The $4 Italian Pantry Staple That Makes Vegetables Taste 1,000 Times Better

You’ll always find a half-squeezed tube of Colavita Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste tucked between the chili crisp and soy sauce on my fridge door. The juicy red tube offers a secret umami boost to many of my back-pocket recipes, including the obvious marinaras and chilis and some more unexpected dishes. As long as I have an opened tin in the fridge and a backup on standby in the pantry, I can amp up even the most haphazard clean-out-the-fridge meal. 

Colavita doesn’t make the only tomato paste at the grocery store, but it’s the superior product to me. It’s cooked twice, which makes this paste darker, richer, and more umami-packed than other (likely cheaper) options. The smooth texture dissolves quickly into sauces and soups, and the squeezable metal tube makes storage and dispensing easy and mess-free. 

Of course, the flavor sets this tomato paste apart. It’s sweet and fruity with the deep, rich flavor of Italian tomatoes. The paste adds a can’t-quite-name-it complexity to all kinds of dishes, and I especially like to use it in recipes that aren’t tomato-based. It adds a touch of tomato, and the dominant flavors of caramel and natural sweetness are welcome in most of my favorite meals. 

Naturally, I whisk a dollop of tomato paste into my pasta sauces, soups, and braises, but I don’t stop there. One of my favorite ways to enhance roasted veggies is to coat them in a mixture of Colavita paste loosened with olive oil and seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper. I roast them at 400°F until the veggies are tender for a beautifully caramelized, savory side dish. This method is especially great with hearty root veggies like carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes or cruciferous Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. 

Buy: Colavita Double-Concentrated Tomato Paste, $4.19 for 4.5 ounces at Instacart

What’s your secret to the best-tasting vegetables? Tell us about it in the comments below.