Tomato Substitute

[TheDevil]

I hate tommys, in meals can I sub a tommy for bell peppers? Tommys are a bit more watery.

Any other ideas for substitute?

[MargoTester]

I use passata instead of tinned tomatoes

[Buenchico]

What type of meal are you referring to? Are you thinking of meals where tomatoes are served on their own (e.g. in a traditional English cooked breakfast) or meals where tomatoes are used as an ingredient (e.g. in chilli con carne)?

[TheDevil]

I mean mixed cherry tomatoes

I made creamy tusken chicken the other day (It came out FAB!) and I swapped the cherry tomatoes for finely cubed bell pepper. It worked fine.

would this work for meals such as... Sausage casseroles ? When it calls for cherry tomatoes?

Where it says use tinned tomato I always use Pasata.

[TheDevil]

If you want to know what my next adventure is, here it is.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/comforting-sausage-bake/

[TheDevil]

Who puts garlic Focaccia in a basic casserole?

Jamie really is a *** isn't he.

[MargoTester]

Red yellow and orange peppers would be ok

[Buenchico]

>>> would this work for meals such as... Sausage casseroles ? When it calls for cherry tomatoes?

Simply leave them out or substitute with anything that you like (such as mushrooms or sliced peepers). While I might glance at a printed recipe for a bit of inspiration, I can't ever remember actually following one to the letter. My cooking is based upon throwing in what I like and leaving out what I don't like. It seems to work for me!

[Buenchico]

^^^ Peepers??? . . . and I haven't touched a drop, 'onest guv!

;-)

[Coppit]

Try roasted peppers in jars frmo Lidl. Delicious but not cheap.

[Mamyalynne]

Totally agree, never be a slave to a recipe unless it's more scientific like bread or cake baking.

If you like it then throw it in.

[TheDevil]

The issue with me is, because im not totally experienced in making sauces etc.. (I have a good basic level of cooking across the board) I don't know if cherry tomatos are essential for their moisture content or not.

[TheDevil]

I'd an OK cook but I want to be a good chef and learn how to make the difference sauces and discovering those handy techniques.

[Buenchico]

If it was moisture content that the recipe required, then tinned tomatoes or, say, beefsteak tomatoes would be in the recipe. Cherry tomatoes are usually only included when the idea is to have something to bite on (rather than the tomatoes being 'absorbed' into the meal).

Stop worrying and experiment. You'll occasionally end up with something that's not quite as nice as you'd hoped for but you'll also discover lots of great new food combinations that way ;-)

[Mamyalynne]

If the lack of tomatoes means you need extra liquid then add a bit of whatever you like, stock,sauce or even a drop of wine to slacken the mix.

Experimenting is half the fun.

[Mamyalynne]

Another vote for roasting the peppers first but don't pay silly money - roast your own.

[Rosie29]

Tomato puree for the flavour with some sort of liquid added. You sound a brilliant cook to.me TD.

[Cloverjo]

I love Jamie’s recipes. They’re generally easy to cook and delicious. I might try that sausage bake. With the focaccia.

If you’re using passata instead of toms there’s no need to use peppers too, but if you like them you might as well put them in.

[Vagus]

Bread works well in casseroles, it’s just a filler like potatoes or pasta or rice.
And I totally agree with mamy, recipes are just for guidance, I never slavishly stick to them, just add or leave out what we like or don’t like. Except for baking cakes.
Think of cooking as an art, and baking as a science.