The BEST Stewed Tomatoes Ever recipe! This easy to make recipe simmers tomatoes for 30 minutes to make homemade stewed tomatoes that can be served as a dinner side dish or can be canned. This how to make recipe shows you how easy they are to make! Find out why everyone considers them THE BEST! We always use this as a canning recipe for our Summer garden tomatoes!
Homemade Stewed Tomatoes Recipe
Stewed tomatoes, sigh.
Our tomatoes are turning red quicker than I’m able to pick. So between oven roasted cherry tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, slow cooker tomato sauce tomato pesto, slow cooker tomatoes, tomato soup… there’s lots of tomato dishes going on in our kitchen! Oh and I did mention Fresh Tomato Salsa too – because you know August always means fresh salsa!
I will have many more upcoming tomato recipes…get ready tomato lovers! But for now… stewed tomatoes!
These stewed tomatoes are the best, I’m not fibbing either. If you are having a tomato harvest soon or would like to make your own instead of the canned version, please please please please please make these!
How to Make Stewed Tomatoes Video
These are really the best stewed tomatoes ever!
This is a recipe that might cause you to faint, I’m warning you now. I was expecting average stewed tomatoes, but I ended up sitting at the counter with a spoon eating them out of the pot when they were done. Matthew was in another room, so I knocked on the door.
”Matthew? Are you there?”
”What? What’s wrong”
”Can you come here?”
”Why are you crying?”
”I just made the best stewed tomatoes.”
”Are you crying?”
”Yes”
”Why?”
”Because they are so good.”
This was a actual conversation over stewed tomatoes. Seriously, they are that good!
How to Make Stewed Tomatoes From Scratch
So what kind of tomatoes work best for stewed tomatoes? I find that beef and roma/plum both work well. Don’t worry about mixing them if you have to either. I do it all the time.
Beautiful beef and roma tomatoes, I love you. I was making a few batches of stewed tomatoes today.
Don’t be scared of this quick boil tomatoes, it will be over quickly!
And look at that.. now you’re in a ice bath! Think of it as a pool and relax.
Because of the quick boil, the skins will peel right off.
Disregard the skins (compost!), or come up with something to do with them. I like to use the skins to make tomato powder which can be sprinkled in soups, casseroles, sandwiches, etc.
So now we have all our tomatoes, naked and bashful! Throw them in a large pot.
Add all our ingredients, stir and put on the stove. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the consistency is how you prefer your stewed tomatoes. Be sure not to boil off all the juices, that’s one of the joys of stewed tomatoes.
When the stewed tomatoes are done, serve them up right away if you’d like…
They are quite pretty and delicious so they compliment so many dishes nicely!
Or throw them in a mason jar in the refrigerator for tomorrow…
Or throw them in a freezer bag and freeze them for dinner in December. How fun is it to grab homemade garden stewed tomatoes to add to a meal while it’s snowing out?
ENJOY!
Need more tomato recipe ideas?
Need help growing tomatoes? Here’s how to grow tomatoes from seed!
Pin for later:
The Best Stewed Tomatoes Ever
PrintIngredients
- 10 tomatoes beef or roma variety
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, plunge tomatoes in for 30 seconds. Remove, put immediately in a ice bath.
- Peel the tomatoes. Discard the skins.
- Dice the tomatoes up to desired size.
- In a large pot on medium heat, combine all ingredients.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Then serve fresh or you can freeze them.
Katie Gabel says
Yup, definitely the best ever. I got 80 pounds of tomatoes this summer and needed to do something with them. This fit the bill and made my wildest dreams come true. That is not an exaggeration! It cans and freezes spectacularly, is ten million times better than the canned variety in stores, and makes a damn fine chili in those cold winter months!!!
Pamela says
Hey Katie, thanks for the comment and your love for these stewed tomatoes. Your comment made my day! đŸ™‚
Chris says
Has anyone canned this receipt in a pressure cooker? How did it go?
