With this handy kitchen essential, making lunch or dinner has never been easier. Unless you have an abundant supply of fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are a must-have in your kitchen. This pantry staple is many things – affordable, convenient, packed with flavor, and so much more. Naturally, I have a bunch of pizza and pasta recipes here, but you can also look forward to other hearty dishes like briskets, curries, and chilis. That said, if comfort food is what you’re looking for, these canned tomato recipes are calling out to you.
30 Things to Make with Canned Tomatoes
1. Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
This easy dump dinner makes a creamy and dreamy dish of tender chicken in a thick tomato cream basil sauce. It’s restaurant-quality without burning a hole in your pocket. The ingredients in this recipe are super budget-friendly! Serve it on a bed of pasta or rice for a hearty meal. For something light, serve it with roasted veggies on the side.
2. McCormick Chili (Quick and Easy Recipe)
This chili is everything you can ask for in the classic comfort food – meaty, saucy, and bursting with savory and smoky flavors. What sets it apart is how insanely quick and easy it is to make. Where most chili recipes call for hours of slow cooking the ground meat and beans, this only needs 25 minutes.
3. Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza
Say hi to the first of many pizza recipes in this round-up! Slathered with tomato sauce and loaded with mozzarella, prosciutto, parmesan, and arugula, this pizza has every amazing flavor you can think of. It’s salty with a hint of sweetness, meaty and smoky, and nutty and cheesy, with some leafy greens for contrast, to boot.
4. Easy Chickpea Curry
There’s something so irresistible about curry. The mere aroma of this dish will make your mouth water. This chickpea curry doesn’t contain meats or starchy veggies, yet it’s oh, so satisfying. With this recipe, you can easily fool your family and friends into thinking the dish came straight out of an Indian restaurant! But here’s the kicker: while it’s definitely high-quality, this recipe uses mostly canned goods – from the chickpeas to the tomatoes to the coconut milk. Pretty impressive, am I right?
5. Chickpea Tikka Masala
Here’s another Indian dish I’m sure your taste buds will enjoy. Chickpea tikka masala is a thick spiced stew that features lentils. It’s savory, creamy, and fiery, and the texture from the lentils gives you such a unique and wonderful dining experience. Also, this dish is completely plant-based, so it’s perfect for all my vegan readers, out there.
6. Vegetable Soup
Okay, so the sound of vegetable soup isn’t at all exciting. But don’t knock it until you try it! This minestrone recipe transforms humble veggies into a culinary masterpiece. Filled with carrots, potatoes, celery, corn kernels, and parsley, this soup is colors, flavors, and textures galore. Tying them all together is a ridiculously rich tomato broth so good, you’ll want to bathe in it.
7. Easy Tomato Soup
Looking for an embarrassingly easy summer soup? I can’t imagine a brighter or tastier appetizer than this tomato soup! With a rich flavor and velvety consistency, this soup will excite your taste buds and get it ready for the next entree. Serve this refreshing treat with a grilled cheese sandwich and lunch or dinner is served!
8. Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
If the thought of cabbage soup doesn’t sound appealing to you, this recipe will change your mind. While this soup is loaded with it, there’s more to this soup than just cabbage. Also brimming with ground beef, carrots, celery, and a wonderfully seasoned tomato broth, this soup is pure comfort food! It even gets bonus points for being Whole30-friendly and gluten-free.
9. Easy 5-Minute Pizza Sauce
Amp up a simple can of tomato sauce with sugar, spices, and seasonings. With this transformation, you’ll want to have jars and jars of this sauce in your kitchen at all times. It’s so flavorful, you’ll use this in a variety of dishes – not just pizza. In fact, it works well in any of the recipes in this list.
10. Cheesy Pepperoni Garbage Bread
Its name isn’t the most appetizing, but wait until you try it! This cheesy pepperoni garbage is the bread of my dreams. Garbage bread is simply rolled-up pizza dough filled with various pizza toppings. There’s no limit to what you can put here. That’s how it got its unusual name – it’s an awesome way to use up leftovers. In this particular recipe, though, you’ll need tomato sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella. You can’t go wrong with that combo!
11. Traditional Bolognese Sauce
Making quick and easy spaghetti on busy days is fine. But when you’re not on a time crunch, I highly recommend this traditional bolognese sauce. This recipe uses all the ingredients in an authentic bolognese – ground meat, pancetta, tomato sauce, etc. Unlike a simplified spaghetti sauce, this one’s cooked low and slow, which gives it such deep hearty flavors. You can really taste the difference!
12. Easy Arrabbiata Sauce
Arrabbiata sauce is tomato sauce seasoned with garlic, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. It’s wonderfully rich and earthy with a subtle heat. This versatile sauce is great not just on pasta, but on pizza and meatballs, as well. You can also use it on soups, stews, and any saucy dish you can think of!
13. Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto Rican Beans)
Don’t let its foreign name intimidate you. Habichuelas guisadas is simply a Puerto Rican bean stew. It features pink beans, which are smaller and rounder than pinto beans. They’re cooked in a thick tomato broth along with sausage, potatoes, and a ton of spices. From its vibrant color alone, you can already tell this stew is off-the-charts delish. No wonder it’s a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine!
14. Creamy Tomato Pasta
Think of this next dish as a combination of bolognese and Alfredo sauces. It’s refreshing and tomato-flavored, but also wonderfully creamy! It’s perfect for when you can’t decide between the two classic pasta sauces. The best part? The pasta sauce comes together at the same time the noodles are done cooking. It couldn’t be easier.
