Plum tomatoes

Plum tomatoes or Italian style tomatoes are red, firm, egg shaped paste tomatoes. This tomato is meaty and is used to make tomato sauce or tomato paste. It can also be served as a salad tomato but they are typically "dryer".  The two types of tomatoes shown here are San Marzano on the left and Roma on the right.

Substitute For Plum Tomatoes

If your recipe calls for fresh plum tomatoes you can substitute one of these options:

• Substitute canned for fresh; for 1 lb fresh tomatoes use 1 1/2 cups canned whole tomatoes (if you are cooking with them; not for salads.)
• OR - You can use regular slicing tomatoes and a couple teaspoons of tomato paste.  Slicing tomatoes are more watery and sweeter than plum tomatoes so the paste will thicken the mixture a little and add more depth to the flavor.
• OR - Reconstitute about 6 - 8 sun-dried tomatoes. The tomatoes will still have a chewy texture and depending on the brand may be sweeter too. This works well in pasta dishes, casseroles and sauces.

Where To Buy Plum Tomatoes

Most well-stocked grocery stores carry fresh plum style tomatoes.  We find that they typically taste better than the average grocery store slicing tomato although they still lack the flavor of a home grown plum tomato.