How to Freeze Whole Tomatoes
How to Freeze Whole Tomatoes
This is the easiest way to preserve fresh tomatoes to add to sauces, soups, stews and more! I’m also sharing a quick 30 minute pasta sauce that you can make with the tomatoes you’ve frozen, so make sure to check out that recipe at the bottom of this post!
Perfect for an abundance of tomatoes!
If you find yourself with ripe tomatoes that you just can’t use, freezing them whole is the easiest way to save them for later. I even keep a freezer bag ready to go in my freezer that I will add ripe tomatoes to regularly. Never let a tomato go to waste again!
Tips for Freezing Whole Tomatoes
- TOMATOES: Use fresh, ripe tomatoes.
- PREPARATION: Just wash and dry. No need to cut the tomatoes. If you’re concerned about the skins, don’t be, when the tomatoes thaw, you can just slide the skins right off, and pull out the stem area.
- CONTAINER: I use large heavy duty freezer bags, either ziplock or reusable bags like the one in my picture above.
- TIP: Keep a bag ready in your freezer that you can add tomatoes to regularly.
How to use frozen tomatoes.
Frozen tomatoes are a handy addition to meal prep for soups, stews and sauces, but depending on what you’re using them for, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, frozen tomatoes take time to thaw/cook. So when I know I want to add frozen tomatoes to a recipe, I make sure to plan for them. Here are some tips:
- Take the tomatoes out ahead of time to thaw.
- The frozen tomatoes don’t need to be fully thawed to use them. You can simmer them when slightly thawed in soups and sauces.
- Once the tomatoes have thawed, the skins easily are removed…they just slide off the tomatoes, which is SO EASY!
- Use them in pasta sauces, soups and stews or any recipe that requires canned tomatoes.
How to Freeze Whole Tomatoes
Ingredients
- fresh whole tomatoes
Instructions
- Wash and dry whole fresh tomatoes.
- Place the whole tomatoes directly into a ziplock freezer bag.
- Lay the bag flat in the freezer (I like to lay the bag on a baking sheet) and freeze.
- Use the frozen tomatoes as needed. See tips above for ideas.
A Simple Tomato Sauce for Pasta Using Whole Frozen Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS:
- 10 – 12 frozen whole tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 4 cloves of garlic peeled, but left whole
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large soup pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until they just start to turn brown. Add the thawed tomatoes (slide off the skins). Then add the butter, bay leaf, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaf! Do not forget to do this or you will have hard bits in your sauce! Place the sauce into a blender and pureé, or you can use a hand blender. Serve with fresh cooked pasta.
More easy How-to Tips!
I hope you love this food prep tip! From Our Tasty Kitchen, to yours.
