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 faster than I can pick them! So, naturally, my kitchen has turned into a full-blown tomato factory. Between roasted cherry tomato sauce and homemade diced tomatoes I’ve been cooking up every tomato dish imaginable. Oh, and let’s not forget fresh tomato salsa—because August always means fresh salsa!
These stewed tomatoes are the best, and I’m not fibbing either. If you’ve got a tomato harvest coming up—or if you just want to ditch the canned stuff—please, please, please make these! You won’t regret it.
If you love tomatoes as much as I do, get excited—I have so many favorite garden tomato recipes to share with you. But for now… let’s talk about these stewed tomatoes.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy them? Macaroni noodles and stewed tomatoes—it’s simple, cozy, and one of those dishes that instantly takes you back home. Or, if you’re craving something ultra-comforting, stir them into crockpot mac and cheese for an extra boost of flavor.
And because no tomato-filled meal is complete without a side of something warm and buttery, I highly recommend serving it with a slice of sweet cornbread. That perfect balance of sweet and savory? YUM!
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.
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.
Discard 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!
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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.
Robin says
I grew up on a farm and Grandma always made these but added celery & onion, which is what I did here. It was excellent! Could I freeze them in a glass jar instead of plastic? I don’t use plastic for anything. Thanks so much!
Brian says
I wouldn’t recommend freezing them in a glass jar… it will probably break the jar. Add ~2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart and process them in a hot water bath for 45 minutes. Make sure the water is boiling and that the jars are fully submerged.
Nancy says
I was given some overripe tomatoes from the farm stand and decided to try this recipe. They are delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Pamela says
So happy to hear you liked the stewed tomatoes Nancy, thanks for commenting and letting me know you made them!
Dave S says
Hi!
I have no idea if you’re still monitoring this and can answer this question. I’m not lucky enough to have a garden of fresh tomatoes and hate to have to wait until they come into season. Would the recipe be any different if I used canned plum tomatoes?
Ricky Trimble says
Simple to make but very delicious to eat!!!!!!!!!
Diane Milligan says
I made this recipe about 4 – 5 times this past summer. I froze most of it it small freezer bags. I usually put it in soup or add to stuffed peppers. It is so good, I think the peppers that you add make a big difference. Already planning on next year. I also purchased a tomato peeler, makes it much easier in some cases.
Ann says
Can you boil them in a Watergate and store then in Mason jars in the pantry?
Darlene says
Loved this recipe put zuchinni in it also
Dee Jack says
I have made this recipe several times and it never fails. I have begun to add other ingredients to make it my own.
danleep11 says
Add a few other flavor ingredients to it. Add some chunks of zucchini or other summer squash to this recipe and have a great variation of it. Make enough to have leftovers and can it using appropriate method.
Mary S says
So good, even my daughter who is a very picky eater enjoyed it and asked me to definitely make this again! I did tweak it a little by adding onion, celery, and Italian seasoning. My daughter said way better than the can!
Diane says
I love this recipe it is easy and fast. I added garlic and sweet onions. I froze most of the 2 batches and made one in a quart jar, just to compare.
Kimberly says
I could eat these stewed tomatoes all day everyday! Love them!!! ( I actually added onions and celery to my second batch)
Linda in Texas says
I love this recipe! I have a small garden and I don’t can so when my tomatoes started coming in I used this recipe because it was for a small batch of tomatoes and can be frozen. I have used this recipe for two months and added a little garlic and sweet onion to it. I now have a freezer full of wonderful stewed tomatoes for lots of chili and soups this winter. Thank you for sharing!
Trinafabulously40 says
1st time making them, they’re so good! Cut the recipe to half, added turmeric and substituted honey for sugar….I definitely will be making this again! Thank you so much for making so it easy👏🏼
Marsha says
First time making stewed tomatoes. I even thought I didn’t like them. but this recipe changed my opinion completely. Love them warm over eggs.
