Unbelievable Trader Joe’s Bargain at $2.99 – Why I Always Buy Four!

In my kitchen, there are two staples I never compromise on: canned tomatoes and handcrafted pasta. The disparity between top-notch and subpar canned tomatoes is stark and undeniable.

The best canned tomatoes have a rich, sweet flavor and, quite frankly, taste unmistakably like fresh tomatoes! I’ve had my share of disappointments with bland, metallic, and overly acidic canned tomatoes. No matter your culinary skills, starting with a substandard tomato can ruin a sauce, chili, or soup.

You really do get what you pay for with canned tomatoes. I prefer to stock my pantry with whole peeled tomatoes from Italy, believing that the less they are processed, the better they taste. I opt to do any dicing or crushing myself to preserve their flavor and texture.

My Passion for Trader Joe’s Italian Canned Tomatoes

However, imported tomatoes can often cost as much as a gallon of milk—or more—which is a tough pill to swallow given how many cans my family goes through! That changed when I discovered one of my now-favorite staples from Trader Joe’s: Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil Leaf. At $2.99 for a 28-ounce can, I buy them four at a time!

These tomatoes are cultivated in Italy’s Puglia region and go from the field to the can in under 12 hours, ensuring a fresh flavor. The first time I bought them, I tested them out with my go-to tomato sauce recipe by Marcella Hazan.

The recipe is quite simple, consisting of simmering canned tomatoes with onion and butter for a couple of hours. This method really highlights the tomatoes’ natural flavors. The sauce turned out thick, velvety, perfectly tangy, and a vibrant red. They passed my test with excellence!

It’s clear that these plum tomatoes are canned at the peak of ripeness, which makes a significant difference. The best part? The affordability! Even when buying in bulk, these cans are the most economical high-quality tomatoes I’ve found in years. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is a must-visit situation for the tomato aisle at Trader Joe’s; I’ll be there!