We made it from scratch from the tomatoes in our garden….YUM!
Question by PATRICIA M: Does anyone have any simple suggestions on what I can do with a whole bunch of tomatoes?
Someone gave us at least 30 or 40 lbs. of tomatoes. My family is only willing to eat so much tomato soup. I need some suggestions on what else I can do that doesn’t involve alot of extra ingredients (money is a little tight at the moment.) Can they be frozen? What prep. do I need to do to make that happen? I don’t want to waste any of them and need to do something with them pretty soon…
Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by cin2win
http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/Tomato_Recipes.htm
i would suggest salsa
homemade spaghetti sauce
chili sauce
Give your answer to this question below!
slice them in half and grill them..
slice and eat them with mayo, salt and pepper. Or make a pasta sauce with them…you can also can them for the off season.
Here’s a recipe for a great sauce, that has a different taste. It can be frozen, but you’ll have to increase the recipe.
***Roasted Tomato Sauce***
3 pounds tomatoes (beefsteak or plum)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a sharp paring knife to core the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half; transfer to one large (or two smaller) rimmed baking sheet; add onion, carrots, garlic, and thyme.
Toss tomato mixture with oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer (turn tomatoes cut side down). Roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If vegetables begin to brown too quickly, push them toward the center of the sheet.
Using tongs or your fingers, peel off tomato skins; discard. Transfer mixture (including juices) to a blender; pulse several times, until chunky. Let cool completely; transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw before using).
They can be frozen. Google it. I would can them but if you are on a tight budget, the jars might cost more than you want to spend.
Yes they can be frozen, heres how you do it:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqtomatoes.shtml
Try Stuffed Tomatoes
There’s almost a limitless amount of things to do.
– Tomato Sauce
– Sun dried Tomatoes
– Tomato Soup
– Grilled Tomatoes
– Spaghetti Sauce
– Salsa
– Onions & Tomatoes with Some Salt and Pepper(delicious!)
– Tomatoes Rellenos
You can also incorporate tomatoes into whatever you’re cooking. You can put tomatoes in such foods as…
– Salads
– Sandwiches
– Chicken
– Eggs
Also, because my younger sister watches the Disney Channel, I know that there is a segment called ‘Pass the Plate’. Anyways, on this segment they showed several different ways to cook dishes that incorporated tomatoes. Look in the recipes section:
http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/passtheplate/index.html
Some Recipe Site Links:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/tomatoes/Tomato_Recipes.htm
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Tomato_Recipes (great website!)
http://www.njtomato.com/tomatorecipes.htm
I hope this helped! : )
If you didn’t want to keep them, you could sell them. Maybe put a sign out saying there are fresh tomatoes for sale. Put them in little baskets and cover them with cloth or something to make them look nice and sell them, say 5 or 6 in a basket.
CANNING TOMATOES
Place tomatoes in colander or wire basket and dip into boiling water for 1/2 minute then plunk into cold water. Cut out stem ends and pull off skins. Leave tomatoes whole or cut into halves or quarters.
Pack tomatoes into jars, pressing gently to fill spaces with juice, don’t add water. Add 1 teaspoon salt if desired. If tomatoes are sweet, add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice to each pint jar. 2 tablespoons to each quart jar if desired put on flat cap. Process in boiling water bath 35 minutes for pint 45 minutes for quarts.
Boiling water bath: Place a rack in bottom of canner or deep large kettle, fill canner half full with warm water over high heat and boiling 35-45 minutes until flat caps pops or center of lid has a slight dip then let stand for 8 hours and put screw bands.
I make tomato chili. It is like stewed tomatoes but I put sausage in it with some hot peppers…serve with crusty hot buttered bread.
(just saute onion and peel and seed tomatoes and add them…add salt and pepper and some italian seasoing or just basil….and let cook down…add sausage and cook until sausage is done)
You can make salsa…..or bruschetta…
Garden Salsa
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 serrano or jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup green onions, sliced
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro, or 2 tsp. dried
2 Tbs. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until cold.
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe
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Ingredients
* 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
* 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
* 1/4 cup olive oil
Method
1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.
