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When it comes to pantry goods, there are two things I won’t compromise on: canned tomatoes and artisanal pasta. To me, the difference between a high-quality canned tomato (or pasta) and a low-quality canned tomato is glaring.
Great canned tomatoes taste rich, sweet, and at the risk of sounding too obvious, like a tomato! I have been burned countless times by incredibly average canned tomatoes that taste dull, tinny, and super acidic. No matter your cooking chops, it’s hard to make a sauce, chili, or soup taste good when you start with an inferior tomato product.
With canned tomatoes, you get what you pay for. I love stocking my pantry with whole peeled tomatoes from Italy. I find that the less processed the tomatoes, the better the flavor. When tomatoes are diced or crushed before they are canned, it impacts the taste and texture, so I take those extra steps at home.
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Trader Joe’s
Why I Love Trader Joe’s Italian Canned Tomatoes
However, in 2024, a can of imported tomatoes can cost the same as a gallon of milk (or more!), which is hard to stomach at the rate at which my family consumes them! That was until I stumbled upon one of my new favorite pantry items from Trader Joe’s: Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil Leaf. At $2.99 for a 28-ounce can, I stock up on them four at a time!
The tomatoes are grown in the Puglia region of Italy and make it from the field to the can in less than 12 hours, which gives them a lovely freshness. When I first purchased them, I put them to the ultimate canned tomato test by making my go-to sauce, Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce.
It’s a super simple recipe that calls for simmering canned tomatoes with onion and butter for about two hours, so it really allows the tomato flavor to shine. The resulting sauce was thick, luscious, and had a perfectly balanced acidity and a beautiful bright red color. They passed the test with flying colors!
You can absolutely tell that the plum tomatoes are picked and canned at their peak, which makes all the difference. My favorite part? The price point! Even when shopping in bulk, I haven’t seen a more affordable can of high-quality tomatoes in years. Not to be dramatic, but this feels like a run-don’t-walk situation to the Trader Joe’s tomato aisle; I’ll see you there!