Pamela says
Hey Chris, I started pressure canning pretty frequently this Summer and this recipe is a hit with it. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Laura Sustrich says
My husband didn’t cry but he did enjoy these tomatoes đŸ™‚
Pamela says
Hahaha, glad he liked them Laura!
Holly Karpinski says
Just wanted to say THANK YOU! This is a fabulous recipe! My family is vegan, and the garden was giving and giving and GIVING this year…I have a bushel of beefsteak tomatoes sitting in my kitchen. I was of course going to make pasta sauce but then I found this amazingly simple recipe. I made two huge batches today. I did add a half a jalapeno to each batch just as we are spice people, but spice or not this is GREAT. My daughter ate a huge bowl with some crusty bread for dinner. I’m waiting on the last batch to cool so I can package and freeze it, it will be so good to taste summer in the cold snowy winter. On a vegan note, I was thinking of when I thaw this in winter to add some kale and beans and serve over rice to turn what is a traditional side dish to an entree. Thanks again and have a great harvest.
Pamela says
Hey Holly, so happy you were able to turn your garden tomatoes into these stewed tomatoes! Your Winter dishes sound amazing, I love kale and lentils with these stewed tomatoes (always with crusty bread too!). Enjoy!
Elizabeth says
Thank you for sharing this! We have a ton of tomatoes and I was worried about how I was going to save all of them. I will be doing this over the next few weeks to eat and to save some for Marinara this winter.
gary fellows says
Cant believe how colorful red tomatoes can be. How did you do that? Stewing them over a heated pot was brilliant, would never had thought. Did you cut them up first? Did you use a knife or a spoon?
Thank you so much i guess tomatoes are not just for throwing.
Pamela says
Aren’t they pretty Gary? I use a knife to dice the tomatoes up to desired size after I peel them. Enjoy the recipe!
Chad says
I don’t like raw tomatoes but I just made this recipe and it is delicious. The juice tastes so good it makes a great soup by it’s self! Thanks!!
Pamela says
Happy you enjoyed it Chad! Thanks for letting me know!
[email protected] says
This is not only the best recipe I have tried in years for stewed tomatoes, it is also by far the easiest and most well explained. I, like you, ate almost the whole first batch. My husband is very reluctant to try new foods. He gave this recipe the best review he offers…he said, DO NOT CHANGE A THING. Thanks again for your amazing recipe.
RMGrassel says
For the tomato skins, after pealing your tomatos you can dust them with a little corn starch and deep fry them for about 30 seconds. They can be used with tomato dishes such as a topping in tomato soup.
Pamela says
That sounds great! We love using the skins to make homemade tomato powder, here’s my recipe: https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/2015/08/31/how-to-make-tomato-powder-out-of-tomato-skins/
Anne Willis says
Thankyou Paula we are making them right now, I was led to ;lick on your link very nice…
Jessica says
These were the BEST! I have never made stewed tomatoes before. The recipe was easy to follow. I used them for gumbo. Thanks!
Pamela says
Aww so happy you to hear you enjoyed them Jessica! We’re still enjoying some frozen packs I made with our Summer tomatoes!
David says
Try mixing in some garden fresh cut okra, onions, corn and small shrimp served over a bed of rice. Sooo good!
Pamela says
That sounds delicious David!
Marshall says
I love this recipe! I’ll be using it this weekend in my African Peanut Stew!
Pamela says
Yum, that sounds delicious Marshall!
Cory says
Being the first time stewing tomatoes, I wouldn’t do it any other way. Soooo good! I too, found myself taste testing at the end, and could hardly pull myself away. I was just doing this to maybe freeze for sauces and chili. It stands on its own.
Pamela says
Thanks Cory, I’m so happy you enjoyed the stewed tomatoes! Don’t you love taste testing.. it’s hard to stop! đŸ™‚
cory bendixen says
Pamela, I had to pull your recipe up again. Just got our last tomatoes picked. 60+. The last batch, I froze, and recently pulled them out for chili. Which, by the way, turned out great. I am doing them just as before because, they are the best stewed tomatoes ever!! Thanks again!
