Tomatoes are such an important ingredient in so many foods: marinara sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, stews, curries … So having a tomato allergy or a nightshade sensitivity can really crimp your culinary enjoyment.
Well, fear not, there is a very good substitute! This recipe for Notmato Paste is adapted from a Nomato Sauce from Food.com.
Notmato Paste – The Method
Start by sautéing chopped onion and carrots in some oil.
Carrots, Onions and Beets
Add in a little garlic and cook briefly. Add water, chopped beet, and balsamic and white distilled vinegars. Simmer covered for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Puree in a food processor and Voila! You’ve got Notmato Paste! It really does look and taste like the real thing!
What can you do with your Notmato Paste?
There are lots of options. One thing I like to do is freeze individual portions in an ice cube tray. Once it’s frozen, stick the cubes in a zip-top bag, keep in the freezer and use in any recipes that call for tomato paste. I just used some in an awesome Salisbury Steaks recipe, which will be my next post. You can also use it to make barbecue sauce or marinara sauce.
Make Notmato Paste in volume and use it to create multiple sauces.
I recently made a quadruple batch of Notmato Paste – if you’re going to go to the trouble, might as well have enough to make a few things. I froze some cubes, made a bunch of marinara sauce for spaghetti and meatballs, had enough marinara sauce to freeze for future use and still had some Notmato Paste left to play around with ketchup recipes. I’ll be posting the marinara sauce recipe soon – we loved it! Once the ketchup is perfected, I’ll share that, too.
And added plus: beets and carrots are really good for you! So make up a batch of Notmato Paste and never want for tomatoes again!
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 small beet (about 2 oz), peeled and chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp white vinegar
- Heat ¼ cup oil in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes until onions are tender.
- Add garlic and stir just until aroma comes and then add 1 cup water.
- Add beets, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 2 Tbsp white vinegar.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes until carrots and beets are soft.
- Let cool a bit and then puree in a food processor.
Great recipe! I have been looking for a good nightshade-free tomato substitute for soup and stew base and this is perfect. It easily worked itself into my favorite venison stew and the recipe made enough to freeze for future experimenting. Thanks!
I can’t get this to pin to my Pintrest page. I’ve tried with several different computers, phones and browsers and a direct link and it won’t save. I assure you I’ll keep trying, but thought you might want to check it!
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and tips! I’m newly navigating this AIP swamp and you’ve been a great resource!
Sorry it’s not working. I’ll look into it.
Can this recipe be canned??
I’m not sure. Sorry, I am not an expert on canning.
Yes, no reason why not 🙂
How did you Turn the paste into marinara sauce for spaghetti?
Use it instead of tomato paste in this recipe: http://savorynature.com/2015/01/12/moms-spaghetti-sauce/
I’d love it if you could add nutrition information to this recipe!
I don’t have the capacity to include nutrition information here, but here is a link to US nutrient databases that can be used to estimate nutrient quantities: https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/nutrient-lists-standard-reference-legacy-2018
I’ve made nomato sauce before. Isn’t exactly like tomatoes but when desperate! The only issue is I can’t have cooked beets either. Is there a substitute for that too?
Nicole, you might try substituting pomegranate juice for the water and adding an additional carrot.
Thanks!! a couple of tweaks to this recipe … instead of vinegar I use fresh squeezed lemon juice … for pasta sauce I add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning!
Hi GaryB, did you replace both vinegars with lemon juice and was it the same amount please? Thanks, Louise
Are there weight or cup measurements that go with this? I want it to be pretty consistent if I’m gonna make it frequently.
Sorry I have not measured out the ingredients, but it is pretty forgiving.
about how much paste does this recipe make?
I believe it makes about 3 cups.
Hello Maria! I’m making an Instagram blog (just started) about clean eating and healthy cooking in Russian for Russian people, posting recipes from different authors. I just translate recipes and include the link to their site and Instagram account. Because unfortunately Russian people are very new to the AIP, Paleo and Whole30 and they don’t know what to eat and they don’t know it can be really delicious and they don’t know English that much too. Could you be so generous to let me post this beautiful sauce recipe on the blog? I think Russian people will really love it, it’s a life changer for me! All the links that you want to can be included in the post. Thank you!
Anya, you’re welcome to repost with a link back to this post. Glad you like the recipe!
Recipe says one small beet about 2 oz . I don’t see how this could be a correct weight. Can you please verify.