Monica says
I am 59 years old and I’m always looking for new recipes and I want to try them thank you very much for being part of the generation that carries on homemade cooking
Pamela says
Thank you Monica, I’m so happy you liked these stewed tomatoes. Thank you for stopping by and saying hi! 🙂
Debra Murtaugh says
I made this today and it was so easy and you are so right it is the best ever stewed tomato recipe. It is so delicious.
Debra says
This was so easy to use up extra tomatoes. I did add some celery and onion too. I just made a second batch. Love them so much
dianne says
so many tomatoes this year need use them up/
John Doe* says
I loved this recipe so much!
Pamela says
Thank you! So happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
Sharon MacDonald says
When you put stewed tomatoes in canning jars do you have to do the whole canning process too? If so I think freezing in bags would be easier.
LWNel says
This recipe looks great. You noted below that these can be canned. I am not confident this can be canned. To can tomatoes typically citric acid or jarred lemon juice is added. Is that needed to can these tomatoes?
Pamela says
We use lemon juice with our tomatoes when canning. Use 1 tablespoon for a pint, or 2 tablespoons for a quart. Enjoy these stewed tomatoes!
Jodi says
Can I can these?
Pamela says
Absolutely!
tracie henry says
I want to try this recipe but I’m concerned that I may use too many/too few tomatoes. Can uou quantify this with how many pounds for this recipe?
Pamela says
I don’t have an exact number as I don’t usually weigh them but I’d say 5-7 pounds of tomatoes is a fair estimate. If you go over a little bit, that’s totally ok, I can promise you this recipe will still be just as good. Enjoy!
Barb Orris says
I use this recipe every year because we love it so much. I add the celery and onion out of my garden in here also. I use stewed tomatoes in my pot roast, chili and pepper steak besides using them as a side dish.
Pamela says
I’m so happy to hear you come back to this recipe every year! Thank you for stopping by Barb! 🙂
Aino says
Rather than use the hot water method to peel the tomatoes, I cut them in half, place on rimmed cookie sheet and put them under the broiler for a few seconds. The skins lift right off.
Dianna says
Removing the skins that way also slightly roasts the tomato halves and makes them sweeter. I can my tomatoes using the oven method of halving them, removing as much juice/seeds as possible over a bowl with a strainer (reserving the juice), and then bake them at 350 degrees for roughly 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of the tomatoes) or until the skin starts turning dark. This makes it so easy to remove the skin and concentrate the flavor of the tomatoes. I move the tomatoes to a big pot and add the strained fresh juice, chopped garlic, onions and red bell pepper. Cook until veggies are relatively soft and then blitz with an immersion blender to prep the sauce for canning. I use citric acid rather than the bottled lemon juice in the jars to be waterbathed. Very delicious! The roasting really brings out the flavor and sweetens even borderline tomatoes. I’m excited to try this recipe since I’ve never thought much about Italian stewed tomato usage. If one uses the boiling water trick to remove the skin from fresh tomatoes, you can also save the skins and dehydrate them to make tomato powder. I’ve done that before switching to the roasting tomato prep that I have been using for the last 3 years, but the tomato powder comes in very handy when you need to add in a little tomato brightness! I stored the tomato powder in the fridge with those powder packets that remove any moisture. Those tomato skins must be dried very well before making into a powder and took a long time in my dehydrator to dry out…lol!
Jessica says
Can I can these? First timer! Canning for the first time
Amy P. says
I love this recipe and use it every year when it is time to stew tomatoes. I always make a batch as the recipe states and another batch I will modify a bit to add a Mexican spin with chopped jalapeño and cilantro. I also use fresh herbs whenever possible instead of dried. I am always so happy to be able to pull some out of the freezer in the winter!
Jayne says
This is the easiest which is great for me. I have used this recipe for a few years and really like it.
Robin sweeny says
Simple and good
Kendal says
Delicious! I used a little bit of jalapeño peppers in place of the green pepper for a tiny kick. Can’t wait to use in chili
Sue says
I have been making these stewed tomatoes ever since I found your recipe. It is an awesome recipe, I do add onions and celery too. Thanks for the recipe, now to try your tomato soup!!