Learn how to make stewed tomatoes from scratch and enjoy this flavourful dish as a vegetable side or as a sauce. It’s rich in antioxidants and is gluten-free, vegan-friendly, paleo and Whole30.
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 🥗Serving Suggestions |💡Storing Tips |📝 Go To Full Recipe |🥦 More Vegetable Side Dishes
Stewed tomatoes are a cooked dish made from tomatoes that have been peeled, sliced into large chunks, and slowly simmered with ingredients like onions, celery, bell peppers (capsicum), and various seasonings such as garlic, salt, and herbs like basil or oregano, to enhance the flavour.
It’s more like a tomato stew rather than tomato sauce, with some of the tomato pieces staying intact during the braising process.
Cooking tomatoes is a great way to increase the bioavailability of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, and it’s perfect for a summer abundance of sweet, juicy tomatoes.
Stewed tomatoes are rich-flavoured and versatile; they can be used as a side dish adding flavour, moisture and nutrition to your meal; or you can make a big batch and store it for future uses as a base for sauces, soups, stews, and casseroles.
🍅 If you love tomatoes, check out these recipes: cherry tomato soup with mascarpone cream, whipped feta with slow-roasted tomatoes, or tomato ricotta salad.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you will need for this stewed tomatoes recipe. Find all measurements in the recipe card below.
- Tomatoes – this recipe is best suited to larger tomatoes as you have to blanch and peel them first, which is pretty tedious with smaller fruit. Choose ripe, sweet and juicy tomatoes.
- Butter – I know, you’d think it should be olive oil, but the butter adds a rich, and yes, buttery almost umami flavour that makes this dish a little more unique than your typical tomato sauce. I like to use salted butter.
- Veggies – onions, garlic and bell peppers will add flavour and sweetness. You can throw in celery or carrots as well.
- For flavour – dry herbs such as basil, oregano and dill or thyme (whatever you have on hand as most herbs go with tomatoes), salt, pepper and a touch of chili.
How To Make Stewed Tomatoes
Find the full recipe card below. Here are some step-by-step photos to guide you along.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the whole tomatoes and let them cook for 2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. This will make it easier to peel off the skin.
- Peel all the tomatoes, remove the core, and cut them into slices, creating 8 portions.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; sauté minced garlic, then add chopped onion and bell pepper until soft (4-5 minutes).
- Add tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, black pepper, and chili powder; stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer on low-medium for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; tomatoes should be tender but not mushy.
- Serve as a side or use as a base for other dishes.
Serving Suggestions
Stewed tomatoes are incredibly versatile and can be served with a sauce or side dish with pasta, rice, quinoa or potatoes and they are particularly good with beef, chicken and fish.
I love them with eggs, either used in a Shakshouka-like dish or with scrambled eggs.
You can use them as a delicious topping on toasted sourdough or bruschetta.
Variations
- Italian style: Add more garlic, Italian seasoning, and a splash of red wine.
- Mexican style: Add jalapeños, cumin, and cilantro/coriander for a kick.
- Curry-flavoured: Incorporate curry powder, ginger, and coconut milk for an Indian twist.
- With Vegetables: Throw in additional vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, or mushrooms for extra nutrition and texture.
- Add Protein: Stewed tomatoes can be turned into a heartier dish by adding cooked meat such as diced chicken, beef, or sausage. Simply brown the meat separately and then add it to the saucepan along with the tomatoes. For a plant-based version add a can of chickpeas, lentils or butter beans.
Storing Tips
- Store stewed tomatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freeze in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 6 months. Leave some space for expansion when freezing.
- For longer storage, canning stewed tomatoes is an option. Use a water bath canning method and acidify with lemon juice or vinegar to ensure safety.
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Ingredients
- 2 lb tomatoes 900 grams to 1kg, choose larger tomatoes
- 1.5 tbsp butter replace with olive oil or plant-based butter for vegan version
- 1 garlic clove large, minced
- 1/2 green bell pepper diced, red can also be used
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp dill dried
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the whole tomatoes and let them cook for 2 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. This will make it easier to peel off the skin.
- Peel all the tomatoes, remove the core, and cut them into slices, creating 8 portions.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Then, add the chopped onion and bell pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent and the bell pepper is tender.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, dried herbs, salt, black pepper, and chili powder to the saucepan. Stir well to combine.
- Cover the saucepan and simmer over low to medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, stirring gently every couple of minutes. The tomatoes should become tender but not completely mushy.
- Serve the stewed tomatoes as a side dish or use them as a base for other recipes.
Notes
- Stewed tomatoes are a versatile ingredient and can be used in various dishes such as soups, stews, casseroles, toasts, served with fish and rice or as a topping for grilled meats
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings and herbs according to your taste preferences.
- You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can use different varieties of tomatoes for stewing, such as Roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes. Each variety will bring its own unique flavour and texture to the dish.
- The cooking time mentioned in the recipe will result in tender tomatoes that hold their shape. If you prefer a softer texture, you can simmer the stewed tomatoes for a longer period, allowing the tomatoes to break down further.
- If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can use an immersion blender or transfer a portion of the stewed tomatoes to a blender and puree until smooth. Then, add the pureed mixture back into the saucepan and combine with the chunkier tomatoes.
- If you have leftover stewed tomatoes, you can use them as a base for a tomato soup, add them to vegetable soups or stews, or even blend them with some vegetable broth for a quick and flavourful tomato bisque.
This is such a great idea! I’ve never thought to make my own. I always automatically stock up on cans. This is great, bookmarking it for future use because they tasted fantastic.
Thanks, Dana.
I used these tomatoes as a sauce with eggs – it was incredible! Such an easy recipe and so flavorful!
This was the perfect side for pork chops. My entire family enjoyed it.
We loved these stewed tomatoes over rice! So good!