How to Make Stewed Tomatoes
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Stewed tomatoes are delicious served as a main course or as a side dish, and they’re a frequent ingredient in chili, soup, stew and casserole recipes. If you’re looking for a simple way to use up some of the excess tomatoes from your garden, you should definitely consider stewing some of your harvest. It’s a quick and easy process, and it doesn’t require canning.
Stewed Tomato Recipe
Ingredients:
6-8 large tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp black pepper
What You Do:
Peel, core, seed and dice your tomatoes. Need a quick lesson on how to do this? Here’s how to peel tomatoes, and here’s how to core and seed tomatoes.
Bring the tomatoes, onions, pepper and celery to a boil in a non-reactive pot. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer; cover; and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the celery, peppers and onions are soft.
Add the sugar and seasonings, and stir to combine. The sugar will help to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, so don’t leave it out unless you have to.
Enjoy your stewed tomatoes right away, or freeze them to use later. If you freeze your stewed tomatoes in pint-sized freezer containers, one jar of homemade will be the equivalent of one 15-oz. store-bought can.
This recipe has not been developed or tested for home canning, so it should only be preserved by freezing.
Recipe Variations
Many old-fashioned stewed tomato recipes call for thickening the finished dish with a bit of cornstarch, bread crumbs or cubed bread. Still others call for adding a tablespoon or two of butter. There’s plenty of room to make this recipe your own. Experiment with different spice combinations; omit the salt for a sodium-free version; or add a splash of hot sauce for some heat.
Yield
This recipe makes between one and one-and-a-half quarts of stewed tomatoes. If you have loads of tomatoes on your hands, just double, triple or quadruple the ingredients to make a bigger batch. You’ll need to extend the cooking time a bit, but no other adjustments are necessary.
How to Make Stewed Tomatoes From Canned Tomatoes
If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, substitute one 28-oz can of diced tomatoes or two 15-oz cans of diced tomatoes. Canned crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes will also work. Just dice them up before you add them to the pot.
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How to Make Stewed Tomatoes
This stewed tomato recipe can be enjoyed as a main course or side dish, or used in recipes that call for a can of stewed tomatoes.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 to 1-1/2 quarts 1x
- Category: Ingredient
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeIngredients:
- 6–8 large tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Peel, core, seed and dice tomatoes.
Place tomatoes, onion, pepper and celery in a non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat; cover; and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
Stir in sugar and seasonings.
Serve hot; or allow it to cool; then, freeze for later.
Notes
- This recipe has not been developed or tested for home canning. It should only be preserved by freezing.
- Use one pint of homemade stewed tomatoes in place of one 15-oz store-bought can. Use one quart in place of one 28-oz store-bought can.
- For thicker stewed tomatoes, add cornstarch, bread crumbs or cubed bread.
