You Say Tomato, I Say Delicious

I’m a bit of a tomato fiend. Each year, I go giddy over the tomato plants in my garden, I’ve been known to eat tomatoes like most people eat apples, and my husband regularly accuses me of  “adding tomatoes unnecessarily” to recipes. (Guilty as charged!) In fact, almost every day I snack on grape tomatoes, and I can’t imagine life without BLTs. So when we got contacted to try Pomi tomatoes I couldn’t resist. After all, I am a tomato connoisseur!

I tried both the chopped tomatoes and the strained tomatoes and, wow, was the flavor good. It was like straight out of the garden! I couldn’t tell a huge difference between the consistency of the two tomato varieties (both were pretty thick), but they’re a product of Italy and maybe that’s how Italy does it. I am not one to judge the home of Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto. The tomatoes have no preservatives, are low in sodium (10 mg vs 250 mg for most commercial brands), are rich in lycopene, full of antioxidants and the container is BPA-free. Hooray!

While the tomatoes were good in everything I made—chili, burritos and lentil soup—their flavor was best suited for, you guessed it, more Italian fare. Like this spaghetti!

Mediterranean Spaghetti

1 ½ c Pomì, strained
½ c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper or paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
12 oz. spaghetti (try wheat!)
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese.

1. Sauté onion and garlic in a large pan with half the oil for two to three minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti al dente. Add the well-drained spaghetti to the sauce. Return pan to stove and mix thoroughly over low heat.

3. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Makes four tasty servings! Add some chicken and a green salad for a complete meal for the whole happy fam! —Jenn