Cooks making chilli or taco fillings
If your recipe calls for a cooked tomato base, check its quantity before choosing a single tin or multipack. Tesco's taco chilli recipe uses one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes.
Who is choosing these tomatoes?
Cooks choosing a texture
Chopped tomatoes suit a simmered filling, while a finer chop changes the size of the tomato pieces. For a salsa you intend to pulse, Tesco's recipe starts with drained peeled plum tomatoes.
Shoppers checking ingredients and leftovers
Compare plain and seasoned tins against your planned recipe, and read the particular tin's ingredient and after-opening instructions before serving or saving any leftovers.
What matters when choosing a tin?
Choose the format for the dish first, then check the quantity, seasoning and storage instructions on the tin you will use.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Tin quantity | Check the net weight and number of tins. Compare them with your recipe quantity and consider when you would use any remaining tins. | For taco chilli, I can start with one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, as used in Tesco's recipe, rather than choosing a multipack solely for this meal. |
| Tomato texture | Check whether the tomatoes are chopped, finely chopped or peeled plum. For Tesco's salsa method, drain the plum tomatoes before pulsing them to the texture you want. | I'm simmering a filling and want chopped tomatoes, or I'm making a salsa that I can leave chunky or blend smoother. |
| Seasoning | Read the ingredient list for added garlic or herbs. Check the salt information per 100g before adjusting the rest of the recipe's seasoning. | If I'm adding my own garlic and spices, I want to know whether the tin already contains seasonings. |
| After-opening storage | Follow the container, refrigeration and use-within directions on the specific tin. The listed periods differ: Sainsbury's says two days, M&S three days and Asda four days after opening. | When I save part of a tin, I need its own storage instructions rather than assuming every brand has the same use-within period. |
Common mistakes to avoid
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Choosing a salsa tin as though it were a simmered filling
For its storecupboard salsa, Tesco drains peeled plum tomatoes and pulses them, stopping at a chunky texture or continuing until smoother. That method differs from adding chopped tomatoes to its cooked taco chilli.
Decide whether you will blend the tomatoes or simmer them in a filling, then check which format your recipe specifies.
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Assuming seasoned tomatoes are interchangeable with plain ones
Asda's garlic variant lists garlic and oregano ingredients. Those additions affect how much control you have over the flavour of a recipe you plan to season yourself.
Check the ingredients and salt information before substituting a flavoured tin for plain chopped tomatoes.
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Using one storage rule for every opened tin
The listed use-within periods vary between the Sainsbury's, M&S and Asda products, so a period remembered from another tin may not match the one you opened.
Follow that tin's directions for transferring and refrigerating leftovers, and use its stated period.
Brand and retailer ranges to consider
Tesco
Tesco's own-label Italian chopped tomatoes are a 400g option for cooked fillings; its taco chilli recipe uses that quantity of chopped tomatoes.
- A single tin matches the tomato quantity in Tesco's taco chilli recipe.
- Check the current tin's ingredients and storage directions when shopping.
Asda
Asda lists both plain and garlic-flavoured 400g chopped tomatoes.
- The plain version lists tomatoes, concentrated tomato juice and citric acid; the garlic version also lists garlic and oregano ingredients.
- Check whether the flavoured version fits the seasoning you have planned.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists its own-label chopped tomatoes and KTC chopped tomatoes in 400g tins.
- The own-label listing describes chopped tomatoes in tomato juice.
- Its own-label after-opening instructions say to transfer the contents to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and use within two days.
Napolina
Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky and packed in tomato juice.
- Napolina describes the texture as suitable for thick sauces.
- Choose the chunky format because it suits your intended sauce, rather than assuming it will suit a salsa you plan to blend.
Mutti
Mutti describes Polpa as finely chopped tomato pulp combined with tomato juice.
- Mutti describes Polpa as suitable for longer cooking when finer tomato pieces are wanted.
- Its stated texture is a format preference, not evidence that every Mexican-style dish needs finely chopped tomatoes.
M&S
M&S describes its 400g chopped Italian tomatoes as produced in Foggia, Italy, and preserved in tomato juice.
- The listed ingredients include Italian chopped tomatoes, tomato juice and citric acid.
- M&S says to transfer opened contents to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within three days.
Joybuy tinned tomato options
These tins cover chopped tomatoes for cooked chilli or taco fillings and peeled plum tomatoes for a salsa you plan to pulse or blend. Check the pack quantity against your recipe.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
These chopped tomatoes fit a simmered chilli or taco filling. The pack contains four 400g tins; Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky for thick sauces.
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Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
Consider this four-tin pack for a cooked sauce when you prefer finely chopped tomato pieces. Each tin is 400g; check the pack's ingredient and salt information when planning the seasoning.
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Napolina Peeled Plum Tomatoes 4 x 400g
Peeled plum tomatoes match the format in Tesco's salsa recipe, which drains and pulses them. This pack contains four 400g tins; allow for the draining and blending steps if following that method.
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KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g
This single 400g tin has the chopped format and quantity used in Tesco's taco chilli recipe. Check the tin's ingredients if you need to account for them when serving.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes 12 x 400g
Chopped tomatoes suit a cooked chilli or taco filling. This pack contains twelve 400g tins, so consider whether the quantity fits your plans beyond one meal.
Questions about tinned tomatoes for Mexican night
How many tins do I need for taco chilli?
Start with your recipe's quantity. Tesco's taco chilli recipe uses one 400g tin of chopped tomatoes; check the quantities in the recipe you plan to follow before buying more.
Should I use chopped or peeled plum tomatoes for salsa?
Peeled plum tomatoes suit the drained, pulsed salsa in Tesco's storecupboard recipe, which lets you stop at a chunky texture or continue until smoother. Tesco uses chopped tomatoes instead for its simmered taco chilli filling.
Does a garlic-flavoured tin replace the other seasonings?
Not necessarily: Asda's garlic-flavoured chopped tomatoes include garlic and oregano ingredients, but their presence does not tell you what else your recipe requires. Check the tin's ingredients and salt information, then season the dish according to the recipe you are making.
How should I store tomatoes left in an opened tin?
Follow the directions on the tin you opened. Sainsbury's says to transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and use within two days; the listed M&S and Asda use-within periods are three and four days respectively.
What should I check when cooking for someone with a food allergy?
Read the ingredient and allergen information on the specific tin you will use before serving it. Do not rely solely on an earlier online product description when checking what is in that tin.