*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post with Tomato Wellness however all opinions, experiences and enjoyment of tomatoes are completely my own!
Lasagna has always been one of my favorite foods! As a kid, I loved it when my mom made us lasagna, and as a mom now, I love serving it to my kids. Although there are lots and lots of frozen and refrigerated pre-made lasagna options at grocery stores, there is nothing like the flavor and aroma of a homemade casserole dish filled with layers of pasta, meat sauce and cheese!
Over the years, I’ve modified Mom’s recipe by adding in lots of vegetables including frozen spinach, canned tomatoes, carrot, mushrooms, onion and celery. These plant-based additions boost the flavor and the nutrition to a dish that includes so many other ingredients that compliment them. I love the combination of frozen, fresh and canned vegetables, too; it’s convenient, budget friendly and I almost always have at least half of these vegetables on-hand! My lasagna would not be the same without the addition of juicy canned tomatoes and jarred tomato pasta sauce! These two staple ingredients are so versatile and consistently tasty. Here are some fun and important facts about canned tomatoes that you may not know:
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Tomatoes go from field-to-can within about 5 hours! The average amount of days for a fresh tomato to reach most supermarkets is at least two weeks. Unless you grow your own tomatoes or live by a farm, canned tomatoes are fresher than your typical grocery store varieties!
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Tomatoes that are picked for canning are harvested at their peak in flavor and nutrition, and the canning process locks in all that goodness until you are ready to use them!
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Canned tomato products are an excellent source of lycopene, a carotenoid that has strong antioxidant properties that protect our bodies from diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The heat that canned tomatoes are exposed to during the cooking process make the lycopene even more bioavailable to our bodies, which makes canned and cooked tomato products an excellent and nutritious choice.
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The long shelf life (about 3 years) and versatility of canned tomato products (diced, fire roasted, crushed, tomato paste and tomato based sauces) definitely make them a staple in my kitchen!
