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Featured recipe:One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
Those diced tomatoes in your pantry are more versatile than you think. Beyond stirring them into a pot of soup or chili, though, you might be surprised at how many ways diced tomatoes can inspire your dinner.
We love that a can of diced tomatoes includes both the lighter tomato juices (a great stand-in for broth, as you’ll see below) and pieces of firm, diced tomato (no messy squeezing or mashing needed, as with stewed or whole versions). Not only are canned tomatoes, like Muir Glen Organics, a delicious way to eat more veggies, they also have more of the antioxidant lycopene than raw tomatoes. Choose no-salt-added or low-salt varieties to avoid too much sodium.
Here are five dish ideas that totally transform a can of diced tomatoes, while making your meals even more flavorful (plus five bonus ideas because we just love them that much). We call that a pantry and dinner win-win!
Try These:Healthy Canned Tomato Recipes
Make Skillet Eggs or Beans
Featured recipe:Shakshuka with Roasted Tomatoes
Diced tomatoes are a hearty base for eggs in shakshuka. Make a couple of wells in your tomato mixture, add eggs, then cover and simmer until the whites are just set. Serve with toasted bread for dunking.
Quick & Budget-Friendly Suppers with Canned Beans
Cook Rice or Couscous
Featured recipe:Cumin Chicken & Chickpea Stew
Substitute the flavorful canned tomato juices for broth or water when cooking grains like rice or couscous. Separate the diced tomatoes from their liquid first, then measure the juices and add water, if necessary, to get the amount of liquid you need.
Stir the diced tomatoes in with the uncooked grains and liquid before simmering-they’ll soften and lose some of their acidity as the liquid is absorbed. Serve as a side or as the base for a grain bowl with veggies, protein and cheese. Go Mediterranean with Kalamata olives, chickpeas and feta, or try Mexican with jalapeño, black beans and shredded Monterey Jack.
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Steam Mussels or Poach Fish
Featured recipe:Cod with Tomato Cream Sauce
Remember to use the right ratio of liquid to seafood (you may need to add a little extra broth or water), cook over gentle heat, and cover with a lid so it doesn’t dry out.
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Use as the Base for Curry
Featured recipe:Chickpea & Jackfruit Curry
Watch Now:How to Make a 15-Minute Chickpea Curry
Make Gazpacho, Pesto or Salsa
Gazpacho, a cold soup from Southern Spain, is so refreshing, and makes a great no-cook option for when you just don’t feel like turning on the stove. It’s also an easy way to use up the odds and ends of vegetables in your fridge, like that quarter of a bell pepper from last night’s stir-fry or that last little bit of fresh parsley.
We like a combination of cucumber, yellow bell pepper and red onion. Blend these together first, then add a can of diced tomatoes, olive oil and a splash of red wine or sherry vinegar and blend until smooth.
Along the same lines, you can also make a simple pesto or salsa in your blender. Separate the diced tomatoes from their juices first and blend just the solids with the other ingredients, adding enough tomato liquid to reach your desired chip-dipping consistency.
Try These:Healthy Salsa Recipes
5 More Ways to Use a Can of Diced Tomatoes
Featured recipe:One-Pot Italian Sausage & Kale Pasta
We can’t resist a bonus round, so here are even more ways to use a can of diced tomatoes:
WATCH:How to Make Tomato & Artichoke Gnocchi
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