Tomato Puree v. Sauce

[Reddyrat]

I have a recipe that calls for 14 oz of tomato puree.

What can I substitute for the puree? I'm assuming it's a little thicker than tomato sauce. Do you think I could use about an equivalent amount of tomato sauce thickened with 1 or 2 T of tomato paste?

Thanks,
Alison

[Agent Orange]

I have just pureed a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes. Essentially the same texture, although you may want to reserve some of the "juices" from the whole tomatoes. I'm sure a large can of diced would work as well. To me, tomato sauce is a very different product, but I guess it depends on what you're making whether or not they're interchangeable.

[EdwardAdams]

Interesting question. A little googling reveals that puree is quickly cooked and pureed tomatoes. Sauce is a catchall term that can include diluted puree to spaghetti sauce.

[Reddyrat]

Follow up from OP:

I ended up just using just using tomato sauce. Tomato puree was too hard to find at the store. I don't know why the recipe called for tomato puree. Tomato sauce worked just fine.

[newJJD]

Wouldn't canned crushed tomatoes be the same thing as tomato puree?

[hondo77]

Why do want to substitute for puree?

[dkenworthy]

Well, I can't buy anything called puree in my local stores.

[Dmnkly]

Other way around. Puree is just pureed tomatoes, whereas sauce is cooked and generally seasoned, so sauce is thicker and more intensely flavored. Personally, I don't touch sauce... I'll season my own, thanks.

If you have a recipe that calls for sauce, you could just simmer the puree for a bit and season it if you want for the same effect. Or if you're making a tomato sauce, just use the puree and simmer it a little longer.

[dkenworthy]

Here in CA I can never find puree, only sauce. I have sometimes taken a can of diced canned tomatoes and pureed it in the food processor as a substitute, sometimes I just use the sauce. Adding a little bit of tomato paste sounds like a good idea.