Five Alternatives to Tomato Sauce

Not enough tomato sauce on hand and wishing to skip another trip to the supermarket? There’s a good chance you have a ton of substitutes for tomato sauce in your pantry or refrigerator. whatever dish you’re cooking, be it a robust ragu, pizza, or spaghetti and meatballs.

There are several options available to substitute tomato sauce, such as tomato paste, canned tomatoes, tomato puree, and even ketchup (yes, ketchup!). All they need to do is open a different can and adjust the taste.

The next time you find yourself in the grocery store’s canned aisle, make sure to stock up on these convenient stand-ins so you’ll never truly run out of tomato sauce again. Take off your snow boots and settle in with some cozy pants while you read our guide to the top 5 tomato sauce substitutes.

1. Tomato Paste

You’ll never be without flavor in a dish again if you include tomato paste to your list of pantry essentials if you’ve never used it in cooking. Simply combine one part tomato paste with one part water to give this concentrated product the consistency of tomato sauce, then season with onion, garlic, olive oil, and dry herbs according to taste.

2. Canned Tomatoes

That can of chopped tomatoes in your cabinet that has been there for a little too long, and you’re not sure what to do with it? In a pinch, the can of diced tomatoes will do nicely if you’re running low on tomato sauce.

To make a puree, just drain your tomatoes, pulse them in a food processor or blender, and adjust the seasoning. Make sure to taste as you go when using canned tomatoes since you want to completely eliminate the tinny flavor that some canned products can have.

3. Ketchup

As long as you treat it properly, your go-to condiment for hot dogs and hamburgers can actually work just as well as tomato sauce in almost any recipe. Since ketchup tends to be very sweet, use it as a 1:1 substitute for tomato sauce. Season with garlic powder and basil to achieve a more savory taste.

4. Tomato Soup

Though many of us are aware that tomato soup is the only side dish that goes well with a grilled cheese sandwich, it also works well as a substitute for tomato sauce in any recipe. Tomato soup is more likely to be watery than tomato sauce, so reduce the amount of additional wet ingredients and adjust the flavor with your preferred savory spices. Tomato soup also has a tendency to be sweeter than tomato sauce.

5. Tomato Puree

If all you have in your cupboard is tomato puree, it works well as a handy substitute for tomato sauce as it’s not exactly tomato paste nor tomato sauce. Tomato puree can be tasteless on its own, so replace a cup of tomato sauce with a ½ cup of puree and add extra salt and spices.

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