I'm a Dietitian & These Are My Favorite Budget-Friendly Recipes Using Canned Tomatoes (2024)

One thing you may not know about canned tomatoes is that they typically go from the field to the can in a matter of hours, meaning they are picked at their peak freshness and preserved for maximum flavor and nutrition. This is one of the reasons that canned tomatoes are my go-to unless tomatoes are in-season where I live, which is only a few months in the summertime. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron and the antioxidant lycopene, which helps keep your heart healthy.

Canned tomatoes are also incredibly versatile and lend themselves to everything from soups to casseroles to pastas. When I’m in a pinch for dinner, I know I usually have the ingredients for our Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas & Spinach (I like the sub in frozen spinach, too). And this winter, our Spaghetti Squash Soup with Sausage has become a new staple in my house. Pro tip: I like to buy my canned tomatoes at Costco because they have a no-salt-added option that’s a fraction of the price of a can from a traditional grocery store. I hope these recipes inspire you to stock up on (and use) more canned tomatoes, and for more budget-friendly cooking tips and recipes, check out Thrifty.