Lately I’ve been using tomato paste in many of my recipes. I’ve learned that a tablespoon of tomato paste is able to add a different dimension to meat in the slow cooker (even in non-tomato based recipes). The annoying thing is opening a whole can of tomato paste just for 1 tablespoon.
So this is what you do…get a cookie scooper that is 1 tablespoon and scoop out the rest of the tomato paste onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze. Once frozen take out the tomato paste lumps and put them into a freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze until you need in a recipe. This is so easy and saves the tomato paste from getting moldy in the refrigerator.
You can also buy tomato paste in a tube (like a toothpaste tube) and if refrigerated with the cover on it will last forever. The brand I buy is concentrated so you use less. I little bit adds great flavor to a lot of recipes.
I do this as well with large Costco cans of tomato paste I used muffin tins to do this in to freeze into hockey puck size..I can get a Costco Can for $2.50 and yield me Alot of paste..
That is an awesome idea! New to your blog and am drooling at the variety and healthiness of your recipes!
So smart! Thanks! Now I will never waste tomato paste again!
This is a great tip!