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Home » Sauces, dips and marinades » How to make passata

How to make passata

Author: VJ Published : August 2023 Updated : August 2023 / Be the first to comment!

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Let me show you how to make passata at home so you can enjoy the freshness and flavour of summer tomatoes in your soups, stews, pasta dishes and casseroles all year long! You only need one ingredient. Can you guess what it is 🙂 ?

Tomato passata in a black serving dish next to a pile of fresh tomatoes.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Easy homemade passata
  2. So what is passata?
  3. What you will need
  4. How to make passata
  5. Homemade passata – FAQ
  6. How to peel tomatoes easily
  7. Save for later
  8. Other recipes
  9. The recipe
  10. How to make passta

Easy homemade passata

Enjoy the flavour of vine-ripened summer tomatoes all year long with this easy method for making your own passata! And all you will need to make passata are some fresh tomatoes!

Let me start off by saying that I am well aware that you can buy fresh tomatoes in the shops throughout the year. However, in my opinion, the cold-storage tomatoes that make their appearance in the UK supermarkets in the winter months have about as much tomato flavour as a banana!

They are watery, tasteless and have no flavour at all.

But with this recipe, you can easily make passata at home and stock your freezer with summer tomatoes and enjoy their fresh, vibrant flavour the whole year round. Plus you get all the goodness of the tomatoes with none of the preservatives that go into store-bought passata.

So what is passata?

Passata is simply tomatoes that have been sieved to remove the skin and pips.

But – here’s the trick. You don’t actually have to sieve the tomatoes if you blitz them in a food processor before you cook them. The food processor cuts the skin and pips into such small pieces that you hardly even notice them.

The skin of tomatoes contains lots of minerals and amino acids which have lots of health benefits so leaving the skin on the tomatoes means you get all the goodness that is stored in there.

So, blitz the tomatoes in a food processor and then cook them until the moisture that they release has halved then use a hand-blender to blitz the tomatoes even more, until they are smooth and luscious.

And there you have it – easy homemade passata that you can store in the freezer and use whenever you need it!

A black bowl of homemade tomato passata alongside a bowl of fresh tomatoes and a red-checked tea towel.

And this is how you make it.

What you will need

Equipment

You will need a food processor for blitzing the tomatoes. If you don’t have a food processor you could use a cheese grater and grate the tomatoes instead. You will also need a stick-blender to puree the cooked tomatoes, or failing that, a large sieve to push the cooked tomatoes through to remove any bits of skin.

For cooking the passata you will need a large frying pan or saucepan, and a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the tomatoes.

Ingredients

This recipe will make approximately 1 litre or 5 cups of passata. The actual amount will depend on how much liquid cooks out of the tomatoes.

**You can find the complete recipe for making passata on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Ingredients for making passata.
These are all the ingredients you will need to make passata:

Tomatoes – you can use whatever tomatoes you prefer, as long as they are nice and ripe. I used a mixture of tomatoes from hubby’s allotment.

Salt – this is optional. I added salt to the tomatoes because I wanted to be able to taste the finished product.

Other possible ingredients

Because I wanted to be able to use the tomatoes in a variety of dishes I didn’t add any extra ingredients. Depending on what you are going to be using the passata for, you may like to add some of these ingredients as well:

  • finely minced garlic
  • chopped basil
  • chopped chilli

I prefer adding any extra ingredients at the time I actually use the passata.

How to make passata

5 tomatoes with the core removed.

Using a sharp knife, remove the centre core from the top of each tomato, and cut away any blemishes.

A bowl of tomatoes that have been cut into quarters.

Depending on the size, cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters.

Quartered tomatoes in a food processor.

Place the tomatoes into a food processor fitted with a metal blade.

Pulped tomatoes in a food processor.

Pulse the tomatoes for about 30 seconds until they are finely chopped. You may need to do this in batches.

If you do not have a food processor, you can grate the tomatoes on the largest holes of a cheese grater. Discard the last piece of skin that remains.

Tomato pulp transfered to a frying pan.

Transfer the tomato pulp to a large frying pan or saucepan, add salt (if using) and bring to the boil.

If you are using other flavouring ingredients, add them at the same time.

Tomato passata in a frying pan showing the scum that forms on top.

You may find that the tomatoes develop a layer of scum on the top. This is due to impurities in the skin and it is not harmful. You can remove it with a slotted spoon.

A large frying pan containing watery passata.

Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to a strong simmer and cook for 30 minutes. There should still be quite a lot of liquid left in the tomatoes at this stage.

A frying pan containing fully cooked and thickened passata.

Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the passata has thickened. Blend with a stick-blender to thicken it further.

The actual cooking time will depend on how long it takes for the liquid to evapourate and allow the passata to thicken. You may need longer than I have stated.

