5 Healthy Ways to Use Canned Tomatoes

Cook these five canned tomato recipes so you can get a healthy dose of lycopene.

Aluminum tin can and tomato

Tomatoes that are processed into canned goodies contain higher amounts of an antioxidant compared with their fresh counterpart. This antioxidant, called lycopene, has been shown to help lower the risk of cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration — a disease that causes blindness as you age. Cook these five canned tomato recipes so you can get a healthy dose of lycopene.

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Photo by: Con Poulos

Con Poulos

Soup

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to cook and peel tomatoes. In this soup, canned crushed tomatoes are a big timesaver.

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Photo by: Matt Armendariz ©2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Chili

This vegetarian chili is ready in 30 minutes. It calls for canned crushed roasted tomatoes, which give it a delicious flavor.

Ratatouille

Canned diced tomatoes work well in any ratatouille recipe. The bite-size tomato pieces complement the other cut vegetables.

Baked Shrimp

To keep sodium at bay, Ellie Krieger uses no-salt-added diced tomatoes. This is an easy trick to use when cooking with canned goods. Start by using a no- or low-salt canned tomato product. If you find the dish needs more salt, you can always add it at the end.

Lasagna

You’ll get a double dose of lycopene in these lasagna roll-ups. They’re covered in a homemade tomato sauce made with tomato paste and canned whole tomatoes.

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, is a registered dietitian and consultant who specializes in food safety and culinary nutrition. She is the author of The Greek Yogurt Kitchen: More Than 130 Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Day.

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