Tomato paste is essentially tomato sauce with the water removed. The difference between a sauce and a paste is not in the ingredient list but in a single step: reducing without a lid. From 1,200 g of fresh tomatoes you get around 300 g of concentrated paste that keeps for weeks in the fridge and works beautifully in Bolognese, pizza sauce, soups and spreads.
We have made tomato paste in a saucepan, reduced it in the oven and done it in the Thermomix®. The Thermomix® has one clear advantage: it stirs constantly throughout the reduction at speed 2, so nothing catches on the bottom and the paste never turns bitter. This recipe appears on our table every year in August and September, when tomatoes are at their ripest and we pick up three kilos at the market at a bargain price. One batch fills two jars of 150 g each, giving us a good supply for several weeks.
Tomato Paste from Whole Tomatoes, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 4 ✓
- 1200 g tomatoes
- 4 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions 0 / 5
-
1
Prepare the tomatoes.
Wash the tomatoes, quarter them (removing the core), place them in the mixing bowl and chop for 10 sec / speed 6.
-
2
Reduce the tomatoes.
Without the measuring cup, using the simmering basket as a splash guard, reduce for 45 min / Varoma / speed 2.
-
3
Blend the tomatoes.
Insert the measuring cup and blend the tomatoes for 30 sec / speed 8.
-
4
Add the spices and cook.
Add basil, salt and sugar to the mixing bowl and cook for 35 min / Varoma / speed 2.
-
5
Fill the tomato paste into jars.
Fill the tomato paste into sterilised jars, seal them and stand them upside down for 5 minutes.
Note: Some tomatoes contain a lot of water, which increases the cooking time. Other varieties contain less water, so the cooking time is shorter. Simply check the consistency of your Thermomix® tomato paste during cooking.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Why the measuring cup must stay out
The most important step in the whole recipe is also the easiest to overlook: during reduction the measuring cup stays out, and instead we place the simmering basket upside down on the lid as a splash guard. Anyone who ignores this and keeps the measuring cup in will end up with a thin tomato sauce rather than paste. The reason is simple: the steam must be able to escape. At Varoma temperature, roughly a third of the liquid evaporates per hour, and it is precisely that evaporation that turns a sauce into a paste.
- Reduce without the measuring cup: 45 min / Varoma / speed 2 allows roughly half the water to evaporate.
- Use the simmering basket as a splash guard: The basket keeps splashes inside the mixing bowl while still letting steam escape.
- Speed 2 is essential: Lower and the paste catches on the bottom; higher and it spatters out of the mixing bowl.
Which tomatoes really work
Not every tomato is suited to paste. We have experimented with vine tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes and Roma tomatoes. The result is clear: Roma tomatoes or San Marzano varieties are the best choice. These varieties contain less water, more flesh and a more intense flavour. From 1,200 g of Roma tomatoes we get a noticeably thicker paste with the same cooking times than from vine tomatoes.
If you only have watery salad tomatoes, you should extend the cooking time. The notes on the recipe card are there for good reason: some tomatoes contain so much water that the 80-minute total cooking time needs to be extended to 100 or 120 minutes. The spatula test helps: draw the spatula through the paste, and if the line holds for a moment the consistency is right. If it closes up straight away, keep reducing.
What shop-bought tomato paste lacks and what it has too much of
Anyone who reads the ingredient list on a tube of tomato paste from the supermarket will understand why we make our own. Our paste contains: tomatoes, salt, sugar, dried basil. The supermarket tube, depending on the brand, also lists citric acid, lemon juice concentrate or acidity regulators. None of that is harmful, but it is unnecessary. Fresh tomatoes have enough natural acidity to keep the paste stable as long as we fill it hot into clean jars and store it in the fridge.
The flavour difference is even greater. Commercial paste tastes flat and sharp because the tomatoes are harvested unripe and processed with a short reduction time. Our paste tastes of ripe tomatoes. When we open a jar in November, we can smell the summer inside.
To peel or not to peel
We do not peel the tomatoes. In the classic method, tomatoes are scored, briefly blanched and then peeled before going into the paste. In the Thermomix® that step is unnecessary. At 10 sec / speed 6 the sharp blades chop the skins so finely that you can neither see nor taste them in the finished paste. The skin also contains a lot of aromatic compounds, so we leave it in.
If you still want a silky-smooth paste without any fibres, you can press it through a fine sieve after blending at 30 sec / speed 8. We have done this a few times but found no difference in flavour. The only difference was in the texture, and for us the extra effort is not worth it.
Sterilised jars are not a suggestion, they are essential
For the paste to keep for several weeks, the jars must be clean. We boil them for 10 minutes in a large pot, or place them in the oven at 120°C for 15 minutes. The lids are boiled as well, not put in the oven. We fill the jars to the brim with the hot paste, seal them immediately and stand them upside down for 5 minutes. The vacuum created draws the lid down and seals the jar airtight.
If you are unsure about sterilising, our guide to sterilising jars in the Thermomix® covers every step in detail. We use the same method for other preserves such as homemade plum jam or apple sauce.
What we use the paste for
Tomato paste is one of the few ingredients that works in virtually every style of cooking. We use it in our Thermomix® tomato sauce as a flavour booster, in Bolognese as an acid bridge to the wine, in pizza sauce as a concentrate and in soups such as our tomato soup when we want to deepen the flavour. Even vinaigrettes benefit from a teaspoon of paste, gaining more depth as a result.
A trick we picked up from Italian kitchens: briefly fry the paste in olive oil over a medium heat before cooking. The sugar caramelises lightly, the paste darkens and tastes noticeably rounder. This works in a frying pan, not in the Thermomix®.
1 year in a sealed jar, 2 weeks once opened
In a sealed, sterilised jar, the paste keeps in the fridge for about 3 to 4 weeks. Once the jar is opened, use it within 7 to 10 days. If you want to store the paste for longer, freeze it in portions. We fill it into ice-cube trays, freeze, then pop the cubes into a zip-lock bag. Each cube is around 15 g, enough for a Bolognese or a pizza sauce.
Goes well with: pasta, pizza and Bruschetta.
In the freezer the paste keeps for 6 months without any loss of flavour. No need to defrost: the cubes go straight into a hot pan or pot. One thing we always watch: never use a wet spoon to scoop from the jar. Moisture is the fastest route to mould on the surface. We always use a clean, dry spoon and smooth the remaining paste flat before sealing the jar again.
If you want to explore more classic tomato preserves, you will find our Thermomix® tomato sauce, a creamy tomato soup and guides to sterilising jars for other preserves right here on the site.