Pack the tomato passata in meal-sized portions into freezer bags, or store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.

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Passata in a black dish with a spoon.

Homemade passata – FAQ

Why don’t you peel the tomatoes before cooking them?

Tomato skins (and the pips) contain lots of fibre and anti-oxidants as well as calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium, which is why I prefer to leave the skins on.
The skin is very finely chopped in the food processor and also blended with a hand blender after cooking so you hardly notice it.
If you prefer to skin the tomatoes before cooking you can do so. See below for a quick visual on how to peel tomatoes easily.

How do I freeze passata?

I like to pack my passata in one-cup portions into freezer bags so that I can just use what I need. You can freeze homemade passata for up to 3 months.

How long will passata last in the refrigerator?

Homemade passata can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

How do I use passata?

Passata can be used to add tomato goodness and flavour to many dishes. Use it as you would use store-bought passata. Here are some recipes that use passata.
Unstuffed cabbage rolls
Slow-cooker bolognese sauce
Meatball stuffed pasta shells in tomato sauce

Beef minestrone soup
If you have frozen the passata, do allow it to defrost before using it in these recipes.

How to peel tomatoes easily

This is an easy way to peel tomatoes:

Tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water.

Place your tomatoes into a large bowl and cover them with boiling water. Leave to stand for 2 minutes then plunge them into cold water.

A tomato with a knife showing the skin being peeled away.

Using a sharp knife, make a cross at the base of the tomato and peel the skin away.

Save for later

If you would like to make your own passata why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Other recipes

Here are some other recipes using tomatoes that you might like to try:

  • Crustless tomato quiche – tasty tomatoes in a light egg custard filling with a cheesy topping.
  • Tomato and onion pasta salad – a delicious pasta salad, packed with cheese, tomatoes and onions – perfect for a barbeque.
  • Moroccan lamb meatballs with homemade tomato sauce – succulent lamb meatballs served with a tangy homemade tomato sauce.
  • Green tomato chutney – sweet and tangy chutney with just a hint of chilli.

The recipe

Tomato passata in a black serving dish next to a pile of fresh tomatoes.

How to make passata

Let me show you how to make passata at home so you can enjoy the freshness and flavour of summer tomatoes in your soups, stews, pasta dishes and casseroles all year long!
Recipe by: Veronica
Side Dish
British
Calories 72
Prep 15 minutes minutes
Cook 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour
Servings: 5 cups passata (approx)
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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5 from 1 vote

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Stick blender
  • Large frying pan OR
  • Large saucepan
  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Cheese grater optional
  • Sieve optional

Ingredients

  • 4½ pounds 2 kilograms fresh tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil (optional)
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic (optional)
  • 1 small birds eye chilli (chopped) (optional)

Instructions

  • Using a sharp knife, remove the centre core from the top of each tomato, and cut away any blemishes.
    4½ pounds 2 kilograms fresh tomatoes
  • Depending on the size, cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters.
  • Place the tomatoes into a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
  • Pulse the tomatoes for about 30 seconds until they are finely chopped. You may need to do this in batches.
  • If you do not have a food processor, you can grate the tomatoes on the largest holes of a cheese grater. Discard the last piece of skin that remains.
  • Transfer the tomato pulp to a large frying pan or saucepan, add salt (if using) and bring to the boil. If you are using other flavouring ingredients, add them at the same time.
    1 teaspoon salt (optional), 2 tablespoons chopped basil (optional), 2 cloves chopped garlic (optional), 1 small birds eye chilli (chopped) (optional)
  • You may find that the tomatoes develop a layer of scum on the top. This is due to impurities in the skin and it is not harmful. You can remove it with a slotted spoon.
  • Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to a strong simmer and cook for 30 minutes. There should still be quite a lot of liquid left in the tomatoes at this stage.
  • Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the passata has thickened.
  • The actual cooking time will depend on how long it takes for the liquid to evapourate and allow the passata to thicken. You may need longer than I have stated.
  • Remove the passata from the heat and allow it to cool, then blend with a stick blender to puree the tomatoes further.

Notes

To freeze – allow to cool and then pack into 1-cup portions in plastic bags.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  Use in any recipe that calls for passata.
Store the fresh passata for up to a week in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition has been calculated per cup and assumes that you will get 5 cups of passata.

Nutrition

Serving – 1cup | Calories – 72kcal | Carbohydrates – 15.6g | Protein – 3.5g | Fat – 0.8g | Saturated Fat – 0.1g | Sodium – 20mg | Potassium – 948mg | Fiber – 4.8g | Sugar – 10.5g | Calcium – 40mg | Iron – 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Sauces, dips and marinades

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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