How to Use Up Your Extra Tomatoes
There’s no such thing as too many Tomatoes! When you have extra Tomatoes piling up in your kitchen, the last thing you want to do is let them go to waste. It may seem like throwing them in the garbage or compost bin is the only option you have, but your extra Tomatoes are often still full of delicious flavor and freshness that make them the perfect fresh veggie to use in a variety of Tomato-based dishes.
There are lots of easy ways to use up extra Tomatoes so you can get the most out of your favorite fresh veggie: from soups or sauces to homemade ketchup, the options for cooking with extra Tomatoes are endless.
6 Creative Ways to Use Up Extra Tomatoes
Nobody likes wasting good, healthy food. Here are 6 creative ways to use up extra Tomatoes so you can enjoy this fresh veggie to the fullest!
Salsa
Making a few fresh jars of salsa is a great way to use up any extra Tomatoes in your kitchen. Fresh Tomato salsa pairs perfectly with cheesy nachos or plain tortilla chips, but it is also a tasty topping on baked potatoes and chicken.
Beefsteak Tomatoes, Tomatoes-on-the-Vine, and Cocktail Tomatoes are often considered the go-to salsa Tomatoes, but Cherry Tomatoes can make your favorite salsa recipe even sweeter. So whatever Tomatoes you have on hand, you can whip up a delicious batch of fresh salsa in no time!
One of the best parts about making salsa is that you can customize it to include your favorite flavors (or use up even more ingredients found in your kitchen). You can add ingredients like sliced avocado, corn, diced Bell Peppers, or red onion to your salsa to give it a unique taste and even more color. Here are some of our favorite salsa recipes to help you get started:
Ketchup
Have you ever made your own ketchup? If you have lots of extra Tomatoes in your kitchen, a batch of homemade artisanal ketchup could be a fun way to use them up! Homemade condiments always have a unique flavor profile, putting a new spin on your favorite toppings.
Tomatoes-on-the-Vine are the best Tomatoes to use for a homemade ketchup recipe as they are high in flavor and are one of the meatier Tomato varieties. However, Beefsteak Tomatoes will also work well.
Check out our Artisan Ketchup recipe to make a homemade batch of this staple condiment.
Virgin Caesars
If you’re a fan of the classic Canadian Caesar, use your extra Tomatoes to create a round of Fresh Tomato Virgin Caesars for all your friends to enjoy!
While you could use bottled clamato or tomato juice to create this iconic drink, we recommend using whole Tomatoes so you can taste incredible freshness in every sip. Tomatoes-on-the-Vine are the best option for homemade Caesars – they will ensure your drinks are full of fresh-from-the-garden Tomato flavor.
You can find our full Fresh Tomato Virgin Caesar recipe here – cheers!
Tomato Soup
If you have extra veggies in your kitchen, soup is always a simple, hearty meal to make with all your excess produce. So, no matter how many extra Tomatoes you may have, making a big batch of homemade Tomato soup will always be a good choice!
As meatier varieties, Roma Tomatoes or Tomatoes-on-the-Vine are the best types of Tomatoes to use when making a creamy and flavorful homemade Tomato soup. However, if you’re adding Tomatoes to a mixed vegetable soup, you can dice up any type of Tomatoes you have on hand and they will add incredible flavor.
One of the perks of making a large pot of soup is being able to portion it out and freeze it for easy meals on busy days. If you have the freezer space, this is a great meal option to stretch the life of your extra Tomatoes!
Here are some of our tastiest Tomato soup recipes:
Tomato Soup & Baked Mini Grilled Cheese
Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup
Bruschetta
You can prepare bruschetta as a garnish for baguette slices, a fresh addition to your garden salad, or as a topping for baked chicken breasts. As such a versatile dish, bruschetta is the perfect Tomato-based recipe to prepare with all your extra Tomatoes!
There are so many different types of bruschetta, which means you can use almost any type of Tomato to make it. But using up your extra Cherry, Grape, or Cocktail Tomatoes will result in the crispest, sweetest bruschetta mixtures.
Bruschetta is another dish that is highly customizable. You can add unique ingredients to your bruschetta to make it extra sweet, spicy, or savory, and it can be served in so many ways that make it exciting every time! Here are some of our favorite bruschetta recipes:
Wild Blueberry Tomato Bruschetta
Gazpacho
This classic cold soup is a great recipe to help you clean up any extra Tomatoes (not to mention Peppers and Cucumbers!) in your kitchen. Gazpacho is not only easy to mix, but it can be served on its own as a cold soup or as a cold pasta sauce.
Since gazpacho is made by blending up all its ingredients, most types of Tomatoes can be used to prepare it. Whether you bought extra Tomatoes-on-the-Vine, or your garden’s Cherry Tomatoes are starting to grow a little bit wild, you can use whatever Tomatoes you have at your disposal to create a flavorful gazpacho dish your family will love.
Here are a couple gazpacho recipes to add to your must-try list:
A Ton of Tomato Resources
Since Tomatoes are one of our favorite fresh foods, we have created a range of free Tomato resources designed to help veggie lovers everywhere learn all there is to know about this flavorful superfood!
