Product Highlight: Tomato Powder

My Thoughts on Tomato Powder:

This product easily makes my top 10 favorite products list.  It is healthy, but high in calories (important with limited storage space / budget).  It can be used to make many things and is often less expensive than buying those same items at the grocery store.  It has no salt, preservatives, or other additives; it is 100% tomatoes!  Just look at this list of things I’ve made with Tomato Powder:

 

• Tomato Sauce
• Tomato Juice
• Tomato Paste
• Marinara / Spaghetti Sauce
• Ketchup
• Tomato Soup
• BBQ Sauce
• Creamy Enchilada Soup
• Minestrone
• Beef Stew
• Enchilada Sauce
• Pizza Sauce
• Tomato Caviar

With that type of versatility, I love having this product in both my long term storage or the “home store” I use daily. It gives me so many options for creating quick dinners that are fast and healthy on those crazy nights when I just don’t seem to have time to cook. This is especially true when combined with freeze dried veggies: I can have a quick, healthy, easy soup ready in just minutes!

What makes it even better is that it is less expensive than many of the above listed products at the grocery store (not to mention healthier!).  I make lots of easy soup recipes and sauces with them. I am saving so much money by using the tomato powder instead!

Tips:

Conversion Chart:

Tomato Paste:

6 T powder + 1/2 cup water = one 6 oz can

Tomato Sauce:

2/3 cup powder + 2 cups water = just a bit more than one 15 oz can

Tomato Juice:

1 cup powder + 8 cups water = one 64 oz bottle

 

Add Salt!

Tomato powder has no added salt which gives you a lot of control (yay!), but if you are used to store bought products, it will taste a bit funny to you unless you add salt. I typically add about 1/2 tsp salt for every 1/2 cup tomato powder that I use. Adjust this to your own tastes.

 

Mix with Hot Water.

It will thicken up a bit as you heat it, so if you mix it with cold water, it will be deceivingly thin. I’ve found that if I mix it with hot water, it thickens up right away and I get a more accurate consistency.

 

Add less first, more later

Add a bit less than I mention in the conversion charts above at first in case your tastes differ slightly from mine. You can always add a bit more to thicken it up later! But if you add too much powder and have to add water to thin it out, you will waste product and end up with more than you need!

I store and use THRIVE Tomato Powder. As such, everything else I mention below will be about THRIVE Tomato Powder. Conversion: See “tip” above. Price vs grocery store? About $0.99 per 6 oz can of tomato powder, $1.76 per 15 oz can of tomato sauce, $1.98 per bottle of tomato juice . You will save on enchilada sauce, ketchup and tomato soup! See current pricing here.   *Current through Oct ‘12. Sizes Available: Pantry Can: About 3.5 cups powder or 3-4 15 oz cans tomato sauce equivalent. #10 Can: About 12 cups powder or 18 cans tomato sauce equivalent. Case: Six #10 cans (72 cups powder or 108 cans tomato sauce equivalent). Save an additional 5% when you purchase it in a case Find All Sizes Here Shelf Life: 8 years unopened and 18 months opened. Once mixed, it should be refrigerated for up to a week.

Recipes Spaghetti / Marinara Sauce Photo Credit (and recipe): Heidi Johnson Creamy Enchilada Soup Tomato Soup Homemade Enchilada Sauce