What Is the Difference Between Tomato Puree and Passata?
Tomato passata is a specific type of tomato puree that is not cooked and has had the skins and seeds removed. Tomato passata looks exactly like tomato puree, but there are purees available for sale that have been cooked and also have some of the skin and seeds still inside. Tomato passata and tomato sauce or paste have more easily identifiable differences.
When converting passata into a pasta sauce, tomato soup is a possible product to aid in this process. A delicious soup can be prepared by pairing passata with white beans. For those shopping in the United States, passata is not always easy to find. Specialty grocers often carry it, and it is available online. Passata is viewed as superior to canned tomatoes, many cooks recommend it over other raw tomato products.
Tomato sauce is precooked, and available with a wide variety of ingredients, ranging from meat and mushrooms to onions, carrots, garlic and other vegetables. Tomato paste has been cooked down and has a thicker consistency than tomato sauce and paste. If a recipe calls for tomato passata, substituting sauce or paste has the potential to ruin the recipe. Passata offers fresh taste that can easily be manipulated in different recipes.
