Food and Recipes Veggies Tomatoes 22 Ways To Turn a Can of Tomatoes into a Delicious Dinner By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates 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 Published on May 19, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Southern Living 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 these 22 canned tomato recipes. 01 of 22 Chicken Spaghetti Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole If you've never served this cheesy chicken version of spaghetti before, it will soon become a regular on your weeknight dinner rotation. 02 of 22 Smoky Mountain Brunswick Stew Southern Living Recipe: Smoky Mountain Brunswick Stew Packed with pork, chicken, and veggies, this hearty stew is full of protein and flavor. 03 of 22 Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti Spend 20 minutes of prep time in the kitchen and let your slow cooker do the rest of the work. 04 of 22 Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Courtesy Oxmoor House Recipe: Martina McBride's Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup Shared in her cookbook Martina's Kitchen Mix, Martina McBride says this is a creamy, comforting version of the classic soup. 05 of 22 Herbed Beef Ragu Recipe: Herbed Beef Ragu Sautéed onions, carrots, celery, and garlic serve as a flavorful base for this slow-cooker meat sauce. 06 of 22 Baked Ziti with Sausage Southern Living Recipe: Baked Ziti with Sausage A trio of three cheeses, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, make this casserole a guaranteed crowd pleaser. 07 of 22 Classic Okra and Tomatoes Southern Living Recipe: Classic Okra and Tomatoes Tomatoes and okra are a match made in heaven in this classic Southern dish. 08 of 22 Swiss Burgers in Tomato Gravy Hector Sanchez Recipe: Swiss Burgers in Tomato Gravy Serving plated burgers topped with tomato gravy give an elegant twist to the cookout classic. 09 of 22 Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce 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. 10 of 22 Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup This version of vegetable soup comes together in just 40 minutes. Topping each serving with basil pesto adds extra flavor in an instant. 11 of 22 West Texas Chili Southern Living Recipe: West Texas Chili Texas-style chili is known for its lack of beans. Enjoy with a spoon or serve over a bed of corn chips. 12 of 22 Easy Taco Casserole Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Easy Taco Casserole Switch up taco night and enjoy them in casserole form with this easy recipe. 13 of 22 Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup Jennifer Davick Recipe: Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup This light and bright soup proves that it's not just a cold-weather dish. 14 of 22 Potato Crusted Pizza Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Potato Crusted Pizza 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. 15 of 22 Summer Brunswick Stew Hector Sanchez Recipe: Summer Brunswick Stew Choose your favorite barbecue sauce to personalize the flavor of this summer stew. 16 of 22 Quick Beef Chili Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Quick Beef Chili Upgrade chili night by serving with an assortment of toppings: green onions, fried onion rings, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. 17 of 22 Cajun Chicken Cassoulet Iain Bagwell Recipe: Cajun Chicken Cassoulet Using a Dutch oven for this one-dish dinner allows you to easily move this dish from the stovetop to the oven. 18 of 22 Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Greg DuPree Recipe: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Serve with crusty French bread to ensure that you can soak up every last drop of flavor. 19 of 22 Skillet Enchiladas Suizas Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Skillet Enchiladas SuizasThis easy skillet take on enchiladas comes together in just 25 minutes. 20 of 22 Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole With Polenta Crust 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. 21 of 22 Slow-Cooker Peas-and-Greens Soup with Turkey Sausage Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Slow-Cooker Peas-and-Greens Soup with Turkey Sausage The kale and tomatoes will be added just before serving after all of the other flavors of the soup have developed. 22 of 22 Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe: 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