Tomatoes are technically fruits, but we treat them like vegetables because they’re a staple in savory dishes. Think about the most common ways we use tomatoes—pizza, pasta, gazpacho, salad, sandwiches, burgers, salsa—need we say more? Given their versatility, it should come as no surprise that tomatoes are the third most purchased type of produce in America, with a whopping 81% of households buying the juicy goodness on repeat.
You can buy tomatoes all year long, but they’re usually freshest during the summer and fall, depending on where you live. Outside of tomato season, or when the recipe calls for it, canned tomatoes can be just as good and sometimes even better than the fresh fruit. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, canned fruits and vegetables are picked at peak ripeness, so they’re full of nutrients and flavor.
Diced, peeled, and crushed are a few types of canned tomatoes, but tomato sauce and tomato paste are the key to getting a concentrated tomato flavor short of plucking tomatoes from the vine yourself. More than 221 million Americans used tomato sauce in 2020, while nearly 172 million Americans used tomato paste. But, what’s the difference between the two, and what can you do with them? It’s time to clear up some confusion surrounding these flavor-enhancing pantry staples and delve into the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste.
Let’s cut to the chase: What are tomato sauce and tomato paste, how are they different, and how do we use them?
What is Tomato Sauce?
According to the USDA, tomato sauce is the concentrated, liquid extraction from mature tomatoes, and it may have added seasonings, vinegars, or sweeteners. It’s made from cooked tomatoes that are left to simmer until some of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. It’s not as chunky as other tomato products, so it’s a good liquid base for adding other ingredients, such as soups, chilis, stews, and other tomato-based sauces. Its consistency is comparable to gravy.
You can make it at home, or you can grab a few jars of tomato sauce at most grocery stores. There are even a few different varieties of store-bought tomato sauce, such as plain, no salt added, organic, or Italian-style. Most store-bought tomato sauces include herbs and spices like salt, sugar, vinegar, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and basil.
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What is Tomato Paste?
Tomato paste, on the other hand, is a super-thick and bright red paste made from, you guessed it, tomatoes. It’s the most concentrated form of tomatoes you can get (with the least amount of water), as it’s made by cooking down and straining tomatoes until the final product has a thick consistency.
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What’s the Difference?
The main differences between tomato sauce and tomato paste are its texture, which is a direct result of each product’s concentration of tomato (vs water), and additives:
Flavor: Tomato paste is more concentrated, so it has a more potent flavor. You need significantly less tomato paste (than sauce) to get that tomato flavor you want.
Consistency: Tomato sauce is significantly thinner. Tomato paste is so thick, it doesn't pour.
Seasonings: Tomato paste doesn’t have added seasonings and tomato sauce often does.
Nutrition: Cup for cup, tomato paste has more of just about everything—calories, carbs, and nutrients—because it's more concentrated than tomato sauce. Yet less paste is generally used in recipes compared to sauce so nutritionally, their health benefits are comparable.
If you're concerned about added sugar, check your tomato sauce label. Between paste and sauce, tomato sauce is more likely to contain added sugar.
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When to Use Tomato Sauce vs. Tomato Paste in Your Cooking
Each product's texture affects how each is used in cooking:
Reach for tomato sauce when you need a liquid vehicle for that tomato flavor, such as in pasta sauce, soups, and stews. Use this tomato-based ingredient to add flavor along with some liquid like for sloppy joe’s, ground beef seasoning, pizza sauce, and meatball subs.
Tomato paste comes in handy when you need a punch of tomato flavor, like in sauces and soups, but don’t want to add extra liquid to the mix. You only need a couple of spoonfuls of tomato paste in recipes like tomato bisque, vodka sauce, chili, and homemade ketchup. It’s also a popular addition to meat loaf, shepherd’s pie, and minestrone soup.
What About Marinara Sauce?
Marinara sauce and tomato sauce have a lot in common, but they’re not the same:
Versatility: Marinara, a type of tomato-based sauce, is less versatile than tomato sauce and is usually reserved for pasta dishes and pizza.
