[1] Canned tomatoes are typically plum tomatoes (photo © Hunt’s).

[2] First Place: Bianco di Napoli canned tomatoes (photo © Instacart).

[3] Second Place: Market Pantry canned tomatoes (photo © Target).

[4] Third Place: San Merican canned tomatoes (photo © Whole Foods).

Many of us used canned tomatoes for tomato sauce, chili, enchiladas, meatloaf glaze, shakshuka and other dishes, including tomato soup.

When you’re scouting the pantry to put a meal together, you can add canned tomatoes when cooking rice and other grains, as a “simmer sauce,” to jazz up boxed mac and cheese, and to pop into a casserole, for example.

Canned tomatoes are low in calories and high in fiber, iron and vitamins B6 and C.

They’re also an excellent source of lycopene, an antioxidant that can help to lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and macular degeneration.

But not all brands are created equal says the New York Times, which recently conducted a taste test among 12 brands of canned tomatoes.

All are available nationwide and/or online.

The brands were rank by flavor and balance: natural sweetness and acidity.

Prices vary, and you can see them in the full article.

However, the top brands could be two to three times more expensive as the least expensive brands.

Here are the recommendations: You can read the full article here.

We hasten to add that one tasting at one point in time is not the final word.

There are other taste tests from highly regarded food sites that have different rankings; and you may have your own ranking.
 
 
THE BEST CANNED TOMATOES

We weren’t familiar with the first two, but the number three choice is our own favorite brand.

1. Bianco di Napoli

2. Market Pantry

3. San Merican Tomato (S.M.T.) Whole Peeled
 
 
BETTER THAN AVERAGE CANNED TOMATOES

4. Cento Certified Peeled Tomatoes – San Marzano Tomatoes from Italy

5. Hunt’s Whole Plum Tomatoes
 
 
AVERAGE CANNED TOMATOES

6. Whole Foods 365 Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes

7. Rega Rega San Marzano Tomatoes
 
 
THE LEAST-LIKED CANNED TOMATOES

Five of the twelve brands landed in this category. All but 365 Brand were as expensive as the better brands.

8. Organico Bello Whole Peeled Tomatoes

9. Bella Terra Organic Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes

10. Whole Foods 365 Whole Peeled Tomatoes

11. Muir Glen Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes

12. Contadina Whole Roma Tomatoes With Basil
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TOMATOES <

We love this idea from Ardor Restaurant, located in the West Hollywood Edition hotel in Los Angeles.

This vegetable-forward restaurant uses organic ingredients, prepared simply but (as you can tell from the photo), impressively.

We’d also like to give a shout out to Chef John Fraser, a California native whose cuisine enthralled us when he helmed restaurants in New York City.

Here’s our copycat recipe of his beet “rose.”
 
 
RECIPE: ROASTED BEET ROSE SALAD

Chef Fraser serves this beet “rose” with whipped feta cheese and rose water. We used whipped goat cheese and basil olive oil.

You can substitute hummus or Greek yogurt spread.

The goat cheese or feta spreads are delicious on vegetable sandwiches (especially tomato and basil), crackers, atop baked potatoes, and most anything.

To roast the beets, we used this recipe from Ina Garten.

Ingredients

 
For The Salad

 
Preparation

You can roast the beets and/or make the whipped goat cheese a day in advance.

1. ROAST the beets and cool. Set aside.

2. MAKE the goat cheese spread. Mince the garlic and add it with the rest of the ingredients, except the chives, to a food processor.

3. PULSE until completely combined. Stir in the chives. Set aside.

[1] Beet rose salad, inspired by Ardor Restaurant (photo © Ardor | Los Angeles)

[2] For this special salad, look for special greens (photo of mizuna mix © Good Eggs).

[3] Herbed goat cheese (photo © iGourmet).

5. PLACE the whipped goat cheese into a serving dish or ramekin.

6. TOSS the salad very lightly with the vinaigrette and mound onto the center of a large plate or small platter.

7. MAKE an opening in the center of the salad and arrange the beets into “rose petals.” Start with the center petals and work out. If you have extra chives (cut or uncut), place them in the very middle, where the stamens would be.

8. DRIZZLE the beets with a small amount of basil, lemon or orange olive oil. Serve.

[1] Spring Panzanella Salad, an Italian classic (photo © Tending The Table | California Olive Ranch).

[2] A panzanella with a glass of white wine is a lovely summer lunch. Add the protein of your choice (photo: The Nibble).

[3] Radicchio is a member of the chicory family (photo: The Nibble).

[4] Arbequina EVOO (photo © California Olive Ranch).

[5] A spoonful of Dijon mustard elevates a plain vinaigrette, and can do wonders for other dressings, too (photo © Maille).

Updated June 2026

We love all kinds of bread, and that includes biscuits, pizza crusts, and the crunchy category: croutons, crackers, matzo, roti—you get the picture.

When leftover baguette and rustic loaves begin to dry out, we turn to a great Italian tradition: panzanella, a bread salad that turns stale* bread into homemade croutons, the start of a delicious salad.

It started out as peasant food, when every scrap of food counted, including hardened, leftover bread.

In the Tuscan tradition, the bread was cubed into large croutons that were soaked in vinaigrette to soften them, then tossed with greens and other vegetables from the garden.

Today, in an era where most of us can toss the stale bread, the process is slightly different. Just toast cubes of day-old bread to make croutons.

Panzanella can be a side salad, a first course, or a main course. It can be vegetarian or topped with proteins.

Below:

> Spring panzanella salad recipe.

> More panzanella recipes.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of panzanella.

> The history of bread.

> The different types of bread: a photo glossary.
 
> The year’s 20+ bread holidays.

> The year’s 40+ salad holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: SPRING PANZANELLA SALAD

Thanks to California Olive Ranch, producers of wonderful EVOOs for this recipe, which they adapted from one by Sasha Swerdloff of Tending The Table.

California Olive Ranch recommends Arbequina olive oil in the dressing.

They like the Arbequina olive varietal because of its subtle fruitiness and herbal notes. Those flavors pair nicely with fresh produce.

When you buy a blended olive oil that tastes fruity, that flavor is most likely contributed by Arbequina olives.

Ingredients For 2 Mains or 4 Sides

For The Croutons

Breads that make the best croutons are sourdough, French bread or rustic Italian bread loaves that are a few days old. However, if you only have a sandwich loaf is available, the croutons will still be very tasty—just not as crunchy.

 
For The Dressing

 
For The Salad

 

[6] Customize panzanella with seasonal ingredients. This one, with roasted delicata squash, is ready for fall (photo © Good Eggs).

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F.

2. PREPARE the bread: Toss the bread, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in the extra virgin olive oil, adding more as needed. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until crisp, 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

3. MAKE the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until emulsified. Season to taste and set aside.

4. ASSEMBLE the salad base: Combine the greens, snap peas, sunflower seeds, and parmesan cheese in a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat, then top with the croutons.

5. FINISH with an extra drizzle of olive oil, as desired. Serve and enjoy!
 
 
MORE PANZANELLA RECIPES

 

[8] Spring panzanella with asparagus. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good Eggs).
 
________________

*When the bread has no preservatives, we’ve found that one day or two days after purchase is fine for croutons. By the third day, the bread tends to be rock-hard and we can’t slice it. When this happens, though, stick it in the food processor and make high-quality breadcrumbs.
 

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