To do this, you will need to double the amount of sauce before simmering it. Tomato sauce is quite a bit thinner than paste, so if you opt for this as an alternative, you have two options.įirst is to boil the sauce until it is reduced to the amount of paste you need. Now that you’re armed with knowledge about paste and what it can imbue a dish with, let’s look at the alternatives to paste and any tips for making the switch. It also thickens and binds and can be added to give a touch of “pink” color to a cream sauce.
Paste will add intense flavor and color without excess liquid.Sauce tends to have an even thinner consistency than puree, and can be used as a base for pasta and other sauces.Tomato sauce is made by cooking tomatoes and then processing them paste is like tomato sauce that’s been reduced until thick. Puree is often used as a base for sauces.īoth are also made from tomatoes, with variations in preparation making them different. Puree is made by cooking tomatoes briefly to soften, and then processing them to create a thinner consistency than paste.Often used in relatively small amounts for thickening or adding flavor, paste can make a dish taste like it has been cooking for hours. Paste is made by simmering tomatoes slowly for several hours, giving them a thick, rich consistency with an intense tomato flavor.Obviously, these are both made from tomatoes, but differences in preparation make them unique.
But it’s important to note the differences before jumping to decide. Most people opt for tomato sauce or tomato puree as their first choice to replace paste. If the desired end result is binding or thickening, something like pureed squash may be an ideal choice. In the case of tomato paste, for instance, if you are looking for tomato flavor, you will want to look to one of the tomato-based subs. And third, if you need to add more of the alternative to achieve the same result as the paste, you may need to reduce the amount of liquid present in other ingredients in the recipe.The second is that the result you want may point the way to the substitution you choose.The first is that a substitution will provide a slightly different result than the original ingredient.Before exploring each of these choices, there are a few important rules to remember about making substitutions.