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne, I believe in the 2-4 oz range for a small beet would be correct. It doesn’t have to be exact though. If you’ve got a large one, you could use a quarter to a half of it.
The NOTMATO PASTE – NIGHTSHADE FREE is soooo good. I had my first plate of spaghetti today. We have plans to use it in many many recipes. I have not eaten any tomato sauce or things with tomato for about 5 years. I really missed it a lot. Your recipe has given me back some of my favorites. If I hadn’t known my husband was doing the notmato paste I wouldn’t have even known. It tastes just like tomato.
Thank you very very much for you wonderful recipes. We will be exploring and testing quite a few of them.
So glad you enjoyed it!
My friend is also allergic to onion and garlic, what do you recommend? She is unable to get fennel bulb.
You could just leave them out. They do add flavor, but it would still be a reasonable substitute for tomato paste.
I read asafoetida has a similar flavor profile to onion/garlic.
Hello,
Would a blender work as well as a food processor for achieving the smoothness in the picture? I am hoping to try this recipe, but I currently don’t have a food processor.
That should work. You might have to stop a few times and mix.
Hi Maria,
Quick question- This looks like a wonderful recipe. However, I’m not just allergic to tomatoes, but I’m also allergic to balsamic vinegar. Do you have any suggestions on what to add in place of the balsamic? Someone suggested lemon juice. Do you know if this works? Seems as though it would be missing some essential flavors. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
You could try apple cider vinegar is you’re not allergic to that.
And soy sauce….adds a bit of umami to a vinegar
Carrot pseudo tomato sauce–who’d a thunk it?! Learn something new every day :).
This opens up new possibilities for us (even though we can’t have the beets or several of the spices). It worked on a pizza-like concoction & has potential for zucchini-shred “pasta”. Thanks for posting it!
I may try pumpkin puree in place of the carrot & citric acid (“sour salt” or “fruit fresh”) in place of the vinegar, to more closely match the acids in tomato. Tomatoes are highest in citric & malic acids (vinegar is acetic acid). Carrots have malic acid :).
do you cook the beets first?
No, you don’t cook the beets first. They will cook as it simmers.
Being on a renal diet I’m always looking for kidney friendly recipes. One of the big no-nos is tomatoes and oranges. Anything high in phosphorus or potassium. So you can imagine there are a lot of things I can’t eat that contain tomato sauce. I’ve been looking for a substitute for this and seeing recipe I’m going to give it a try. Fingers crossed. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hello, Thanks so much for posting these substitutions. Because there is a huge lack for nightshade free salsa, I was wondering if you would be interested in producing a recipe similar to Kc naturals nightshade free salsa. The few recipes online are usually mango salsas or salsas that don’t look or come close to the real thing. Just thought I’d ask since you have had experience with making these kinds of substitutions. Thanks!
Thanks for the suggestion. A salsa would be fun to try!
I’ve been using a cucumber-based pico de gallo as my salsa replacement. I used this recipe as my base: https://www.amymyersmd.com/recipe/nightshade-free-pico-de-gallo/, but I omit the jicama and I use parsley instead of cilantro. I also add both lime juice and a splash of seasoned rice vinegar. I also include a generous amount of black pepper and tend to use daikon radish and find that these add a bit of a spicy kick. I also use the smaller pickling cucumbers because I find they have a lower water content and are much less seedy (I de-seed them). I also cut them up with skins still on (unlike the cited recipe).
While it might not have the exact flavour profile of a tomato salsa, I find that it contributes the same elements — its got a tangy spiciness that balances out the creamy/cheesy/meatiness of burritos, nachos, etc., and it serves to refresh the palate. I also like serving it with falafels.
Hey Maria.
Loved this! I used it in my stews, soups and or lentils in place of chopped tomatoes, which almost every recipe seems to always call for them. Tasted so good and flavorful.
One question I noticed your marinara sauce calls for us to use nomato paste but in that recipe the nomato paste is made using 1/4 cup white vinegar instead of 2 tablespoons is there reason why?
It uses a double batch of notmato paste so all the ingredients are doubled.
Let me be yet another person to thank you for this recipe. I have gone nightshade free for health reasons, much to my chagrin. I am a lover of tomatoes and spicy foods and trying to make many of the foods that I loved without tomatoes and peppers has been a challenge.
This nomato paste is great! I’ve used this paste to make my own nomato sauce for lasagna and pizza. I’ve also used it to make baked beans in nomato sauce. They turned out wonderfully.
