Food and Recipes Veggies Tomatoes 30 Ways To Turn A Can Of Tomatoes Into A Delicious Dinner By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on May 30, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Stacy K. Allen; Props: Josh Hoggle; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray If you think there are only a few recipes that you can make with a can of tomatoes, think again. From pasta dishes to soups to homemade pizza and more, these recipes will help you turn that can of tomatoes that's sitting in your pantry into a crowd-pleasing dinner dish. While we'll always love and use fresh summer tomatoes in our tomato pies and white bread sandwiches, sometimes canned tomatoes are just the pantry staple we need for a fast and flavorful dinner. Make sure to stock up on this must-have ingredient on your next trip to the grocery store so you can try out every single one of the canned tomato recipes on this list. 01 of 30 Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox When choosing a can of tomatoes to make homemade spaghetti sauce, our Test Kitchen recommends using San Marzano. 02 of 30 7-Can Soup Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox In addition to a can of tomatoes, six other canned ingredients and a few spices will help this soup come together in just 25 minutes. 03 of 30 Baked Ziti with Chicken Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Instead of ground beef, this baked ziti recipe comes together with rotisserie chicken. 04 of 30 Tortellini Soup Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox You can use frozen tortellini instead of refrigerated if desired, just allow them to cook for a few more minutes. 05 of 30 Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ali Ramee; Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood A can of crushed tomatoes helps form the homemade tomato sauce for this recipe which adds plenty of flavor to classic cabbage rolls. 06 of 30 Chicken Tortilla Casserole Stacy K. Allen; Props: Josh Hoggle; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray You'll know this casserole is ready to come out of the oven when the edges are bubbling and golden brown. 07 of 30 Slow-Cooker Taco Soup Emily Laurae / Southern Living Just brown your ground beef then toss everything into your slow cooker for easy and flavorful taco soup. 08 of 30 Cheesy Lasagna Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis This deconstructed version of lasagna comes together a little quicker than the classic recipe so you can enjoy the same delicious flavors in just 25 minutes. 09 of 30 Andouille Sausage and Smoked Chicken Gumbo If you can't find andouille sausage for this recipe, you can substitute it for any smoked sausage or kielbasa. 10 of 30 Chicken Spaghetti Casserole Hector Sanchez If you've never served this cheesy chicken version of spaghetti before, it will soon become a regular on your weeknight dinner rotation. 11 of 30 Smoky Mountain Brunswick Stew Southern Living Packed with pork, chicken, and veggies, this hearty stew is full of protein and flavor. 12 of 30 Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti Hector Manuel Sanchez Spend 20 minutes of prep time in the kitchen and let your slow cooker do the rest of the work. 13 of 30 Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Courtesy Oxmoor House Shared in her cookbook Martina's Kitchen Mix, Martina McBride says this is a creamy, comforting version of the classic soup. 14 of 30 Baked Ziti with Sausage Southern Living A trio of three cheeses, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, make this casserole a guaranteed crowd pleaser. 15 of 30 Baked Rigatoni with Zucchini and Mozzarella Recipe Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox This baked rigatoni recipe will inspire you to bring out your springform pan to make dinner instead of dessert. 16 of 30 Classic Okra and Tomatoes Monica Farber/Southern Living Tomatoes and okra are a match made in heaven in this classic Southern dish. 17 of 30 Fire-Roasted Tomato-and-Beef Ragù Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis This homemade sauce is perfect for preparing and storing in the freezer for a quick supper any day of the week. 18 of 30 Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Hector Manuel Sanchez These slow-cooker meatballs with tomato sauce were created with the idea of serving them as sliders, but they'll be equally as delicious served over pasta. 19 of 30 Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Greg DuPree This version of vegetable soup comes together in just 40 minutes. Topping each serving with basil pesto adds extra flavor in an instant. 20 of 30 West Texas Chili Southern Living Texas-style chili is known for its lack of beans. Enjoy with a spoon or serve over a bed of corn chips. 21 of 30 Easy Taco Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Switch up taco night and enjoy them in casserole form with this easy recipe. 22 of 30 Potato Crusted Pizza Photo: Hector Sanchez You'll be surprised to learn that this homemade pizza recipe calls for just five ingredients. It's even easier to pull together than ordering delivery. 23 of 30 Summer Brunswick Stew Hector Sanchez Choose your favorite barbecue sauce to personalize the flavor of this summer stew. 24 of 30 Quick Beef Chili Becky Luigart-Stayner Upgrade chili night by serving with an assortment of toppings: green onions, fried onion rings, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. 25 of 30 Cajun Chicken Cassoulet Iain Bagwell Using a Dutch oven for this one-dish dinner allows you to easily move this dish from the stovetop to the oven. 26 of 30 Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Greg DuPree Serve with crusty French bread to ensure that you can soak up every last drop of flavor. 27 of 30 Skillet Enchiladas Suizas Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox This easy skillet take on enchiladas comes together in just 25 minutes. 28 of 30 Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas A cornmeal crust serves as the base for a layer of meat and veggies that's finished off with a layer of Cheddar cheese. This one-dish meal is a weeknight winner. 29 of 30 Slow-Cooker Peas-and-Greens Soup with Turkey Sausage Antonis Achilleos The kale and tomatoes will be added just before serving after all of the other flavors of the soup have developed. 30 of 30 Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup This version of tortilla soup gets an extra depth of flavor from the smoked chicken and New Mexico chile powder. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit