Botanically, tomatoes are fruits and not vegetables because the fleshy part of the plant surrounds the seeds. However, whether you eat them raw or cooked, they provide delicious flavor and nutritional value to meals, not desserts. Hence, their use is the same as that of a vegetable.
Tomatoes contain essential nutrients and antioxidants like beta-carotene, lycopene, potassium, and vitamins C and A. The antioxidants are believed to lower cancer risk, help maintain a healthy heart, reduce type 2 diabetes risk, and protect the immune system.
Furthermore, tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, making them a popular addition to the crops of the most avid vegetable gardeners. Whether you grow tomatoes or prefer to buy them, late summer is the time when they are plentiful and cheap. Use them generously to create vegan recipes with tomatoes. You can also preserve or freeze your excess tomatoes for use in the winter.
Delicious Tomato-Based Vegan Recipes
Tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes and several colors, including black. Smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes remain popular as salad ingredients but are also great for roasting and pasta dishes. Roma tomatoes are great for sauces, and small and medium tomatoes are fleshy and delicious, meaning you can grill, fry, or stuff them.
When thinking of tomatoes, most people think of marinara sauce, Greek salad, or tomato soup. Although these are all enjoyable ways to use up tomatoes, don’t get stuck in that rut when you have a pile of ripe ones to work with.
Forks Over Knives provides 22 inspiring vegan recipes with tomatoes. Enjoy delicious tomato-based vegan recipes that include salads, Greek-style stuffed tomatoes, some summertime soups, air-fried green tomatoes, and fresh tomato ketchup, salsa, or tomato and tamarind chutney. You must try the Spicy Tomato Sushi Rolls and Chipotle-Watermelon Gazpacho, each highlighting tomatoes differently.
Quick and Easy Tomato Vegan Dishes
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients because you can use them fresh and cooked to create quick and easy tomato vegan dishes. They are now available all year round but choose them carefully to ensure they are at their most flavorful.
You want them to have a good color, firm skin, and no discolorations. They must feel firm to the touch when squeezed but not too hard, and a juicy tomato feels heavier. A flavorful tomato will emit an earthy and sweet smell on its stem side. If you have many fresh tomatoes, dice them and use them as a substitute for canned – 5 – 6 chopped tomatoes will replace a can of 14 oz.
Whether you want a quick marinara sauce for a pasta dish or a cashew-based vegan tomato cream sauce that requires as much time to prepare as boiling your pasta, see these quick and easy tomato vegan recipes on My Plantiful Cooking. Other vegan recipes with tomatoes to prepare include the 5-Minute Pizza Sauce, an Italian-style Bean Stew, Vegan Jackfruit Chili, and Comforting Mexican Rice.
Tomato Recipes for a Flavorful Vegan Diet
Store your tomato supply correctly, and you can use it for tasty tomato recipes throughout the year. However, if you can’t grow your own or find cheap tomatoes in season when they are most plentiful, don’t despair. You can also use canned tomatoes as successfully in most recipes.
You can freeze tomatoes for up to a year by coring them and pacing them in containers in the freezer. Defrost overnight in the fridge for use in sauces and stews.
With their sweet and tart flavor, tomatoes are versatile for creating a flavorful vegan diet. Try these vegan recipes with tomatoes from Sarah McMinn’s My Darling Vegan. These dishes highlight how this wonderful veggie (okay fruit) lends its pop and tanginess to many different foods. Must-tries are the Tomato and Spinach Fettuccine, the Morrocan Stuffed Eggplant, and the Roasted Tomato & Pumpkin Seed Pesto Toast.
Savory and Satisfying Vegan Tomato Dishes
Creating vegan recipes with tomatoes is satisfying because they are tasty and full of natural goodness. Tomatoes form the base of an endless array of savory dishes that you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, quick snacks, and supper throughout the year.
Get ideas for savory and satisfying vegan tomato dishes from Simple Veganista. Make penty of Raw Marinara Sauce to freeze in the months when you have an endless supply of fresh tomatoes or treat yourself to the Southwest Tofu Scramble for a hearty start to your day. Make warming meals like Sweet Potato, Black Bean Chili, Moroccan Pumpkin & Chickpea Stew, Vegan Minestrone, or Chickpea Tikka Masala during the colder months.
Summertime requires light and refreshing meals, such as a delicious Mediterranean Orzo Salad, a classic picco de gallo, and the refreshing Raw Veggie Chili.
Tasty Vegan Tomato Recipes to Try Today
Even though the best season for tomatoes is between July and October, they are at their cheapest and tastiest; it doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy tomato-based dishes year-round. Besides eating fresh tomatoes, you can freeze or preserve them for a year-round supply for cooking. Sun-drying tomatoes is another excellent way to preserve and include them in vegan recipes with tomatoes like cooked foods and salads.
Sun-drying tomatoes reduce their water content and weight by up to 90%. However, they retain their intense flavor profile and nutrients, making them ideal to use in several vegan recipes with tomatoes.
You can reconstitute the tomatoes by soaking them in warm water, vegetable broth, or wine before adding them to foods. You can keep them plum for adding to salads, pasta, and dips by preserving them in jars with olive oil without reconstituting them.
Learn more about preserving tomatoes by sun-drying them from The Daring Gourmet.
Healthy and Nutritious Tomato-Based Vegan Meals
When cooked or processed, tomatoes have higher antioxidant levels thanks to the release of lycopene in the cellular structure that breaks. When eaten raw, they have quite a high level of vitamin C, but cooking destroys this and other vitamins. However, the higher lycopene, one of the most effective antioxidants, makes it worth the loss, and you can get vitamin C by eating other fruits.
Therefore, either raw or cooked, tomatoes are healthy and nutritious. Vegan recipes with tomatoes abound online, but here are over 60 recipes from The Garden Grazer that include them in various forms: raw, cooked, and sundried.
Try the Oil-Free Quinoa Tabbouleh, the 5-minute Lentil Tomato Salad, the Spinach & Tomato Quesadilla with Pesto, and the Fresh Tomato Pasta with Lemon and Basil. Also, try the Avocado Veggie Sandwich and the TLT Sandwich, Tempeh Bacon, or Crispy Tofu Wrap when you need a quick snack or something to take with you on the go.
Mouthwatering Vegan Dishes featuring Tomatoes
Even though the tomato plant originally came from South America, these delicious fruits work well in almost every cuisine. Of course, the Spaniards introduced it to Europe, where it quickly became an essential ingredient in the cuisine of several countries.
Use canned or fresh tomatoes to create vegan foods inspired by several cuisines, including Italian, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, North African, and Spanish.
Short of inspiration? Don’t panic. Get some initial ideas from One Green Planet, and you will soon start imagining your vegan recipes with tomatoes based on foods from other parts of the world.
One of the best ways to enjoy mouthwatering tomatoes is to roast them to extract their delicious flavors. Try this Mediterranean-inspired recipe from The Mediterranean Dish. These tomatoes are great on bread, served as an appetizer with some pesto, tossed into pasta, or for enhancing the flavors of stews. You can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for about 3 months.
These mouthwatering recipes featuring tomatoes are all delicious, but as you work your way through them, make a point of putting the Vegetable Paella, Braised Whole Cauliflower with North African Spices, and the Chickpea Turnip Meatballs on top of the list.
Tomato-Inspired Vegan Recipes for Every Occasion
Whether you need to make a tray of sandwiches and a quiche for snacks, prepare a meal for the family, or plan a special dinner party, vegan recipes with tomatoes are a great way to ensure you put some good food on the table.
Soups are an excellent family meal, served with crusty, fresh bread. However, if you want to serve them at a dinner party, you can serve them as your first course. The same principle applies to serving salads and pastas.
