18 Recipes for Stew and Soup, served with Canned

Canned tomatoes are a staple in our pantry and we're willing to bet you have a few cans in your pantry too. Put them to good use in these hearty stews and soup with canned tomatoes. All of the recipes are one pan meals, too!

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A well-stocked pantry is essential. We keep a good variety of canned tomatoes on hand, especially diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Canned beans, pasta, rice, and broth are also staples we like to have on our shelves, along with dried herbs and spices. When we have these fundamentals, we can always put together a soup, stew, or pasta dinner on nights when we don’t have a meal planned.

This collection of soup and stew recipes all contain some form of canned tomatoes. Every recipe is pretty straightforward to mix and can be made with canned tomatoes and other ingredients you may already have in your pantry. The recipes are flexible, too, meaning you can easily substitute items that you do happen to have on hand.

All of the recipes are one pan meals. We know you don’t want a big clean-up, who does? All of the recipes on this list can be made in one pot, whether it’s a Dutch oven, Instant Pot, or crockpot. Woo hoo!

Why buy canned tomatoes?

Canned tomatoes are nutritious and low calorie. They are versatile and inexpensive. They taste great, sometimes better than fresh tomatoes that are out of season. Canned tomatoes keep forever and are straightforward to use. Stock up today and be ready to do some cooking!

Different Kinds of Canned Tomatoes

Use the type of canned tomatoes that the recipe calls for. Canned tomatoes can be whole, diced, stewed, sauce, puree, or paste. The recipe will specify which kind to use. Usually, canned tomatoes are NOT interchangeable. For example, if the recipe calls for diced tomatoes, don’t substitute whole tomatoes; if the recipe calls for tomato paste, tomato sauce won’t be a good alternative. Your recipe may not turn out.
Look for no-salt-added canned tomatoes. It’s surprising how much sodium regular canned tomatoes contain (220 mg per ½ cup serving of regular diced tomatoes compared to 15 mg in no-salt-added tomatoes) and there isn’t a difference in flavor. Why add unnecessary sodium?

Tomato Paste Tip

If a recipe calls for a partial can of tomato paste (ex. 2 tablespoons), don’t throw away the remaining tomato paste. Divide the tomato paste (2 tablespoons each) into snack-size bags, ice cube trays, or freezer cubes for future use. Tomato paste is also available in straightforward-to-use tubes.

Chili Recipes With Canned Tomatoes

Canned tomatoes are an essential ingredient of most chili recipes. Be sure to take a look at our collection of more than 12 Straightforward Chili Recipes. You’ll find recipes for beef chili, chicken chili, chili made with ground turkey, vegetarian chili, and more, all made with canned tomatoes. Make chili in your Instant Pot, on the stove, or in a slow cooker.