Tomato Paste Vs Tomato Sauce: What's The Big Difference?

Whether you say "toe-may-toe" or "toe-mah-toe", they're both the same fruit that thinks it's a vegetable. But if we're talking about tomato sauce and tomato paste, the two aren't exactly interchangeable. True, the two canned products both involve tomatoes that have been cooked down, but their flavors and consistencies couldn't be more different. Whereas tomato paste is extremely thick, concentrated, and typically unseasoned; tomato sauce is runnier, milder-tasting, and is often made with seasonings and aromatics.

They both serve their purpose in the kitchen and are sometimes even used in tandem with each other. While canned tomato products are often equated with Italian cuisine (in which they're used often), tomato paste and tomato sauce are also indispensable in Mexican and Indian cooking plus countless other dishes from around the globe. Even in America, tomato paste and tomato sauce are two canned goods that should have a permanent place in your pantry because they're both so useful.

When you open up a can of tomato paste, the first thing you'll notice is that it really is as thick as paste. You can turn the can upside down over your head and have zero concerns about giving yourself a tomato bath. To get this consistency, you basically only need tomatoes and heat. In Sicily, tomato paste is made by first cooking halved tomatoes in large pots, then laying the cooked tomatoes out in the sun. Most paste, however, is made completely indoors. Fresh tomatoes are cut in chunks, cooked until they begin to release their juices and moisture, run through a food mill to separate the flesh from the tomato skins and seeds, and cooked again on the stovetop or baked in the oven so that most of the moisture evaporates.

This creates the thick consistency and pure, concentrated tomato flavor that tomato paste is known for. Typically, tomato paste is used in dishes to boost tomato flavor, impart color, and act as a thickening agent. And a little goes a long way because of the super strong tomato essence. Tomato paste is popularly used in chili, pasta sauces, stews, soups, and in ground beef mixtures like Sloppy Joe meat and stuffed pepper fillings.

Tomato sauce contains tomatoes that have been cooked, but not nearly as long or as much as those used for tomato paste. It is fairly liquid-y because the tomatoes are gently cooked to achieve a smooth, cohesive consistency. Interestingly enough, canned tomato sauce can even be made from tomato paste that is reconstituted with liquid. Tomato sauce can include many seasonings, including vinegar, onion, garlic, and salt, but many brands will include herbs like basil and oregano.  Tomato sauce can be used as a sauce in and of itself or it can be used as a base to create other sauces, like marinara, Shakshuka (a kind of Moroccan stew), or sauce for butter chicken, which you should definitely make in an Instant Pot.

Tomato sauce can be used to make tomato soup or bisque, used as a pizza sauce, or as a poaching liquid for eggs. I regularly heat tomato sauce with white beans and herbs for a hearty vegetarian meal which I top with chunks of burrata cheese, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. This canned staple is also a key ingredient in my family's Spanish rice, where it's added to toasted rice along with water, chicken bouillon seasoning, cumin, and salt. The sauce gives beautiful color, moisture, and a delicate acidity to the rice once it's finished.