What Are Plum Tomatoes and Homemade Tomato Sauce

Published by Izzy Yu

on Mar 29, 2023, Updated Nov 21, 2023

5 from 1 vote

Plum tomatoes are colorful, egg-shaped tomatoes that are great for making thick tomato sauce and tomato paste due to its relatively low water content. So what are they exactly? How to use them? What are the sizes? How to make tomato sauce? Let’s find out everything about plum tomato in this post!

What are plum tomatoes?

Also called Roma tomatoes or Italian style tomatoes (although technically Roma is a plum variety), plum tomatoes are also known as a processing tomato or paste tomato as they’re usually meaty and have few seeds. Because of the low water content, you can use them to make rich and thick tomato sauce without the addition of tomato paste .

They’re low in calories and are good source of several vitamins, minerals and potassium. The health benefits include reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

Plum tomatoes vs Roma tomatoes

Roma tomato is one of the popular varieties coming under plum tomato type, and is also called Italian plum tomato. They are oval-shaped. Another popular variety under plum tomatoes is San Marzano, which is slightly more pear-shaped than oval.

Plum tomato size

Plum tomatoes are small to medium in size. The small plum tomatoes are called Datterino tomatoes, similar in size to cherry tomatoes. Medium-sized plum tomatoes range in size from 2-4 inches tall.

Plum tomato substitute

Some substitute options for fresh plum tomatoes include:

Canned plum tomatoes: for 1 pound fresh plum tomatoes, use 1 ½ cups canned whole tomatoes;
Alternatively, you can use regular tomatoes and mix them with tomato paste.

Ways to use plum tomatoes

There are many ways to use plum tomatoes, and here are some ideas:

Making thick tomato sauce or tomato paste
Good for canning
Add them into salad or roast in the oven

How to make plum tomato sauce

Photo on the left showing scoring "X" on the bottom of the plum tomato; photo on the right showing peeling off the skin after blanching.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil.
Score a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife.
Pace tomatoes in the boiling water, and cook until the skin start to split, about 45 seconds (blanching).
Lift the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place them in cold water.
Transfer the cooled tomatoes to a large bowl. Peel the skin and pull apart the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands. (This will produce a very chunky sauce, if you prefer a smooth sauce, use a food processor to blend until smooth.)
In a large skillet, add oil and garlic. Fry until fragrant.
Pour the tomatoes into the skillet and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally until the sauce reach your desired consistency (30 to 90 minutes).
Stir in butter, balsamic vinegar and salt to taste.

Pro Tip: Shorter cooking times will yield a thinner sauce with a fresher tomato flavor, while longer cooking times will thicken your sauce and give it a cooked flavor.

This tomato sauce can be used in so many homemade recipes like pizza, pasta, chicken or fish!

Recipes that uses tomatoes / tomato sauce:

Easy tomato sauce made with plum tomatoes. You’ll need a few pantry staples like olive oil, garlic, vinegar, butter, and salt. Best of all, this will freeze so beautifully!

5 from 1 vote

Plum Tomato Sauce Recipe

By: Izzy Yu

Easy tomato sauce made with plum tomatoes. You’ll need a few pantry staples like olive oil, garlic, vinegar, butter, and salt. Best of all, this will freeze so beautifully!

Prep: 5

Cook: 30

Total: 35

Servings: tablespoons (2 cups)

Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 1 ½ lbs plum tomatoes, about 6-8 tomatoes
▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 2 tablespoons minced garlic, (I use 3 cloves)
▢ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
▢ 1 tablespoon butter
▢ salt to taste

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil.
Score a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife.
Pace tomatoes in the boiling water, and cook until the skin start to split, about 45 seconds.
Lift the tomatoes out with a slotted spoon and place them in the cold water.
Transfer the cooled tomatoes to a large bowl. Peel the skin and pull apart the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands. (This will produce a very chunky sauce, if you prefer a smooth sauce, use a food processor to blend until smooth.)
In a skillet over medium-low heat, add olive oil and garlic. Be careful not to brown the garlic.
Pour the tomato pieces (together with the juices) into the skillet and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally until the sauce reach your desired consistency. (Simmer for about 30 minutes for a thinner tomato sauce, and for up to 90 minutes for a thick tomato sauce.)
Add in butter, balsamic vinegar and mix well. Then season with salt to taste.

Notes

Homemade tomato sauce can last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If you’d like to extend the shelf life, freeze it in freezer friendly bags and it’ll last for about 4 months.