From refreshing soups to delectable pasta sauces, there are so many ways to incorporate this pantry staple into your daily dishes. Tomato puree is an easy way to add richness to any meal. It’s a key ingredient in many stews, soups, saucy dishes, and more. That said, it’s a wise idea to stock up on this dependable ingredient. If you’re looking for ideas on how to use tomato puree other than making spaghetti, you’re in luck. There are classics like rice and pizza to exotic dishes like shakshuka and tikka masala. These easy recipes with tomato puree will make your loved ones think you’re a cooking pro!
1. Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Let’s kick things off with the most basic of basic tomato recipes: pasta sauce. This sauce, called passata, may be simple, but its flavors are the bomb. It’s just a blend of sauteed onions and garlic, oregano, tomato sauce, and a bit of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar not only adds a subtle acidity to the sauce but also helps lessens its thickness. Toss this over pasta and parmesan, and mmm… chef’s kiss.
2. Penne Pasta with Easy Marinara
Here’s another simple pasta dish you can make with tomato puree. Marinara is a classic sauce with a bright tomato flavor. Seasoned with just garlic, basil, salt, and pepper, the rich tomato flavor really shines through in this sauce. Once the sauce is ready, immediately toss it with freshly-cooked penne and attack.
3. Easy Tomato Soup
If you’re looking for a refreshing appetizer to serve in the summer, this easy tomato soup perfectly fits the bill. It’s another simple dish that delivers great flavors. The seasonings heighten the flavor of the tomatoes even more. Also, there’s no need to saute or puree fresh tomatoes, here. A good quality canned puree will suffice.
4. Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
Besides the crust and the toppings, another key to the success of any pizza is the sauce. If you’re looking for the perfect pizza sauce, this recipe has you covered. Once you’ve learned how to make this perfectly sweet and tangy marinara, you’ll never want to use the ones in a jar again.
5. Moroccan Shakshuka with Mutti Tomatoes
Make your plain lunches and dinners more exciting with this Moroccan shakshuka! Shakshuka is a hearty breakfast of meatballs and sunny-side-up eggs cooked in seasoned tomato sauce. To give this dish its authentic Moroccan flavor, use Mutti tomatoes. They’re a blend of sun-ripened Italian tomatoes and Mediterranean sea salt.
6. Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry
If you’re a fan of curry, you’d better load up on tomato puree. Besides the spices, it’s another key ingredient that makes this Indian dish a success. This curry features chicken flavored with tomatoes, garlic, and a hot and flavorful curry blend. Greek yogurt is also added for richness and creaminess. Serve this curry over rice or with naan and enjoy.
7. Creamy Tomato Pasta
If you’re a fan of both tomato and cream sauces in your pasta, why not put the two together? This creamy tomato pasta gives you the richness of a carbonara and the refreshing flavors of a marinara. Season the sauce with basil for an earthy flavor and parmesan for some nuttiness. These flavors complement each other well.
8. Creamy Tomato Soup
This is another recipe for tomato soup because you can never have enough tomato soup. I love how rich and creamy this soup is! It combines tomato puree, beef stock, and heavy cream, so expect a fun explosion of flavors. It’s infused with white wine, too, which really adds a complex and sophisticated flavor to the soup.
9. Pink Sauce Pasta
Red tomato puree plus white heavy cream and milk equals pink. That’s how this sauce gets its pretty hue. It’s also cooked with butter, aromatics, spices, seasonings, and lots of cheese. This pasta sauce will definitely knock your socks off. It’ll be a hit with both kids and adults alike.
10. Mexican Red Rice
Rice is often considered a side dish, but this one is a complete meal on its own. Cooked in chicken broth, tomato puree, and vegetables, this Mexican red rice is rich, hearty, and packed with delicious flavors. It’s not just about the flavor, but the texture, too. I love the contrast between the tender rice and crunchy veggies!
11. Keema Matar – Instant Pot & Stove (Ground Meat Curry)
Keema Matar, or “peas and mince,” is a delectable Indian dish of ground meat and peas cooked in curry. Compared to other saucy curries, this one is rather dry. But it doesn’t mean it’s not as good. In fact, I’m so obsessed with how concentrated the curry flavor is in this dish! Plus, the combination of ground meat and peas is such a treat with its textural variety.
12. Homemade Burgers
These are classic burger patties with extra flavor and moisture from tomato puree. While they taste like regular burgers, these guys have a secret: they’re carb and dairy-free. Yep, even without breadcrumbs and eggs, making burger patties is still possible.
13. Best Lasagna
One of the most important things when making lasagna is to nail the tomato meat sauce. For that, this recipe has you covered. It also calls for making your own bechamel. But don’t worry, making the components from scratch isn’t hard at all. In fact, you only need 20 minutes of prep time to pull it all off!
14. Easy Spaghetti Sauce
This spaghetti sauce might be simple, but its flavors are spot on. Spectacular is not enough to describe how good this is. The trick to giving it an undeniable tomato flavor is to use both tomato puree and tomato paste. With this combination, all you’ll need to do next is to season it with aromatics, salt, and pepper. The tomatoes are already rich and flavorful enough, so there’s really not much else to do!
15. Paneer Butter Masala
In this epic Indian dish, cheese isn’t just a support character, but the main attraction. That’s why paneer is so near and dear to me. It’s made of cottage cheese cubes drenched in a rich and creamy tomato sauce. That’s where the tomato puree comes in. Serve this with naan or jasmine rice and enjoy a hearty and delicious Indian meal.
16. Mushroom Masala
Here’s another Indian recipe that’ll make you drool. It’s button mushrooms covered in a rich and spicy curry and tomato sauce. The spices in this masala give it such a wonderfully robust flavor. Even if this dish is totally meat-free, I’m sure the carnivores in your life will still fall in love with it.
17. Vegan BBQ Sauce (No Ketchup)
From chicken wings to beef ribs, this vegan BBQ sauce will lend its sweet and smokey flavors to anything it touches. The fact that there’s no ketchup in this recipe makes this sauce vegan. But all the flavors you love in a BBQ sauce will still be there. Just swap out the ketchup for tomato puree and brown sugar, and you’re all set.
18. Chicken Tikka Masala
Apart from the juicy chicken, this tikka masala also has the perfect combination of rich, creamy, buttery, and spicy. It’s truly the sauce that makes this dish a star.
19. Creole Sauce
Here’s an easy way to add the colorful flavors of Louisiana to any dish. Infused with red peppers, cayenne, and creole seasoning, this sauce has a unique southern flavor you’ll crave again and again. So be sure to at least double or triple the recipe. That way, you’ll have this sauce ready for you when the yearning strikes.
20. Pasta Alla Norma
Pasta alla Norma is a delectable Italian pasta that combines tomato sauce and eggplant. It’s just bolognese, but vegan. With its al dente pasta, rich marinara sauce, and meaty eggplant, I’m sure you won’t even miss the meat. Click on a star to rate it!
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