How to cook tomato paste

The secret? You need to “cook” tomato paste to caramelize it and allow its full flavor to develop. This works best if you add it to the pan along with your herbs and spices after you cook your aromatics.

If you have a can of tomato paste in your pantry, you are in luck—this is the best substitution for tomato sauce. All you need is the tomato paste and water. Mix together 1 part tomato paste and 1 part water until well blended. Then, season your “sauce” to taste.

By letting tomato paste “brown” in the pan, and sautéing it with spices and other aromatic ingredients like cooked onions, you can boost the flavor of your dish in a big way. Let it cook for a few minutes more; you‘ll see it darken in color and thicken.

Add Depth to Pasta Sauce

Tomato paste is a great thing on hand when making a tomato-based pasta sauce, since it can intensify the umami tomato flavors already on hand. It’s a key ingredient in this simple marinara sauce, which you can make entirely from canned tomatoes.

Directly out of the tube or can, tomato paste is typically a bright, fiery red. Anna says it should be cooked until it is “noticeably less vibrant” (see photo at the top for reference).

The secret is to sizzle it in some olive oil or other fat until it turns brick red and starts to caramelize—usually about 5 minutes or so over medium heat. Once it goes dark and starts to stick to the pan you can just deglaze with some water or other liquid, scrape up any stuck-on bits, and go on your merry way.

An important factor in achieving great tomato flavor is balancing acidity and sweetness. Too much of either can leave you with a tomato sauce that tastes one-dimensional. Adding baking soda will change the pH of tomato sauce, making it less acidic. Generally, we balance tomato sauce acidity by adding a bit of sugar.

Nutritionally, you will get plenty of benefits with tomato paste. Studies have shown that processed tomato products such as tomato paste have higher levels of lycopene, an antioxidant known for its protective effect against some forms of cancer and also promoting skin health.

While tomato paste is used in small amounts in cooking, it is still good to know what nutrients it contains. As for the tomato sauce, 100 grams of canned tomato sauce is less nutritional than 100 grams of tomato paste.

Tomato Paste

For instance, half a cup (118 ml) of tomato paste offers 3.9 mg of iron, or 22% of the RDI, whereas 1 cup (237 ml) of tomato sauce offers 1.9 mg, or 11% of the RDI (34, 35). Sun-dried tomatoes are another iron–rich source, providing you with 1.3–2.5 mg per half cup, or up to 14% of the RDI (36, 37).

But will simply eating tomatoes help you lose weight? Absolutely not! Just eating tomatoes will not help you burn fat and lose weight. No food can do that actually.

Tomato paste consists of tomatoes that have been cooked for several hours and reduced to a thick, red concentrate before being strained. Tomato paste is widely used in Italian dishes. It is used to inexpensively thicken, color, and enrich the flavor of tomato sauces and other semi-liquids such as soups and stews.