Tomato Powder is a must for any kitchen.  With a shelf life of up to 25 years unopened and one year after opening you don’t have to worry about running out of tomato sauce or throwing out expired sauce.  How many times have you used half of a can of sauce for a recipe, planning to use the rest later then had to throw away the rest because you never got around to using it?  I had never tried tomato powder until recently and I was so impressed with it.  The only ingredient is tomatoes, and I love that you can make as much or as little as you want.  I made pizza sauce with it and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use.  For a cup of tomato sauce you just add ¼ cup of powder to a cup of water.  If you want to make a tomato paste you just use less water.  I used the tomato paste to make some spaghetti sauce.  My family loved both of these and had no idea I had not used cans of tomato paste or sauce.  The powder made a bold and rich flavored sauce that tasted great.  It is so versatile that you can use tomato powder in soups, stews, Italian sauces, casseroles, meat loaves and even to make chilled tomato juice.  I am glad I tried this and I plan to keep on using it. [caption id="attachment_2191" align="alignleft" width="300"] tomato powder pizza sauce[/caption]  

Here is my spaghetti sauce recipe:

2 14oz. cans tomatoes, cut up

¼ cup tomato powder added to ¾ cup water (add more water if desired)

1 ½ tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. thyme

1 tsp. sugar

Mix ingredients together along with ½ cup water, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  May add baked meatballs and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes more. 

[caption id="attachment_2192" align="alignleft" width="300"]tomato powder spaghetti sauce tomato powder spaghetti sauce[/caption]

Contributed by Pam Higley