2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.
5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.
you can clean one out and use the pulp you take out and add to chicken salad or tuna salad and stuff tomato for a salad…
You can roast them and eat them sprinkled with salt and pepper and some parm cheese
BLT Sandwiches….
BLT soup
BLT Soup
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
5 slices bacon, finely diced, plus crisp crumbles bacon, for garnish
1/2 cup diced green onions
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups finely sliced iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup instant flour
3 1/2 cups fresh or canned chicken broth, heated to a simmer
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
In a 3-quart pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the lettuce and saute for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pot, then stir it in until well blended. Remove the pot from the heat and add the hot chicken broth, tomatoes, nutmeg and pepper. Heat the soup to boiling, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the cream and mix well.
Mix together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Serve each portion of soup with a dollop of mayonnaise mixture topped with crumbled bacon.
I LOVE This tomato pie…
Fresh Tomato Pie
* 4 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
* 1/2 cup chopped green onion
* 9 inch pie shell
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
* Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Layer tomatoes and green onion in bottom of unbaked pie shell. In medium bowl, combine mayonnaise with cheeses, basil, and salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Gently place dollops of the mayonnaise mixture over the tomatoes and spread to cover as much as possible. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown and mayonnaise mixture starts to brown. Serves 6
And this one…very good too… You can add chicken and shrimp or crab meat to this if you want too…
Fresh Tomato Pasta
* 4-6 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1 pound linguine pasta
Preparation:
Prepare tomatoes and add olive oil, basil, and salt and pepper to taste; mix gently. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and add linguine; cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain linguine and immediately toss with tomato mixture; serve at once. Serves 4-6
Here’s what I do. slice the top part of the tomato off right across where the stem is. Top the toms with lots of crushed garlic, olive oil, parsley, salt, pepper. Bake until toms are pretty soft. Add grated cheese and return to the oven for a few minutes. Serve with Italian bread.
I wish I had all them tomatos
Oven Dried and/or Sun Dried Tomatoes
Carefully wash and dry your tomatoes first. Cut them in half lengthwise, you can remove seeds if you like but it is not necessary. If you do remove the seeds try to be careful not to remove the pulp. Use a spoon or your fingers to scoop out the seeds. Cutting a slit in the skin side of the tomato will help accelerate the drying process.
To Oven Dry
The weather must cooperate for sun drying. If this is not the case in your area oven drying is your solution! It does require a bit more of a set up. Most ovens have the lowest temperature setting of 200 degrees. Using uniform tomatoes sizes will simplify your results. Preheat oven to 200F or the lowest setting on a gas oven. Prepare your tomatoes as previously stated. Omit the cheesecloth and place them on cake racks or a perforated pizza pan as above. Put your pans directly on the oven racks. Alternately you could cover the oven racks with aluminum foil into which you will need to punch small holes for air circulation. Bake in a closed, preheated oven at 200º F for 6 to 12 hours until shriveled and dry. Do keep checking on them and remove ones that are done.
For Cherry tomatoes cut in half, prepare as above always putting the cut side down on your racks. Cut the drying time to 3-4 hours.
Sun Dried Tomatoes Recipe
Traditionally this recipe was made in climates where drying outside was practical–hence the name. The tomatoes can be either dried in the sun or in a dehydrator or oven. Solid-type tomatoes, such as Italian, dry well as they have a higher flesh to liquid ratio.
Under-dry tomatoes can be a safety hazard because they contain enough moisture for bacteria to grow. If you are not experienced in drying end points of tomatoes, check a drying book with photos. Your local Cooperative Extension office may carry such a publication for under $ 2.00. Or read How to Dry Foods by Deanna DeLong which is a good source of valuable advice and is carried by most public libraries or can be purchased inexpensively in paperback.
