Tomato is a vegetable ingredient that is commonly used for family meals. It contains many healthy nutrients and has a delicious taste that pleases both adults and children’s taste buds.
However, in cases where you cannot find fresh tomatoes, there are alternatives with similar flavors. Have a look at this article on Tomato Substitutes to find out more.
What Is a Tomato?
Originating in South America and evolved from the small green fruit tree popular in the Peruvian highlands, the tomato was named Solanum Lycopersicum. Then, this plant was shipped to Mexico, grown and consumed by Central Americans. In addition, the first domesticated Tomato may be from a yellow fruit (like a cherry tomato) grown and developed by the Aztecs of Central Mexico.
Tomatoes have a mildly sour taste, and they are considered to be a food with high nutritional value.
Tomatoes can be used as a whole, sliced directly, processed salads, fried, fried, baked, stewed, cooked, soup, and sauces. You can combine them with rice, bread, pasta are all suitable and delicious.
This fruit enhances the taste and is especially delicious in beef and fish dishes. When used with pork, chicken, clam, shrimp, squid, it is no less attractive. You can also use tomatoes to make vegetarian dishes that are frugal yet still mouth-watering.
4 Ingredients To Use As Tomato Substitute
1. Red Bell Peppers
Bell peppers belong to the group of less spicy peppers, so they are also called sweet peppers. Usually, bell peppers are sweetest when they ripen on a tree in the sun. Therefore, to compare with the sweet and light taste of tomatoes, this is a great alternative to tomatoes.
Bell peppers are considered the only fruit that does not produce capsaicin (a fat-loving compound, causing a burning sensation for the user).
The shape of the pepper looks like a bell, the outer shell is thick, crunchy and the seed inside is still edible. But be careful as some people may experience a bitter taste when trying it. It would be best that the chef completely removes the seeds before cooking to avoid the unpleasant taste.
Bell peppers are rich in vitamin C and have a high nutritional value for the user’s health. In addition, red bell peppers also provide significant amounts of vitamin A for 75% of the need to enhance vision, prevent night blindness symptoms and help eyes see better at night.
2. Canned Tomatoes
Most of the fresh ingredients are always more nutritious and delicious than canned foods, especially vegetables. Tomatoes are no exception. However, where there is no fresh food around, the canned product is a good option to substitute for tomatoes in recipes.
In fresh tomatoes, each ripeness varies, so tomatoes will bring different sweet and sour flavors. As a result, the taste of the dish can change, even if the chef has followed the recipe strictly.
Canned tomatoes excel in remaining flavor because they are made from carefully selected tomatoes during the year. Therefore, the taste of canned tomatoes won’t change over time.
Canned tomatoes have been peeled, so it is extremely convenient and time-saving to make dishes such as sauces, soup, and dips. However, it usually contains a lot of salt. A box of tomatoes can contain up to 100-300mg of sodium per serving, equivalent to 4-13% of the daily sodium intake.
Ideally, you should choose salt-free products to protect the health of yourself and your family.
3. Ketchup
Ketchup is also known as catsup, which means a red sauce made from ripe tomatoes.
Ketchup is a seasoning tomato sauce that is popular in the US, especially for fast foods that need a dipping sauce, such as fried chicken, pizza, french fries, hamburgers, pasta. Besides, With the chef’s creativity, ketchup is very diverse, suitable to the taste of each customer, each region.
Ingredients of ketchup include tomatoes, cloves, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, celery, onions, cinnamon, and spices such as basil, burdock. Usually, in the kitchen, chefs will choose sweet tomatoes to create delicious ketchup. In addition, some places also use Lycopersicum tomatoes and add sugar to create the depth of flavor for ketchup.
Just like canned Tomato, ketchup is also popular when it comes to substitution for tomatoes. The main reason is that they are made up of mostly tomatoes and can taste relatively similar in dishes.
However, ketchup was born as a dipping tomato sauce, so it contains many additives to adjust the taste, making the eatery feel a bit too sweet. Home cooks should use ketchup only for coloring dishes and in combination with other kinds of substitute for stewed tomatoes in chili recipe with tomatoes.
4. Olives
Olive is a hard seed fruit originally grown in the Mediterranean. There are many different types of olives, depending on the region.
In addition, the ingredients and the method of processing the olive give the user different flavors. The texture and color of olives vary due to the time they are picked and processed. They are among the most nutritious and delicious in the world.
The natural olive taste is quite sour and acrid. Therefore, to replace raw tomato, a chef needs to do quite a lot of seasoning. Sugar or sour buttermilk is an option to consider when using olives in these dishes. The use of olives will make your dish thoroughly different, from the color to the taste, but it’s definitely worth a try.
Besides, olive consumption is good for those who have an allergy to tomatoes. Olives are prized because they contain more monounsaturated fats, which are beneficial for the body and do not cause allergic reactions. These are facts that can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and increase HDL cholesterol.
In addition, it also contains antioxidants, is rich in vitamin E, and can protect the body’s cells, beneficial for the skin and eyes.
What Is A Good Substitute For Tomatoes Sauce
1. Tomato Paste
Tomato paste consists of tomatoes that have been cooked for several hours to reduce the water content, strain the seeds and rind, and re-cook the liquid to reduce consistency. Tomato paste is widely used in Italian dishes such as Marinara sauce for Spaghetti.
Additionally, it is used to deepen colors and enrich ketchup flavors such as soups and stews. Care should be taken when pasting Tomato when cooking because if you add too much, it will make the tomato taste too strong, or the sauce will be too acidic.
Tomato paste is sold in cans and bottles. As far as I can tell, it’s more convenient to sell tomato paste in a bottle than a can. If you’re looking for a special flavor, shop at a supermarket or store that sells Tomato paste. This is a great option to be a substitute for fresh tomatoes.
2. Tomato Puree
In contrast to Tomato paste, the Tomato purée consists of tomatoes that have been cooked for a short time. The heat helps improve flavor and texture, remove harmful substances and reduce the amount of water in the product.
The finished product is usually a thick, thick liquid between the Tomato paste and the mashed tomatoes. It has a soft creamy texture.
The puree is born as a sauce, combined with other dishes with consistency. However, it is completely possible to use the puree in the cooking process to increase the tomato flavor and color of the dish. You can make puree in a blender.
How To Make Soup Without Tomato?
In the absence of tomatoes, make use of all of the above ingredients to make a delicious and tasty soup like Marinara. These are all popular products that can be found at any local grocery store. After buying, you need to pre-process to remove dirt and preservatives on the surface.
Wet the bells or olives in a blender, and grind them slightly. If you are using canned or pureed tomatoes, you don’t need to use a blender.
Season with onion, garlic, basil, 1 cup olive oil, two tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, one teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder, 240 ml water cold, then grind the mixture. Here’s how to make your food taste as similar to tomato products as possible. When the mixture is almost smooth, add two slices of bread and continue to puree the mixture.
Then, put the mixture on the stove at medium heat for about 20 minutes. You can add spices to your taste. The last step you need to do is pour the soup into a bowl and decorate the delicious vegetable soup without Tomato to add to the menu.
