Use it up · Vegetables

Tomatoes

Have extra tomatoes? Here’s how to choose, store and prep tomatoes, plus 25 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Choose tomatoes that are heavy, fragrant and give slightly when pressed. Romas are meatier for sauces.

Best season: Summer into early fall. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Counter: Ripen on the counter, out of the sun; they lose flavor in the fridge
Fridge: 2 to 3 days once fully ripe or cut
Freezer: 12 months for cooking

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Core and slice with a serrated or sharp knife. Halve cherry tomatoes for little kids.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use tomatoes:

Tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes Fresh tomato salsa

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with them →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Tomatoes. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	18 kcal	1%
Protein	0.9 g	2%
Total fat	0.2 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.0 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	3.9 g	1%
Dietary fiber	1.2 g	4%
Total sugars	2.6 g
Sodium	5.0 mg	0%
Calcium	10 mg	1%
Iron	0.3 mg	2%
Potassium	237 mg	5%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 170457 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

25 recipes, the ones that use the most tomatoes first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.