Remove stem and core of tomatoes. Halve, quarter or slice depending on shape you desire. If you halve or quarter, remove the seeds and watery pulp to speed drying.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with a seasoned salt. Use small amounts because it will concentrate as the tomato dries. (Homemade seasoning: 1 TBS Italian seasoning, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
If drying in a food dehydrator, dry at 140F. After 4-5 hours, turn the tomatoes and press them flat if using quarters or halves. After a few hours, turn again and continue drying until very dry but still pliable (not crisp). This will take about 8 hours. If drying in an oven, use 170F, leave door ajar so moisture can escape, turn and flatten every 2-3 hours. May take up to 12 hours to dry.
The dried tomatoes can be packaged and frozen (you don’t need to worry about moisture and color changes are greatly slowed), packaged and stored in a cupboard, or stored in oil. If storing dried foods in your cupboard, check a drying book with photos to be sure you have dried the foods properly.
To pack in oil, place thoroughly dried tomatoes (under-dry is a safety hazard) in a pint or half-pint jar. Cover with olive oil (or other oil). You may need to add more oil as the tomatoes are removed to keep them immersed. They will keep for months at cool room temperatures or in refrigerator.
FREEZER TOMATO SAUCE OR SOUP
20 lg. tomatoes, cut in chunks & peeled
4 lg. onions, chopped
4 lg. carrots, shredded
1/2 c. chopped parsley
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
Bring all to a boil, stirring often. Summer 30 minutes or until thickened a bit. Cool. Whirl in blender. Pour into freezer containers. Makes about 16 cups.
SPAGHETTI SAUCE TO FREEZER
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
2 med. onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (4 oz.) can mushrooms
1 lb. can tomatoes
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire
Heat olive oil in large heavy saucepan. Add beef, breaking up with fork, add onions and garlic. Cook until beef is brown. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Chill quickly by setting pan in refrigerator. Spoon into freezer containers and freeze. Label and store up to 3 months. Place frozen block of sauce into saucepan and heat slowly when ready to serve.
FROZEN TOMATO SAUCE
Yield: 1 Servings
2 lg Onions, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c Oil
12 lg Tomatoes, peel, core, chop
2 c Water
2 Cubes – beef bouillon
4 ts Salt
2 Bay leaves
1 ts Oregano
12 oz Tomato paste
Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add tomatoes and cook for 5
minutes. Add water, bouillon cubes, seasonings and tomato paste.
Simmer for 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Let cool, remove bay leaves and
freeze. Makes about 3 quarts
TOMAOT & HOT GREEN PEPPER SALAD
Yield: 4 Servings
4 lg Tomatoes, peeled, seeded &
— cubed
4 ea Green bell peppers, grilled,
— seeded & diced
1 ea Cucumber, peeled, centre
— core removed & diced
1 tb Chili peppers, seeded & dice
Salt & pepper
1 tb Lemon jiuice
3 tb Olive oil
2 tb Parsley, chopped
1/4 ts Cumin
2 ea Garlic cloves, chopped
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl & blend gently.
Refrigerate one hour before serving.
Sweet ‘n’ Sour Tomato Salad
7 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Thinly slice the tomatoes. Cut the onion in half through root end, then thinly slice into half-circles.
In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, onion, sugar, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. If desired, adjust the amounts of vinegar and sugar according to your taste. Serve at room temperature
Herbed Tomatoes
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or marjoram,
crushed
1/4 c. finely snipped parsley
1/4 c. snipped chives
2/3 c. salad oil
1/4 c. tarragon vinegar
Place tomatoes in bowl; sprinkle with seasonings and herbs. Combine oil and vinegar; pour over. Cover; chill 3 hours, spooning dressing over a few times. Drain off dressing and pass with tomatoes.
Mozzarella Salad
——– ———— ——————————–
3 large ripe tomatoes
cut into 1/2″ thick rounds
1/2 pound Italian mozzarella cheese
cut into 1/4″ thick rounds — * see note
1 bunch basil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Reserve 6 to 8 small basil leaves for garnish and chop remaining leaves. Ina 2-cup mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, and salt. Stir in chopped basil leaves.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
NOTES : This will be easier to do if cheese is chilled. To serve, arrange tomatoes alternately with cheese on a serving dish. Drizzle with basil vinaigrette and grind black pepper over top. Garnish with reserved basil leaves.Yield: 6 servings.