Ingredients: Marinara typically has fewer ingredients—often just garlic, basil, and red peppers—while tomato sauce typically includes vinegar, sweeteners, herbs, and spices.
Consistency: Marinara is thinner than tomato sauce.
Simplicity: Marinara is generally easier and quicker to whip up, so if you want to learn how to make pantry staples from scratch, marinara sauce is a good place to start.
Tomato sauce is thinner than both tomato puree and tomato paste and it is seasoned. Tomato puree provides a rich tomato taste in a thick sauce with no seasonings whatsoever. Tomato paste has the thickest texture and consistency of all three and is used to add a savory, cooked brown note to your dishes.
Flavor: Tomato paste is more concentrated, so it has a more potent flavor. You need significantly less tomato paste (than sauce) to get that tomato flavor you want. Consistency: Tomato sauce is significantly thinner. Tomato paste is so thick, it doesn't pour.
What Is Tomato Paste Used For? Tomato paste brings a number of things to a dish: a burst of the meaty, savory flavor known as umami, concentrated sweetness, mild acidity and thickening quality. It's often added to reinforce and add depth to the taste of tomato-based dishes like marinara or tomato soup.
While recipes often call for tomato paste to be added along with liquid—usually broth, water or wine—chefs have a secret to coaxing more intense flavor out of the ingredient. How? They add the paste earlier in the cooking process.
Even if you don't have any other canned tomato product on the ready, you can make this simple, delicious pasta sauce with tomato paste, garlic, and olive oil. If you don't have fresh herbs, use dried, or skip them altogether.
To transform your sauce into a paste, simply heat tomato sauce in a pan. Let it simmer and stir it constantly until it is reduced by half. This should take around 10 minutes and produce about 7 ounces of paste from a 15-ounce can of sauce.
Because tomato paste is a concentrated form of tomato puree, you can dilute it to the consistency of tomato sauce without much fuss. Adding one cup of water to three-quarters of a cup of tomato paste will result in a tomato base with the same texture and thickness as tomato sauce (after some brisk stirring).
Yep, ketchup makes a surprisingly adequate tomato paste alternative! Since ketchup is already quite concentrated, you can substitute from the bottle using a 1:1 ratio (if your recipe calls for one tablespoon of tomato paste, use one tablespoon of ketchup).
While the two sauces share many ingredients, the main difference is in the consistency and depth of flavor. Marinara is brighter, thinner, and more tomato forward than tomato sauce. Tomato sauce is thicker, creamier, and bears some similarity with gravy, hence why some Italians call it “Sunday gravy”.
Although it is likely to change the flavor profile more than other substitutes, tomato soup can work as a tomato sauce substitute. A can of tomato soup can replace 1 cup of tomato sauce. However, because the soup has more liquid than tomato sauce, you should reduce another liquid ingredient by 1/4 cup if possible.
You can make your homemade pasta (or zoodle) sauce or lasagna with canned tomato sauce instead of tomato puree to get a bit of a head start. If texture is not as important as flavor, feel free to swap it for crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes in dishes like shakshuka, minestrone or ratatouille.
Tomato paste is cooked for a longer period of time than tomato sauce and tomato puree, giving it a sweeter flavor profile. Tomato paste is great for thickening tomato-based soups, stews, and sauces. For many recipes, tomato paste is used in small amounts and adds a sweet and savory flavor to dishes.
Tomato paste lasts in the fridge for five to seven days in a covered glass or plastic container. When stored in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag, tomato paste will maintain its best quality for three to four months in the freezer and remain safe to consume after this time.
There's naturally-occurring MSG in tomatoes, which is intensified by the process of cooking then straining them into paste – this is what makes tomato paste so delicious.
What are some of the Nutritional Benefits of Tomato Paste? Other than being a game-changer for spaghetti, lasagna, and minestrone, tomato paste is a valuable source of lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin K, and a host of other minerals that seriously kick butt when it comes to fighting disease.
Onion: Cooking a chopped onion with the ground meat adds tons of flavor. Canned goods: You'll need a can of tomato sauce, a can of stewed tomatoes, and a can of kidney beans. Spices: This homemade chili is spiced with chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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