Pamela says
Awww, Cory you are too nice! I’m so happy you came back to this recipe and I hope you keep enjoying it for years to come. đŸ™‚
stephanie horvath says
thank you thank you thank you! i made these last year and am about to make them again at then end of this season. So simple yet so delish which is how i like to cook. i grew wax beans last year and made them with these as my grandmother used to serve when i was a kid.
around my and my family’s home we like spice, so i like to add a sliced garden jalapeño to the mix and a few shakes of paprika (we can’t stay away from that either)
Pamela says
Thanks for the suggestion Stephanie! We grew a ton of wax beans this year so I will add some stewed tomatoes to those! Love that kick of jalapeno you added in there! Enjoy!
mirjana says
This is a fabulous recipe!! It was hard not to eat it all once I was done! Thank you!
Pamela says
Glad you enjoyed it! đŸ™‚
Yvonne says
You are right ! The best stewed tomatoes that I have made. Thank you, I added saute onions. We had so many tomates this year I had to stew them as I ran out of peope to give them to !
Thanks again, Yvonne – Toronto Canada
Pamela says
So glad you enjoyed them Yvonne, my husband would love some sauteed onions in them!
Sonja says
This was absolutely delicious! I have never made stewed tomatoes (just the canned stuff on occasion) — what a treat and so very easy!
Thank you. Looking forward to exploring your blog. The recipe came up on a google search. đŸ™‚
Pamela says
So glad you liked this recipe Sonja, I just made 2 batches today to freeze! Hope you enjoy your stay and find some more yummy recipes.
Rebekah says
I can’t wait to try this recipe! We are living in Bolivia for 2 years and they don’t have stewed tomatoes here, so here goes my attempt!! I remember seeing celery in the ingredient list on the can. Is there any reason you leave that out of this recipe? I’m not a big green pepper fan, but I’m willing to stretch!! đŸ™‚
Pamela says
Hey Rebekah, you can definitely add celery into this recipe if you prefer, it will still be delicious. Hope you enjoy these stewed tomatoes in Bolivia! đŸ™‚
Jaclynn says
I have made this once before last summer. now i am making it again tonight for spaghetti sauce. it really is delicious and easy! it also tastes like pizza by the way! lol makes it so easy not to waste the veges in my garden!!! thank you i will be making this for years!
Pamela says
I love the idea of putting stewed tomatoes on pizza, I need to try that asap! So happy you enjoy this recipe!
Sharon says
Thanks Pamela!
Sharon says
How many cups does this make? My tomatoes are pretty big and want to make sure I adjust the seasonings appropriately. Thanks for sharing!
Pamela says
Hey Sharon, I would use 10 big tomatoes and keep the seasonings the same amount. If your tomatoes are giant, then I would increase to 2.5 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons dried parsley and 1/2 cup chopped green pepper.
Elizabeth Bravo says
I loved your comment about telling your son and that you cried. My boyfriend and I just made this and they are to die for. I did add a bit to it, such as a few hot peppers and small orange peppers and onion. But I think that the sugar and salt is really key If you have the right amount. This is my first time raising tomatoes and we did a bang up job. There are so many that we have no idea what to do with all of them. Can’t wait to find more recipes like this one.
Pamela says
Congrats on those tomatoes Elizabeth! Hope you guys enjoy these stewed tomatoes for months to come!
Chuck Breaux says
Love these stewed tomatoes. Getting lots of tomatoes and mild/medium/hot peppers from our CSA and farmer’s markets this summer, so I’m freezing lots of bags for use later. A 1/2 recipe makes a good start to tomato-based pasta sauce for 2, adding sauteed onions and garlic, herbs, +/- any meat you’d like.
Thanks, Pamela!
Pamela says
Glad you enjoyed it Chuck! We stocked up this weekend on a bunch of stewed tomatoes for the Winter, of course then we couldn’t resist some for dinner too. đŸ˜‰
Susan says
My mother-in-law made these all the time, but put alot more sugar in them. I will try it your way and just add more sugar if needed to our taste.
Pamela says
Enjoy Susan!