have on hand and you really want to use the puree, then why not turn the paste into what you need? So, how to make tomato puree from tomato paste?
If you are using tomato paste to make tomato puree, you are basically doing a substitution. Just add about one third of a cup of tomato paste and 2/3 of a cup of water together to make 1 cup of tomato puree. It’s a reasonable substitute and will work in a pinch. You don’t have to do anything else to it to make the puree, and you can store it just like you would store tomato puree.
How to Make Tomato Sauce from Tomato Puree
Now that you know how to make tomato puree at home, let’s talk about using that puree to make some other foods, like tomato sauce.
The difference between tomato sauce and tomato puree is that the sauce is more flavourful. It has some herbs and spices in it that give it a savoury flavour. If you were to use tomato puree on your spaghetti, for example, it would taste kind of bland. You need to spice it up, literally, to make tomato sauce.
If you are using a quart of tomato puree, then you can turn that into a quart of tomato sauce. I am going to show you how to make spaghetti sauce with tomato puree.
Tomato Sauce from Tomato Puree Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 quart of tomato puree
- 1 chopped onion, medium
- ½ of salt
- ½ of basil
- ½ of parsley
- ½ of oregano
- 2 of garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp of flour (to thicken)
Instructions
- Mix the herbs, consigns and tomato puree into a pot on the stove and then mix.
- Turn on the heat to low and add in the flour. Only add in a little at a time, to thicken the sauce, as necessary. You may not need all of the flour or you may need a bit more. It just depends on the kind of sauce you want to make and the thickness of the tomato puree.
- To add in more flour, it is best to take out a bit of sauce and mix the flour into that rather than mixing it into the entire pot of sauce. That way, you can ensure all of the flour mixes in evenly and there are no clumps of flour left. Once you have mixed the flour into the small amount of sauce, put that back into the larger pot and mix thoroughly. The sauce will thicken.
How to make pasta sauce with only tomato puree and make it meaty? You can add ground beef to this to make it more savoury and heartier.
This is just one way you can make pasta sauce, pizza sauce or tomato sauce. They are mostly all the same, and the ingredients used can vary from one recipe to the next. Now you know how to make pasta sauce with tomato puree, you will have lots of uses for your puree.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!