A must-have for spaghetti and meatballs, crucial for homemade pizza and essential for shakshuka, many of our favorite dishes start with a jar of tomato sauce. But what to do when there’s no tomato sauce on hand? Read our guide on how to substitute for tomato sauce and locate a swap in your kitchen, that’s what.
Need a Substitute for Tomato Sauce? Here Are 10 Genius Swaps (Including One You Definitely Have on Hand)
From tomato paste to red pepper purée
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Published Apr 24, 2024
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What Is Tomato Sauce, Exactly?
Tomato sauce refers to any sauce that’s made primarily from chopped or puréed tomatoes, which are then cooked with a combination of spices or herbs to create a unique flavor profile. You’d be hard pressed to find a person who isn’t familiar with tomato sauce in one form or another since it’s commonly used as a base or sauce in dishes from all around the globe. Yep, whether you’re enjoying chicken tikka masala at a local Indian restaurant or housing a plate of pasta from your favorite red sauce joint, you can be sure that some tomato sauce magic went into the making of your meal.
But how can something as simple as tomato sauce wear so many hats in the kitchen? Well, it all comes down to the pleasant balance of sweetness and acidity that tomatoes lend to any dish—and the fact that they pair beautifully with a bevy of different seasonings.
10 Tomato Sauce Substitutes
So, what do you do when you’re cooking something that requires tomato sauce and realize you forgot to buy a jar of marinara at the store? Abort mission? Nope. You can absolutely still pull off your meal provided you have one of these four substitutes on hand.
1. Tomato Paste
Tomato paste is an ideal substitute for tomato sauce because, well, it is tomato sauce—albeit a very concentrated form. As such, you’ll need to thin out the paste with a liquid ingredient for this swap, but once that’s done it works well in just about any recipe that calls for tomato sauce, including curries, stews and pasta dishes. For this swap, David Joachim, author of The Food Substitutions Bible, recommends you use ½ cup tomato paste and ½ cup water to replace 1 cup of tomato sauce—just keep in mind that you’ll need to season your substitute to taste.
2. Canned Stewed Tomatoes
If you’ve got a can of stewed tomatoes in the pantry, you’re in luck—they’ll make an excellent substitute for tomato sauce in mostly any dish. Joachim tells us that the best way to sub with canned stewed tomatoes is to pop the contents of the can into your blender and blend until smooth before using as a 1:1 stand-in for tomato sauce.
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3. Tomato Soup
Although this substitute doesn’t make an appearance in David Joachim’s authoritative reference guide on the subject, it will still work in a pinch. A can of tomato soup has a similar consistency to tomato sauce and obviously plenty of tomato-y flavor. That said, it lacks the savory seasoning of a standard marinara, so depending on what you’re cooking you might consider adding a clove of minced garlic, a touch more salt and a few more extra flavors as needed. Use one 10-ounce can of tomato soup to replace 1 cup of tomato sauce in any recipe.
4. Ketchup
OK, this one is definitely not ideal since ketchup contains sugar and vinegar, among other things, and can throw off the flavor of dishes that have a more savory profile (i.e., don’t try this with lasagna). For this reason, ketchup is best used as a swap in recipes that already feature a degree of sweetness. Still, in a pinch, it can be used as a 1:1 substitute for tomato sauce in a variety of dishes—just use your judgment and be sure to taste as you go and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
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5. Fresh Tomatoes
If you have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can toss them in your blender and cook the resulting purée on the stove with some flavorings (think: salt, pepper, garlic and oregano). Then, use pasta water to thin the purée to your liking, as it will be thicker than store bought tomato sauce and voila, you’ve got a perfect homemade substitute. Alternatively, you can make a wonderful and very fresh-tasting tomato sauce by simply blistering cherry tomatoes in a little olive oil, adding a splash of pasta water or wine and then simmering the mixture over low heat until the tomatoes break down and turn into sauce. Use the fresh sauce as a 1:1 substitute.
6. Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Sun-dried tomatoes are a particularly sweet and tasty substitute for classic tomato sauce. If you have a jar of the oil-packed variety, you’ll want to cook them (oil and all) on the stove with some water or chicken broth, as well as any other seasonings you desire. Once the sun-dried tomatoes have softened and the liquid has been slightly reduced, purée the entire contents of the pan using a blender or food processor and use the resulting sauce in a 1:1 ratio for any dish that calls for tomato sauce.
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7. Red Pepper Purée
Looking for a tomato-free substitute for tomato sauce? Well, red bell peppers are your best bet. Not only are they an excellent color match, but they also have a similarly sweet flavor profile. For this method you are going to want to slice the bell pepper, remove the seeds and saute it with oil, garlic and other seasonings. Add some liquid of your choice—we recommend a combination of chicken broth and white wine to achieve a bit of the acidic tang of a tomato—and let it cook down before puréeing in a food processor. You can use red pepper sauce for a 1:1 substitute, keeping in mind that the taste will be slightly different.
8. Puréed Veggies
If you want to go an entirely different route, a purée of eggplant and puréed beets and carrots might be an option. This veggie blend is decidedly earthier, due to the beets, but you can easily add a touch of acidity with a splash of vinegar, or swap the beets for eggplant if you prefer. Either way, you are going to want to saute your vegetables of choice along with some chicken stock and seasoning until they’re soft and ready to be blended into a purée. If the resulting sauce is too thick, it can easily be diluted with starchy pasta water for a sauce that clings well to pasta. Substitute this veggie-loaded sauce in a 1:1 ratio for tomato sauce (just remember that the taste will be decidedly earthier).
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9. Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce is a no-brainer substitute, since it basically is tomato sauce—just a brighter and slightly thinner version of it. To imitate the thicker, creamier consistency of classic tomato sauce, we recommend reducing it for a while (with or without) a touch of cream and being generous with the Parmesan when it comes time to sauce your pasta. Use as a 1:1 substitute.
10. Tomato Juice
This one isn’t ideal—namely because it is much thinner than tomato sauce, so if you have to resort to tomato juice (or V8) your best bet is to use it as a cooking liquid for veggies and then puréeing the mixture to make something thick enough to be a sauce. That said, this method does give you plenty of room for creativity and the opportunity to introduce more healthful veggies into your dish without sacrificing the tomato flavor.
How to Make Your Own Tomato Sauce
If you don’t mind doing a little cooking before you start cooking, you can simply make your own tomato sauce. The process is quick and easy—and if you whip up a big batch, you can store the sauce in the freezer for months, so you always have it on hand. Here’s how to do it.
- Step 1: Remove the skin and seeds from whole fresh tomatoes. Five pounds of tomatoes will yield about 2 ½ cups of sauce. (Pro tip: The easiest way to remove the skin from whole tomatoes is to soak them in a hot bath for several minutes.)
- Step 2: Place the tomato pulp into a large saucepan along with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and any seasonings of your choice, like garlic, basil and bay leaves.
- Step 3: Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until the sauce has been reduced by half (or reached your desired consistency).
- Step 4: Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt to taste. Voila...you’re done!
Ready to Cook? Here Are 5 Delicious Ways to Enjoy Tomato Sauce
