What hell for Italians looks like.

February 16, 2006 6:46 AM

What are GOOD "tomato-less" tomato sauces?

A friend can no longer eat tomato sauce. Said friend is Italian and is extremely depressed about this.

So can anyone point me to tomato-less sauce they've actually tried/made that comes damn close to mimicing the flavor of real tomato sauce? I've found several links on the web for tomato-less recipes, but none of them has any comments from people who have actually made/tried the stuff.

posted by Brandon Blatcher to food & drink (26 comments total)

I can't even imagine something tasting like tomato that doesn't involve tomato. Perhaps your friend should just develop a taste for pesto?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:13 AM on February 16, 2006

Let's go back one step: why can't your friend eat tomato sauce?
posted by mendel at 7:17 AM on February 16, 2006

The earliest mention of the tomato in European literature is found in an herbal written by Matthiolus in 1544 [3]. He described tomatoes, or as they were called in Italy, pomi d'oro (golden apple), and wrote that they were "eaten in Italy with oil, salt and pepper".

Italy has a culture extending back thousands of years and the tomato is a relative johnny-come-lately. Give it up.

Tomatillas have a somewhat similar flavor, although they may be genetically related and thus also off the diet, and their flavor differs enough that I think it would be difficult to adapt them to Italian style tomato sauces.
posted by caddis at 7:22 AM on February 16, 2006

Let's go back one step: why can't your friend eat tomato sauce?

Because it hurts his stomach. Acid reflux or gourd? Can't remember which one it is at the moment, but eating tomato or tomato based products sends him double over in pain. Something about the acid in tomatos.. He can get away with a bit of salsa on a few chips or little bit of pizza but tomato sauce just hurts real bad.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:23 AM on February 16, 2006

I would imagine anything that imitates tomato sauce might be equally acidic.?..

That said, if it's just for pasta, there are plenty of non-tomato-like alternatives. I eat a lot of pasta and I never buy premade tomato sauce. I usually use lighter olive oil sauces, sometimes cream sauces, then add stuff like garlic, onion, basil, lemon, anchovies, hot peppers, wine, vinegar, etc, plus whatever veggies.

All from scratch, and can be done in the time it takes the pasta to boil.
posted by p3t3 at 7:34 AM on February 16, 2006

I'll second the pesto suggestion. I've also enjoyed pasta tossed with some olive oil, garlic, and shredded fresh parmesan cheese.

I was going to suggest your friend try one of the low-acid tomato varieties, but on further investigation it appears that "low acid" tomatoes only seem to be less acidic, because of a higher sugar content.
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:41 AM on February 16, 2006

Pizza or pasta?

Pizza w/o tomatoes can be great. Use more olive oil and top with the regular cheeses and toppings, just no sauce or tomatoes. Grilled vegetable, peppers and pimentos can add some red, but won't really taste like tomatoes. Pesto pizza is quite a treat.

Pasta w/o tomato sauce? The recipes are legion. Pasta w/ tomato sauce is so boring. Pesto and pasta prima vera with either an olive oil or a light alfredo based sauce are old standbys.

If it is the acid that your friend misses add some vinegar, such as balsamic, to things. Too bad there is no real substitute for fresh tomatoes. Life without them could be tough, but tomato sauce can be done without.

For further inspirations I recommend: The Figs Table : More Than 100 Recipes for Pizzas, Pastas, Salads, and Desserts
posted by caddis at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2006

Your friend is not going to be able to find a substitute for tomatoes that tastes like tomatoes--it just doesn't exist. He'll have to find alternatives--sauces that are totally different, but enjoyable in their own rights.

Though basil pesto is the best known form, pesto also comes in other varieties: arugula, cilantro (coriander), mushroom, and red pepper.

Pasta with butternut squash (or pumpkin) and sage is a traditional Italian recipe; there are lots of variations on this as well. (I haven't made these recipes, but the first is very similar to one my sister made when she was home from Rome for the holidays.)

I love this lemon spaghetti, and of course there's always alfredo sauce, or olive-oil based sauces. I would hate to have to live on a no-tomato diet, but it can be done, and you can still get great eats.
posted by CiaoMela at 7:46 AM on February 16, 2006

I almost forgot the whole range of creme sauces, though they can get pretty rich, like carbonara (mmmm, bacon) or alfredo sauce. Oh man, I'm jonesin' for some Eyetalian food now.
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:49 AM on February 16, 2006

I made a pizza once where you use red peppers: boil them, take the skins off and blend them to make a sauce.

I can't remember the recipe, but you could experiment with that.
posted by lunkfish at 7:52 AM on February 16, 2006

I was going to suggest red peppers too - I make a killer sauce for pasta with olive oil, a bit of red wine, garlic, onions, red peppers, and large amounts of fresh basil and oregano. Give it a shot. Also, I wonder if sun-dried tomatos will upset said friend's stomach?
posted by slhack3r at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2006

As others have said, I can't think of anything that would really taste like a tomato without having tomatoes in it. However....there is a version of the classic tomato-based puttanesca sauce that is made "white," or sans-tomato.

