Neither Beans Nor Tuna: This Is The Best Canned Food To Keep Around

As a professionally educated and trained chef turned culinary producer, recipe developer, and food writer, I can confidently say that I am a talented cook. But just because I have the capability to cook Michelin-worthy meals at home doesn't mean that it is my reality. On the contrary, while I do cook dinner at home most weeknights, what I'm really opting for is to do the least amount of work in the shortest amount of time in the kitchen, while still using the best ingredients possible, either fresh or canned. 

Although I usually have a lunch of fancied-up canned tuna over arugula and other produce languishing in my produce drawer once a week, tuna isn't actually my most prized canned good that I keep stocked in my pantry at all times. Similarly, I frequently pull out a can of beans to throw in soups or refry with onions, garlic, and chilies for tostadas, but even beans can't hold a candle to the workhorse of the pantry. That title goes to the humble canned tomato.

Canned tomatoes are the ultimate pantry staple, and they're available in almost any form you can imagine, including diced, petite diced, crushed, whole peeled, fire roasted, pureed, and stewed, not to mention the concentrated cousin of canned tomatoes, tomato paste. However, if you are torn between different types of tomatoes to stock up on at the store, it pays to buy canned tomatoes whole as they are so versatile. Their light acidity complements its sweet and umami notes, while not overpowering any dish it features in. 

Chances are that if you have a recipe that calls for a specific type of canned tomatoes, most varieties will still work in the recipe — for example, either chopping or crushing whole peeled tomatoes by hand for a recipe that asks for diced or crushed tomatoes. The only canned tomato product that is difficult to swap or substitute is tomato paste, as the thick red paste is a very concentrated version of other tomatoes.

There are so many dishes from a plethora of cuisines that require canned tomatoes, from lentil stews to pasta dishes to curries to shakshuka. Of course, there are endless Italian dishes that need tomatoes, like eggplant parm, long-simmered sauces like marinara, ragú, and Bolognese, baked pasta dishes, and chicken cacciatore. Canned tomatoes are essential in a wide variety of soups and stews from many types of cuisines, like curried lentil soups, minestrone, most types of chilis, brothy chickpeas and vegetables, and pasta e Faggioli. Using canned tomatoes is an easy shortcut for braising meats like short ribs, ropa vieja, or even beef-stuffed cabbage rolls, and can be a great substitute or partner where flavorful braising liquids are required, like wine or stock.

Reaching for canned tomatoes is such an easy way to bust out a minimal effort meal, even if it's just a simple dish of pasta tossed with sautéed garlic and tomatoes. Even if yours aren't top quality, fear not, as there are ways to improve cheap canned tomatoes to bring out the best in them.