Cooks making sauces from roast leftovers
Chunky tomatoes can provide a textured base for a casserole or tray-bake. If the finished sauce should have fewer visible pieces, consider a finer chop instead.
Who is this for?
Shoppers comparing labelled sugars
Compare the 'of which sugars' figures per 100g, then read the ingredients. Tomatoes can contain sugars even when sugar is not listed as an ingredient; the nutrition figure alone is not a reduced-sugar claim.
Cooks checking salt across the meal
If the recipe also contains stock, gravy, stuffing or cured meat, check the tomato tin’s salt figure per 100g alongside its sugars figure.
What should you check?
Start with the nutrition panel and ingredients, then choose a texture that suits the sauce or leftover dish you plan to cook.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Labels and sugars | Compare 'of which sugars' on a per-100g basis and read the ingredients. Check the current can rather than treating 'naturally sweet', 'no added sugar' and 'reduced sugar' as equivalent descriptions. | I want to use the label to compare tins for my sauce. In a Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland survey of 611 people interviewed from 16 September to 23 November 2024, 49% reported actively using traffic-light labelling when shopping for food generally. |
| Tomato texture | Check whether the tin contains chunky, finely chopped or whole tomatoes. Decide whether visible pieces suit the finished sauce or whether you will need to break them down. | For a rustic casserole, I want pieces of tomato; for a smoother sauce with roast leftovers, I would choose a finer chop or plan to blend it. |
| Salt | Compare salt per 100g on the tins you are considering. Take account of stock, gravy, stuffing and other seasoned ingredients going into the same dish. | If several parts of the roast meal are already seasoned, I want to know what the tomato base adds before I season the sauce. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating tomato sugars as proof of added sugar
A tin can list sugars on its nutrition panel without listing sugar as an ingredient. A taste description does not replace either part of the label.
Compare 'of which sugars' per 100g and inspect the ingredients. Use 'reduced sugar' only when that claim appears on the exact pack.
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Picking a texture that works against the recipe
Chunky tomatoes leave more visible pieces in a sauce; a finer chop gives a more integrated tomato texture.
Choose chunks for a textured casserole or leftover dish. For a sauce with fewer pieces, choose a finer chop or allow for blending.
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Checking sugar but overlooking salt
The tomato tin is only one ingredient in a dish that may also contain stock, gravy, stuffing or cured meat.
Read the salt figure per 100g and taste after the other ingredients have been added and the sauce has reduced.
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Relying on an older product listing
The details on an online listing may differ from those on the can you buy.
Check the current pack’s ingredients, nutrition panel and storage instructions before using its figures to choose.
Brand and product references
These references concern the named tomato products, not every tin made by each brand.
Napolina
Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky and suitable for thick sauces, a relevant texture for casseroles made with roast leftovers.
- Napolina lists 3.6g sugars per 100g for its chopped tomatoes.
- That product figure does not establish a reduced-sugar claim or describe every Napolina tin.
Mutti
Mutti describes its finely chopped Polpa as suitable for long cooking and high-temperature recipes.
- Its finer texture is worth considering when large tomato pieces would not suit the sauce.
- Mutti’s manufacturer page lists 2.8g sugars per 100g for Polpa; check the current UK can before comparing that figure with UK retail-pack labels.
Tesco
Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes provides a chopped-tomato base with tomato, concentrated tomato juice and citric acid in its listed ingredients.
- Tesco lists 4.0g sugars per 100g for this product, allowing a like-for-like label comparison.
- Check the current can, as product information can change.
M&S
The checked M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes product is another chopped-tomato option for a sauce base.
- Marks & Spencer lists 3.8g sugars and 0.02g salt per 100g for the checked product.
- Check that the figures match the current pack when you buy it.
Joybuy tomato options
These tins cover chopped, finely chopped and whole peeled tomatoes for sauces and dishes made with roast leftovers. The list includes both individual tins and multipacks; compare the current pack labels if sugars or salt will decide your choice.
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KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g
A single tin of chopped tomatoes to consider for a sauce or casserole. Check its current sugars and salt figures per 100g, ingredients and any claim wording on the pack.
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Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
A four-tin pack with a fine chop for sauces where you want fewer visible tomato pieces. Check the UK pack’s sugars and salt figures before comparing it with other tins.
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Laila Canned Plum Tomatoes 12 x 400g
Whole plum tomatoes are an option if you are willing to break down the tomatoes while preparing a sauce or stew. This pack contains 12 tins; check that the quantity suits your plans and compare the current nutrition panels.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes 12 x 400g
Chopped tomatoes in a 12-tin pack for cooks planning several sauces or stews. Check the current pack’s sugars and salt per 100g, and whether you will use the full quantity.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
A four-tin pack to consider when a chunky base suits a thick sauce or casserole. Napolina lists 3.6g sugars per 100g for its chopped tomatoes; confirm the figure and any claim wording on the current pack.
Questions about choosing a tin
Are 'reduced sugar' and 'no added sugar' the same thing?
No. They describe different things and should not be inferred from a tomato tin’s taste or its sugars figure alone. Compare 'of which sugars' per 100g, read the ingredients and check the exact claim wording on the pack.
Which of the checked tins suits a thick sauce with a lower listed sugar figure?
Napolina Chopped Tomatoes is the chunky option among the three compared UK product pages and lists 3.6g sugars per 100g. Marks & Spencer’s checked chopped tomatoes list 3.8g and Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes list 4.0g per 100g. These are product-specific figures, so check the current can.
Should I use chunky or finely chopped tomatoes with roast leftovers?
Choose chunky tomatoes if visible pieces suit your casserole or sauce; choose a finer chop if you want the tomato to combine with fewer pieces left in the dish. Mutti describes its finely chopped Polpa as suitable for long cooking, but check the UK can before using its manufacturer nutrition figure to compare sugars.