Diced tomatoes are so useful and versatile. We use them Italian and Mexican foods, soups and stews. These guys are something that most people have at least a couple of cans of in the pantry to grab as needed. Rather you like them with herbs or with some green chilis, knowing how to make them in a pinch is a gratifying idea and super easy!
Canning them is also a great idea of you have an abundance of tomatoes from the garden or store. I will link canning instructions at the bottom and tell you where in this process you would begin canning.
What you’ll need
- 3 or more pounds of tomatoes (to make the process worth it!)
- Baking Pan/tray or pot of boiling water (for peeling skins)
- Bowl for putting chopped tomatoes and/or ice water
- Cutting board (preferably one with juice grooves) and knife
Process for Diced Tomatoes
- Score tomatoes at the bottom
Cut an X into the bottom of the tomatoes aka on the booty. It will start the peeling process once they get warm. It also gives you an easy place to grab the skin and start peeling.
- Peeling Tomatoes the Easy Way
There are 2 easy ways to peel tomatoes and it really is just personal preference. Both work well but quite differently. Boiling water is faster, but you have to be a bit more involved and stand over the process. The oven takes longer but you can walk away and work on other things while they hang out. The oven version also gets them much hotter and peeling can be a bit trickier unless you allow them to cool a bit.
- Peel via Boiling water aka blanching
Submerge the tomatoes, in batches in needed, into boiling water for at least 30 seconds. You will then submerge them into a bowl of ice water.
The ice water will stop the cooking process and allow you to easy pull the skins right off starting at the X you cut into them.
- Peel via Oven
Heat to about 425 degrees. Lay tomatoes onto a baking pan with the X facing up. Heat in oven for 10 – 15 minutes and pull the tray. Now you can immediately start peeling or you can let them cool a bit to be easier to handling.
- Dice Tomatoes
Depending on the type of tomatoes used and the ripeness, you may want to core the tomatoes before dicing. I try not to just to keep as much product as possible.
Just start dicing aka choppy chop and see if there are any hard spot. Just cut those away. Dice to whatever size you please and set aside in a bowl with the juices.
This is where the juice grooves come in handy to keep your counters as clean as possible. If you plan to can (he he), drain the juice into the bowl with the diced tomatoes to use to fill jars.
- Can or Use
Done! Now you can either throw the tomatoes straight into your recipe or the fridge for a few days or you can start he canning process. You can add herbs or spices straight to the bowl to flavor before use or putting into canning jars.
Click here to see the whole process of canning tomatoes.
Until Next Time!
PJtxGirl
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