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Store bought can't compare to homemade tomato paste! All you need is one "Dr. Sebi approved" ingredient; fresh in season plum (roma) tomatoes. The perfect recipe for Alkaline Vegans!
I will be honest. I dreaded making this recipe.
Why go through all the trouble to make my own homemade tomato paste when I can just make my life much easier and buy it?
But I am so glad I did!
This is by far the BEST tomato paste I ever had. The natural sweetness it has once the tomatoes are concentrated down, is so worth the effort and time. It might just end the "sugar does/does not go in spaghetti" debate.
Plus if you eat a strict Dr. Sebi diet, and you want to know how to achieve alkaline vegan weight gain, you will have to get use to making your own condiments to ensure that the ingredients are on the approved list.
Trust me, condiments and sauces are key to enjoying any plant based diet that you want to stick to long term.
Best Tomatoes to Make Tomato Paste
Though this is a Dr. Sebi recipe, and the only tomatoes approved are roma (plum) tomatoes, those are actually the best tomatoes to use whether this was a Dr. Sebi recipe or not.
They are less watery and have more flesh in them. They have less seeds and once they are cooked down and concentrated, the develop a natural sweetness.
How Many Tomatoes do you need to Make Tomato Paste?
You will want to use no less than the amount in this recipe which is 7.5 lbs. It sounds like a lot but keep in mind, we are reducing this down into a very concentrated form. With 7.5 lbs of tomatoes, I was able to yield about ½ cup of tomato paste.
Not might seem like a lot but unless you use tomato sauce daily, it should last you a while especially when stored properly.
Now of course you can use more if you desire. Feel free to use as many as 15 pounds of roma plum tomatoes to yield more paste. This is the perfect recipe if you have an abundant of tomatoes to use in your garden!
Important Equipment to Use
In making homemade tomato paste, you want to ensure that you remove all the seeds and skin from the tomatoes. To do this I recommend first running your tomatoes through a food mill. And then run that through a strainer.
You will have nothing but pure tomato puree this way for a super smooth tomato paste. (Refer to video to see this demonstration). This tomato puree is so smooth, it is perfect to even use in making some vegan BBQ sauce!
How to Make Homemade Tomato Paste?
*Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
Storage Tips
There are two ways to store your tomato paste: canning and freezing it.
Canning
Canning is a long delicate process and is not my preferred way to store it. And if you follow a Dr. Sebi Diet, be aware that there might be a need to use a preservative.
But if you want to give this a go, check out this Canning Tomato Paste guide. You can also purchase canning books on Amazon.
Freezing
This is my preferred way of doing things because it is super easy and straight forward.
Portion homemade tomato paste per 1 tablespoon and add them to a silicone ice tray. Let it freeze over night.
Once frozen solid, remove the frozen tomato paste ice cubes from the ice tray and transfer them into freezer Ziploc bag or vacuum seal them. This should last for 3-4 months. Up to 6 months if vacuum sealed.
More Tomato Recipes You Will Love
- red lentil bolognese (not a Dr. Sebi recipe)
- plum tomato sauce (coming soon)
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Homemade Tomato Paste (made with plum tomatoes!)
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C).
- Rinse your tomatoes thoroughly. Grab your cutting board and using your chef knife, chop roma (plum) tomatoes in chunks and add them to a mixing bowl. With the amount of tomatoes, you might need two mixing bowls.
- Add your tomatoes to a large stock pot. You can add half of your tomatoes at a time if your pot is not large enough. Place over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes until tomatoes are softened and the skins begin to peel. Add cooked tomatoes back into your mixing bowl and repeat this step if you had to split your tomatoes.
- Begin to add your tomatoes to your food mill. You will need to do this in parts. Place food mill over an empty large mixing bowl. Push the warm tomatoes through the food mill to remove the skin and the most seeds allowing nothing but the pulp to drip through the bowl. Do this until all tomatoes are done. Discard the skins and seeds.
- Add pulp through a strainer. Place a food strainer over another mixing bowl and pass the pulp through it to remove any remaining seeds. This step is optional, however, it will make for a much smoother paste as it ensures that all of the seeds are removed.
- Carefully pour your pulp onto a large sheet pan. Then carefully place that sheet pan in your preheated oven. Bake down until it reduces for about 2-3 hours. Check ever 20-30 minutes stirring the paste until it reduces down.
- It will reduce down greatly by more than half. You will know it is done once it's thick and shiny and no remaining moisture is left. It took me about 3 hours.
- Transfer paste into an air tight mason jar. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use!
Video
Notes
- You can use any tomatoes you have available to you. Roma tomatoes are the best kind to use because of their low water content. If you follow a strict Dr. Sebi diet, roma tomatoes are the ones that are recommended to use.
Nutrition
This is NOT an “alkaline vegan” website. If you follow a strict Dr. Sebi vegan diet, only view recipes indicated " Dr. Sebi Inpsired."
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© Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.
© Gina Marie Hoskins. Vegan With Curves. All Rights Reserved. Unless noted otherwise, all images, recipes, & content are copyright protected and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. My images and written content are NOT to be used without prior permission. Read full Copyright Disclosure.
Ann
I have been looking for a recipe for homemade tomato paste! Your recipe sounds delicious! Excited to give it a try!