Unpopular opinion: canned tomatoes beat fresh for cheap pasta sauce

I used to think real Italian cooking meant using fresh tomatoes for sauce. That changed last year when I was at a friend's place in Portland and she made a pasta sauce using a $1 can of whole peeled tomatoes. I was skeptical at first but the sauce came out richer and way more consistent than anything I'd made with fresh ones. She told me her nonna taught her that canned tomatoes are picked at peak ripeness unlike the pale grocery store ones. Now I buy a 28 oz can of San Marzano style tomatoes for like $2.50 and it feeds me for three meals. Has anyone else made the switch and never looked back?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliot_johnson3112h ago

Man, that Portland friend sounds like she knows what's up. My grandma always swore by canned San Marzanos for her Sunday gravy, but I ignored her for years trying to be fancy with fresh store tomatoes. Finally tried it last winter and felt like a complete idiot for wasting so much time.

cole3569h ago

Dude, same here... I spent way too long chasing fresh tomatoes in the dead of winter. Now I just keep a case of those Cento cans in the pantry and call it a day.

joseph_ellis859h agoMost Upvoted

Centos are solid but those are San Marzanos from Italy not regular tomatoes.