7 Healthy Recipes to Make with Canned Tomatoes
Now that the holiday decorations have been returned to their storage spaces and the cupboards cleared of all cookies and chocolate, it’s time to turn our attention and focus back to healthy eating.
We know we aren’t the only ones who approach the start of a new year with a new set of nutrition goals in place. With that in mind, we’re turning to our pantry to help us out in the form of canned tomatoes. Hunt’s Heirloom Tomatoes are both rich in flavour and bold in colour adding a vibrant red hue that brings some much-needed brightness to the table during the winter months. Boasting a superior bite, no preservatives and artificial flavours, and packaged in a non-BPA-lined can for maximum freshness, these tomatoes are a great starting point for seven of our favourite family-friendly healthy recipes.
With a few vegetarian options, a shrimp dish, and two chicken dinners to round out the list of suggestions, we’re certain you’re sure to find something here that will help you feed your family this month.
Chicken Enchiladas
A crowd-pleasing family favourite, enchiladas are a freezer-friendly meal that aren’t too heavy on the cheese unlike other Italian or Mexican-inspired meals. The method may look lengthy, but I assure you it’s mostly hands-off cooking time. The recipe calls for tomato sauce, but we’ve upped the ante a little by using Hunt’s Heirloom Crushed Tomatoes instead. Somewhere between tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, these add a little more texture to the dish and are less processed than store-bought sauces.
Chicken Taco Soup
Pretty much every kid we know is a fan of tacos and tortillas, and luckily for us, Mexican-inspired meals are a cinch to prepare at home. The ingredients are often inexpensive and adaptable, and the recipes quick-cooking, making them perfect for families. This clever twist on a taco is a one-pot soup that requires no sautéing of vegetables or browning of meat. Just toss ingredients—chicken broth, tomatoes, chicken, beans, corn, veg and spices—into the pot at once, and simmer for an hour or so, or until the meat is tender and the broth thickened. If you aren’t going to be home during the day, you can place the ingredients in a slow cooker instead, cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Indian Butter Chickpea Curry
This dinner is derived from nothing more than a few basic canned goods: chickpeas, coconut milk and Hunt’s Heirloom Tomatoes. Feel free to use Hunt’s Heirloom Crushed Tomatoes or Hunt’s Heirloom Diced Tomatoes in this recipe – both work equally well, but the diced tomatoes can also be used to garnish the curry, saving you the hassle of picking up an extra ingredient.
Lasagna Wonton Cups
This is the easiest lasagna you will ever make. The convenient toddler-sized single-serving portions are perfect for small stomachs, packed lunches, and those looking to consume smaller serving sizes. Our meat sauce recipe makes a double batch, so you can freeze half for a second dinner on a different day.
Tomato Alphabet Soup
This classic kid-friendly dinner couldn’t be easier to make thanks to the combination of Hunt’s Heirloom Crushed Tomatoes and store-bought chicken stock. While any small pasta shape could be used in the recipe, the alphabets are fun and easily spoonable making them ideal for small mouths.
Slow Cooker Pork Ragu
A SavvyMom staple, this recipe for slow cooker pork ragu is just as at home on the Wednesday night dinner table as it in on Saturday when you’re cooking to impress some guests. Feel free to serve with pasta as suggested, or if you are cutting back on carbs for the time being, you could eat skip the noodles and serve with a side of roasted veggies instead.
Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce
This quick-cooking dinner is a great way to get seafood into the kids in a way they are sure to enjoy. Start by making a quick tomato sauce in a skillet using Hunt’s Heirloom Tomatoes, onion and garlic. Stir in shrimp, feta and herbs and bake for 15 minutes or so. Eat as is (straight out of the skillet is okay with us!) or serve with crusty bread on the side or over a spoonful or brown rice.
This post is brought to you by Hunt’s Heirloom Tomatoes but the images and opinions are our own.