15. Homemade Ketchup
As awesome as ketchup is, it’s not exactly the most nutritious condiment. Check the label of a ketchup bottle and you’ll see a bunch of ingredients you won’t be able to pronounce! So, if your family is a big lover of ketchup, this homemade recipe is for you. It’s just as tasty as any store-bought ketchup, but a lot more wholesome.
16. Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish you can easily make at home. You’ll absolutely want to add this to your weekly meal rotation! Meaning “hunter” in Italian, cacciatore is a dish prepared hunter-style. Such dishes contain bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, herbs, and wine. Chicken cacciatore has all of them, plus more. It’s a wildly tasty braised chicken loaded with a variety of veggies, all tied together by a rich tomato sauce.
17. Little Caesars Pizza Sauce
Here’s another recipe that’ll take the humble canned tomato sauce to the next level. This pizza sauce is earthy, herby, and simply delightful. Unlike a runny marinara, this sauce is thick and easily spreadable. It tastes just like the one they use over at Little Caesars. I may be biased here because this is my own recipe, but I actually think it’s even better!
18. Indian Butter Chicken
I’m pretty sure by now you can tell I’m obsessed with Indian cuisine. With its thick sauces and flavorful spices, can you really blame me? This butter chicken, for example, is just out-of-this-world amazing. The chicken is tender, moist, and perfectly flavored. But the best part about is the sauce. It’s wonderfully seasoned with Indian spices and made even more delectable with butter and heavy cream.
19. Paula Deen’s Goulash
This goulash has everything you can ever ask for in comfort food. It’s so outrageously cozy and delicious, one spoonful will cure all your heartaches and pains. The tomato broth is flavored beautifully with spices and seasonings. It’s also bursting with ground beef, macaroni, and veggies. How can anyone resist?
20. Pasta Alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
You won’t often see eggplant in a pasta recipe, but I urge you to give it a try. This eggplant pasta is a certified crowd-pleaser. Al dente pasta is tossed in zesty tomato sauce, parmesan, and chunks of baked eggplant. I know it doesn’t seem too exciting, but I’m telling you, your mind will be blown by this amazing vegetarian dish!
21. Tender and Fluffy Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
If you think you already have the perfect recipe for meatballs, think again! These meatballs are insanely tender and fluffy. The secret? Add sour cream and parmesan to the ground beef mixture. There are no breadcrumbs in it, either. It’s definitely not your usual meatball recipe, but it works great.
22. Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Ragu is a classic Italian dish bursting with flavors. Chuck roast is slow-cooked for hours along with tomatoes, red wine, beef broth, and spices. Not only does it get seriously tender, but also super scrumptious, too! It’s perfect with pappardelle noodles, but you’ll also have to try it with polenta. The polenta sops up the sauce and turns into such a flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth treat.
23. One-Pot Pizza Pasta Bake
This delectable bake is a combination of two of the most popular Italian recipes, and it is epic. It’s a meaty, creamy, and cheesy pasta dish at the bottom and savory pizza on top. If you’re looking for a showstopper, the search is over.
24. Johnny Marzetti Casserole – Slow Cooker or Oven!
I have yet to meet a person who can say no to Johnny Marzetti! Seriously, this casserole is king. It has layers of meaty tomato sauce, al dente pasta, and loads of melted cheese. It’s the kind of dish you can’t just have one serving of.
25. Chorizo Chili
How about putting a Latin spin on your American chili? Smoky and savory chorizo is key. This chili is a mix of chorizo, potatoes, carrots, and lentils coated in a thick and hearty tomato sauce. It’s more than just comfort food. It’s a tight hug, a shoulder to cry on, and a giant teddy bear all in one!
26. Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli
Move over, Olive Garden. This copycat pasta e fagioli is so much more delectable and budget-friendly. Pasta e fagioli is a colorful combination of macaroni, Italian sausage, beans, carrots, and a rich and flavor-packed tomato broth. If you’ve never had it before, take this as the sign to do so!
27. Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Stuffed bell peppers are such a fancy dish, but they’re surprisingly affordable and easy to make. Colorful bell peppers are hollowed out and stuffed to the brim with rice, ground beef, and tomato sauce. From the vibrant colors to the amazing flavor and texture combinations, this dish deserves an award.
28. Slow Cooker Red Wine Beef Brisket
Brisket is the solution to cold rainy days and wintery evenings. This particular one is one of the best! It’s melt-in-your-mouth meat and sweet and crunchy potatoes swimming in an unbelievably flavorful gravy. A mix of tomato sauce, red wine, herbs, and spices, this gravy is as equally phenomenal as the beef.
29. Easy Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe
This taco soup is a beautiful combination of ground beef, beans, corn, tomatoes, and chilies. It’s tasty, hearty, and spectacular on its own. But if you really want to turn it into a work of art, taco toppings are the way to go. I’m talking sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and more cheese. The more toppings, the better!
30. Three Cheese Baked Ziti
This baked ziti is extra special because it’s loaded with not just one, but three different cheeses! One cheese is good, two cheeses are great. But three cheeses? That’s just outstanding. Filled with mascarpone, mozzarella, and provolone, to say this ziti is tremendously cheesy is an understatement. Click on a star to rate it!
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