My next experiment will be chili; I like the idea of trying to spice it up using horseradish, as you have in your own version. I’m looking forward to future experiments.
Cheers!
I made chili with some nomato sauce the first time I made the sauce….all I added was some chili spice to taste and simmered for about an hour so flavors could cook in. I made same way I always do, with kidney beans. I do add cut up peppers too and that helps up flavor as well.
BTW: am looking for how do I thicken the nomato sauce to more of a paste for pizza sauce. I put extra veggies in when I made sauce, but was still not ‘paste’ level and would like thicker. What veggie should I use more of or what can I do to thicken for a pizza sauce thickness?
Fyi – peppers are nightshades so that addition makes it not nightshade free. There is also a recipe for notmato paste here http://savorynature.com/2014/02/14/notmato-paste-nightshade-free/
I made the nomato sauce. I had some left that was not enough for pasta, but something …Chili. I figured why not try. I simply added chili spices, kidney beans and I also use garbanzo beans. I do add the kidney bean ‘liquid’ from the cans (I cannot in any way properly cook hard beans from scratch….tried, failed many times…just won’t work). Anyway, it worked great. I’ve only made 2 batches so far, just found the site/recipe. But, I am already figuring how to make this to fit my ‘original’ recipe that I have Dr’d. that my mom used to make with tomato sauce & paste and V8 juice. I hope this gets in here as the first note didn’t. BTW: It tasted wonderful! And better than I ever expected. Super rich, I also added beef boullion paste (I love this stuff, I found some at Walmart. It tastes more real, don’t need a lot for flavor and fits when I don’t have or want to add the actual meat. And it’s not as salty as dried cubes.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Being nightshade free has been a nightmare when cooking dinner as I’m doing one thing for the family and something different for me. They cannot tell the difference when I use this recipe. Someone posted they cannot have beets. I have had success using frozen dark cherries instead of the beets when I couldn’t get any. Hope that helps.
Oh my gosh!!! Thank you for this recipe. My daughter-in-law is allergic to tomatoes and it is so difficult to make delicious meals without it. This recipe will allow me to make some recipes and we can enjoy them. Again, thanks so much!!!
Hi there! This may be a silly question, but How do I make nomato sauce from this paste? Do I just dilute with water? If so how much? Thanks!
If you’re looking for a marinara type sauce, here’s a recipe http://savorynature.com/2014/02/27/nightshade-free-marinara-sauce/ If you just want plain notmato sauce, skip the seasonings and just add the same amount of liquid as in the marinara recipe – could be the wine and water or just all water.
Hi Maria.
I’m loving this recipe it tasted phenomenal. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup (120g) tomato sauce/puree can I just replace it to equal parts your nomato paste or that wouldn’t work? Would I have to make it until a nomato sauce first and if so any tips on how? Thank you.
I would suggest thinning the paste with water to make it the consistency of sauce or puree.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made one batch and have since used it in 2 dishes that both turned out wonderfully.
As a Mexican, being allergic to tomatoes left me watching from the sidelines to others enjoying some of my favorite dishes…not anymore!!
Last night I made “sopa de fideo” and it tasted just like the soup I had growing up, thank you for bringing nostalgic dishes back into my life with this great recipe.
I am so glad you’re back to enjoying your favorite dishes!
Can I can this?
Sorry, I’m not sure. I don’t know much about canning.
I found the carrot & beet combo to be too sweet, so I made it again using turnips instead of the carrots and carrot instead of the beet. Much more to my liking! Used ACV both times as I’ve never cared for balsamic. Heavenly in creamy chickpea soup. Will use it in lemony lentil soup next. So glad I don’t have to give up ALL my favorite recipes. Thank you for the inspiration!
I always think a recipe is just a starting point. Love to see such a creative variation!
Do you have to use so much oil? I am dieting but also have a tomato allergy (eczema) so need an alternative.
Thanks!
You could do it with just a tablespoon or two of oil and it would be fine.
So good I had to stop eating it by the spoonful or I would have had nothing left for my stew! Thanks so much! My son can’t eat nightshades and this will let him eat lasagna and other fav dishes.
Hello, I am excited to try this No-Mato paste recipe. What size carrots are you using? The bag I bought has very large carrots.
Medium carrots. Just use your judgement. A really big one might count as 2. A really small one might count as 1/2. The recipe is pretty forgiving.