Tomato sauce is the most well-known sauce in the world. Without this sauce, you can’t enjoy many fast foods like pizza, burgers, or French fries. That’s why it must be an item in every pantry. But sometimes, you run out of tomato sauce. But it would help if you had it very badly for your dinner. Then what should you do? Or maybe somebody could get allergic to tomatoes. Then what is the solution? I think it can help you with some easy-to-find substitutes for tomato sauce from your pantry. You can also find some tomato sauce here for those who have allergies to tomatoes.
What is Tomato sauce, and why do you need a substitute?
If you are a pasta lover, you must be familiar with tomato sauce. It’s a must-have item for your everyday meal. The main ingredient of this sauce is tomato, and some brands also add some other condiments. But the amount is very minimal so that it can’t fade away the original flavor and taste of tomato. I think tomato sauce is the best side dish. But sometimes you need some substitute for this sauce. Like:
- If you run out of tomato sauce and need this for your recipe, you need to find a perfect substitute.
- If you have allergies to tomatoes, you need some dipping sauce for your fries or any food.
7 easy and healthy tomato sauce substitutes
You can find many substitutes in the market. So don’t panic if you are out of any tomato sauce or are allergic to it. We have both tomatoes and without tomato replacement given here. Like:
- Tomato paste: I think no pantry is complete without tomato paste. If you don’t have any tomato sauce on your side, choose the tomato paste. I think it’s the best substitute for tomato sauce. It would help if you had 8 tablespoons or half a cup of water and a half cup of your paste for one cup of sauce. Blend it like a fine paste, and your sauce is ready in a minute. If you want, you can also add some onion or garlic sauté in olive oil or a pinch of sugar or salt. It just enhances the taste of your sauce.
- Tomato Puree: This is also a must item in every kitchen. And this is also a perfect substitute for tomato sauce. Mainly tomato puree is a blend of cooked tomatoes. This puree is strained, so you can’t find any seed or skin in it. So you need salt, sugar, and spice with your preference. But tomato puree is thinner than sauce. So it would help if you evaporated the consistency.
- Canned Tomato: If you have some canned tomatoes in your pantry, then your problem is solved. This tomato is also a perfect substitute for sauce. But you need some time to make it perfect. First, you have to drain the water from the can. After that, blend it finely. After mixing, if the sauce is a little watery, you need to take this into the stove and simmer for some time to thicken. At this stage, you can also add some spice if the canned tomato is not mixed with any condiments. Simmer it with your preferable consistency, and you can make your tomato sauce in your kitchen.
- Tomato soup: tomato is the staple of this soup; that is why it’s a suitable replacement for tomato sauce. You can easily replace one cup of sauce with one can of tomato soup. It’s not a commonly used substitute, but it can easily be used in many gravy-type dishes. But you can’t take it like normal sauce on your fries or burger. Soup is a thick consistency. That’s why you need to add extra water. And tomato soup came with some spice, so keep it in your mind before adding any additional herb to your dish.
- Tomato Juice: If you have a pack of tomato juice in your refrigerator, you can easily add this to your dish. But this juice is fresh, and there is no preservative added to it so that it does not remain in your pantry for a long time—this fresh juice doesn’t come with any spice. Just like a blank sheet, you need to spice up this juice as a sauce as you want. And this is also a fragile consistency, so you need some extra time to simmer this.
- Marinara Sauce: If you love Italian food but don’t know about the marinara sauce, it’s impossible. Yes, it’s the main ingredient of any Italian dish. The main component of this marinara sauce is tomato. This sauce comes with tomato, onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper. This sauce is famous as a quick sauce because it contains some extra spice. You don’t need to add additional seasoning to your dish. This thick sauce is a great side dish, and you can easily replace this with one cup of marinara instead of one cup of tomato sauce in your recipe. But marinara contains some extra ingredients, which also change your dish’s exact taste and flavor.
- Nomato sauce: I think some people don’t acknowledge this sauce. It’s a substation of tomato sauce which you don’t need any tomato to make. There are many ingredients used to make this nomato sauce, like beetroot, carrot, water, onion, garlic, lemon juice, etc. if you have any problem with tomato sauce, you can use this nomato.
Bottom Line
This substitute can only be used if you are out of tomato sauce in your kitchen. But always keep in mind that you can’t get an authentic taste if you use a replacement. This option can change the flavor. So if you want an authentic dish, I’ll suggest you stick with the tomato sauce. If you run out of spice, you can replace this. Each and every substitute has tomato as the main ingredient.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can I use pasta sauce to replace tomato?
Yes. Pasta sauce is one kind of tomato sauce, but it contains some extra herbs to spice up the pasta. If you don’t mind those flavors in your other dish, you can use them as tomato sauce.
- Can I make homemade tomato sauce from tomato puree?
Yes. You can make your sauce with tomato puree. Try to use pure tomato paste, and then you can use your own choice spice into it.
- Is tomato ketchup a suitable replacement for sauce?
Many people get confused about tomato sauce and ketchup. But both are not the same kind. Tomato ketchup is a little bit sweeter than sauce. You can use this in your food if you like it mildly sweet.