What You Need To Know Before Swapping Canned Stewed Tomatoes For Another Kind

If you've been cooking in the kitchen for long enough, you'll know that plenty of recipes call for canned tomatoes. In particular, recipes like Italian tomato sauce, butter chicken, or a hearty beef stew. Apart from the obvious factors like cost and convenience, canned tomatoes are actually a great choice for more concentrated flavor. Canned stewed tomatoes are one of many kinds of canned tomatoes out there, but this type has been cooked down with additional ingredients like sugar, herbs, spices, onion, or celery.

If your recipe calls for another type of canned tomato and you only have stewed — proceed with caution. Canned stewed tomatoes can taste sweeter and have a softer texture than other kinds. Swapping in stewed tomatoes will add sweeter notes and other flavors to your recipe, depending on what went into the can with them. Keep in mind which flavors could work in your favor for whatever recipe you're making.

Not every brand of stewed tomatoes has the same ingredients so make sure to double check the label. If you're making something like a stew or chili con carne, where a lot of the flavors are similar to those in stewed tomatoes, then feel free to add them instead of diced, whole, or crushed tomatoes. These types of recipes have robust flavors won't be overpowered by stewed tomatoes. 

Most recipes will specify which canned tomato substitutes can be made without affecting the end result. If not, as a rule of thumb, if the pure tomato flavor is front and center in the recipe, steer clear of stewed tomatoes. Recipes with minimal ingredients, like a Neapolitan pizza sauce, showcase the taste of tomato prominently and could be thrown off by using stewed tomatoes. So if you only have stewed tomatoes on hand on pizza night you might want to run to the store for the proper ingredients.