When creating a meal plan for a dinner with several courses, it’s important to build the courses, going from lighter to heavier. Therefore, you could start with an appetizer of pesto-stuffed cherry tomatoes or a red or green gazpacho, followed by a creamy tomato risotto or a tomato and pasta dish.
See Vegangela’s blog for a collection of tomato-inspired recipes for ideas. Try the Versatile Vegan Quiche, Fresh Tomato, Basil & Lemon Zucchini Pasta, and the Easy Oven-Baked Tomato Risotto. Also, try the Vegan Meatballs (Mushroom “Neat” Balls), Minestrone Soup with Pesto, and the Spiked Gazpacho (inspired by the Vegan Good Eats blog) for recipe ideas to serve on any occasion.
All these vegan recipes with tomatoes above showcase the versatility and flavor of this fruit with its numerous uses. You can cut them into a salad, bake, boil, and preserve them, ensuring you enjoy their freshness or flavor depth according to the season.
Fresh and Flavorful: Exploring Vegan Recipes with Tomatoes
Tomatoes, the vibrant and versatile fruits often used as vegetables in culinary practices, are a staple in many kitchens due to their robust flavor and health benefits. Loaded with nutrients like lycopene, potassium, and vitamins C and A, tomatoes not only enhance the flavor of dishes but also contribute to heart health, reduced cancer risk, and better blood sugar control. Here are some creative ways to incorporate tomatoes into your vegan diet across different dishes, ensuring nutritional benefits and delicious meals.
Salad and Appetizers
- Greek-Style Stuffed Tomatoes: Hollow out ripe tomatoes and fill them with a mixture of cooked quinoa, chopped olives, capers, and fresh herbs for a Mediterranean touch.
- Tomato Basil Bruschetta: For a classic Italian appetizer, top toasted slices of whole-grain baguette with diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Soups and Gazpachos
- Creamy Tomato Basil Soup: Blend fresh tomatoes with basil, onions, and coconut cream for a rich, comforting soup.
- Chipotle-Watermelon Gazpacho: A unique blend of ripe watermelon and tomatoes infused with a hint of smoky chipotle, chilled for a refreshing summer soup.
Main Dishes
- Vegan Jackfruit Chili: Utilize crushed tomatoes as a base for a hearty chili made with young green jackfruit, beans, and a robust blend of spices.
- Moroccan Stuffed Eggplant: Fill halved eggplants with a spicy tomato-based mixture featuring raisins, pine nuts, and Moroccan spices, baked until tender.
Sauces and Condiments
- Homemade Fresh Tomato Ketchup: To create a flavorful condiment, simmer chopped tomatoes with apple cider vinegar, onion, allspice, and a hint of maple syrup.
- Roasted Tomato & Pumpkin Seed Pesto: Combine roasted tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds, garlic, and basil in a food processor, perfect for pasta or a sandwich spread.
Creative Twists
- Spicy Tomato Sushi Rolls: Incorporate finely diced tomatoes and avocado in sushi rolls, served with a spicy sriracha-soy sauce dip.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade: Blend sun-dried tomatoes with olives, capers, and herbs for a rich spread on crackers or as a mushroom stuffing.
Preserving Tomatoes
- Freezing: Core fresh tomatoes and freeze them whole on a baking sheet before transferring to freezer bags, ideal for use in cooked dishes.
- Sun-Drying: Halve tomatoes and slowly dry them in the sun or a low oven, then store them in olive oil with herbs to enhance salads, pasta, and more.
Year-Round Tomato Enjoyment
Even when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season, canned tomatoes can be a great substitute in most recipes, allowing you to enjoy the taste and health benefits of tomatoes all year round. Whether making a quick marinara sauce or a slow-cooked tomato curry, the versatility of tomatoes makes them a beloved ingredient in vegan cooking.
Embrace the diversity of tomatoes in your vegan recipes to create dishes that are nutritious and bursting with flavor. From quick snacks to elaborate dinners, tomatoes add color and zest to your meals, making them an essential part of a plant-based diet.
