10 Tasty Recipes Using Canned Tomatoes

This amazing lasagna is the ultimate comfort food indulgence, but conveniences like canned tomatoes and frozen spinach make prep just a little bit easier.  It's also an ideal make-ahead dish for a laid-back dinner party, since it's tastes even better when assembled the day before.  To keep track of ingredients as you layer the lasagna, cross each one off as you go and don't be be deterred by the longish prep time.  It's worth it. 

This deliciously sour Filipino soup traditionally involves hours of simmering.  To make it weeknight-friendly, we've replaced long-cooking pork ribs with bacon and pork tenderloin, and used apple cider vinegar and lime instead of harder-to-find tamarind.

In this recipe, blending canned tomatoes with jalapeños, red onion, garlic, chicken stock, and cumin yields a homemade sauce similar to traditional enchilada sauce.  We skip the time-consuming task of rolling each enchilada individually in favor of a layered casserole approach.  With 29 grams of protein, these enchiladas are hearty and filling.  This family-style meal is great for a weeknight dinner, and you can freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months. 

This is a Tex-Mex spin on eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce (Italian eggs in purgatory or Irasaeli shakshuka), which gets its heat from the cooked chorizo and ground red pepper.

This Italian-inspired soup makes it easy to use up bits of leftovers veggies from the fridge, and the beauty of this recipe is that you can use any kind of winter green, and any kind of bean.  Canned crushed tomatoes give this soup a traditional base that works well with just about any veggie.  Top with Parmesan cheese before serving with slices of crusty bread and a glass of white wine.

A classic Spanish bar snack, patatas bravas are fried twice.  The first fry is meant to rid the potatoes of most of their moisture so they'll form a crisp crust when fried the second time.  The good news is, you don't have to actually deep-fry them right before serving.  They get just as crispy when oven-roasted in a healthy drizzle of olive oil.  Canned tomatoes are the basis of this spicy homemade sauce that pairs perfectly with the potatoes. 

Jambalaya, a staple of both Cajun and Creole cuisine, is a delicious mixture of rice, meat, and vegetables.  The difference between the two versions hinges on the tomatoes (or lack thereof).  Creole jambalaya, also called "red jambalaya," features tomatoes, lending it its classic reddish hue.  On the other hand, Cajun jambalaya is tomato-less and calls for the meat to be caramelized in the pot first, leading to a darker-colored dish known as "brown jambalaya."  This Creole version uses convenient canned crushed tomatoes, along with bacon, pork sausage, andouille sausage, shrimp, chicken thighs, and plenty of seasonings and fresh veggies.  

Using fresh sage is the key to giving this classic dish lots of flavor in very little time.  Simmering cannellini beans with canned diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, minced sage, and lemon zest makes for an easy and nutritious side dish that pairs perfectly with the pork cutlets and fried sage.  

This dish looks so impressive but requires little effort.  You don't have to use an expensive bottle of wine for cooking, but make sure you like the flavor.  Braising the ribs with canned tomatoes, fresh herbs, and the homemade stock mixture lends incredible flavor to this budget-friendly beef cut. 

Bold and pungent Tomato-Ginger Jam pairs perfectly with our Indian-spiced Field Pea Cakes, but it can also make a great condiment for other fried foods, such as fish or chicken, or used as a surprisingly delicious spread for skillet cornbread, along with some salted butter. Made with canned tomatoes and fresh ginger, the jam is flavored with brown sugar, curry powder, mustard seeds, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. The recipe comes together in a single saucepan and makes 1 1/4 cups of jam—no canning required. Leftover jam, if you have any, can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.