Basically, you heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add 2 or 3 anchovy fillets and stir with a wooden spoon until they dissolve entirely. Toss in some garlic and sautee for about 2-3 minutes. Shortly before serving (right at the end of the sauce), add in some black or kalamata olives, capers, fresh oregano, bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.

It's quite savory and calls to mind the well-known tomato based sauce, but without all the red.
posted by kaseijin at 8:03 AM on February 16, 2006

Yeah caddis is right, there's so many alternatives.

And besides, you can also trick the eyes, if not the palate - here's a pasta sauce that looks like tomato sauce, but it's yummy red peppers instead. Course it won't taste like tomatoes but probably the closest thing - could also try adding zucchini and aubergines (after all they're from the same family as tomatoes, I think?). Another version, roasting the peppers in the oven.
posted by funambulist at 8:06 AM on February 16, 2006

I had some banana ketchup in a trip to Puerto Rico. It was delicious.
I found a lot of recipes in google. Maybe by adjusting the ingredients you could make something similar to tomato sauce.
posted by clearlydemon at 8:09 AM on February 16, 2006

No need to give up tomatoes entirely. There are many varieties that have much less acid than the typical tomato, though them may be hard to impossible to find off-season.

A good rule of thumb is the paler the color, the less acid it will have. Depending on his reaction, you may be able to use an orange tomato. If that doesn't work, try yellow ones. If that doesn't work, try white ones. To find them, you'll need to visit your local farmers' market and find a grower of heirloom tomatoes. If you don't know where to find such a thing, visit LocalHarvest.org.

I grow these, and have many customers who are in the same boat as your friend.

One other tip, if that's too much effort or you want off-season sauce: neutralize the acid with something alkaline. Milk and cream is slightly alkaline and may be enough. A pinch of baking soda is stronger, but you'll have to expiriment to see how the flavor changes.
posted by ewagoner at 8:40 AM on February 16, 2006

In the Uk we have a range of organic products called Nomato. Looks like there is something similar in the US too. For what it's worth, the Uk Nomato stuff is very tasty indeed.
posted by brautigan at 9:20 AM on February 16, 2006

Ooops. Try Nomato UK.
posted by brautigan at 9:23 AM on February 16, 2006

if they can live with just a little bit of tomato, ive made some very good sauces using just a little tomato paste but heavy on other things like artichoke hearts, celery, meat, mushrooms, red pepper, etc.

another of my favorite pasta sauces uses just eggs, black pepper, olive oil, and chopped up bacon.
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 9:36 AM on February 16, 2006

Nomato Pasta Sauce:

Ingredients:
Carrots, onions, concentrated apple juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, herbs & spices, beetroot concentrate, vegetable bouillon.

Who knows whether this will be a viable substitute for your friend, but I bet it would have been difficult to find without AskMe.
posted by caddis at 9:40 AM on February 16, 2006

How 'bout pureed red/green/yellow peppers, with some onions, garlic and mushrooms? Maybe some eggplant for more texture.
posted by Radio7 at 11:51 AM on February 16, 2006

Lately, I've been making tons of harissa, and am just crazy about it. Not a tomato substitute per se, but delicious and tangy in a less-acidic-but-still-vegetabley way. If that makes any sense.

There are tons of variations on this recipe; search around.
posted by Dr. Wu at 12:20 PM on February 16, 2006

For those still interested:

Sundried tomatoes are ok it seems, so a bit of shrimp with those and olive oil over pasta works.

Pizza without tomato sauche is surprisingly good. A little dry, but yum.

But I was hoping to get a bit of tomato sauce flavor somehow, so I'll over some Nomato and see how it goes.

Thanks all!!!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:22 PM on February 16, 2006

No need to give up tomatoes entirely.

Assuming it's reflux or acid. My mother has an allergic sensitivity and must avoid tomatoes, regardless of acidity. It's white pizzas and lemon/butter based sauces for her. Personally I prefer a white (garlic, olive oil & cheese) pizza.
posted by phearlez at 12:29 PM on February 16, 2006

As others have said, you can find good quality tomatoes with lower acid content.

Or, eat tomato sauce with an equal amount of something soothing to the stomach.

Or just take some antacid tablets.
posted by rxrfrx at 1:09 PM on February 16, 2006

I'll vouch for Nomato - my friend runs it ;-)
posted by i_cola at 2:44 PM on February 16, 2006

Consider the concentrated tomato paste you can buy in a tube. You get a lot of tomato flavor in a small volume, and the product seems low-acid to me. The Amore brand is good, though others are fine too.
posted by AuntLisa at 3:31 PM on February 16, 2006