diced tomatoes with garlic & onion
Canned diced tomatoes pre-seasoned with garlic and onion, meant as a shortcut base for sauces, soups, and stews. Because the seasoning is already baked into the can, it saves a step of sauteing aromatics, but it also means accepting the brand's particular salt and garlic-to-onion ratio.
Buying guidance
Check the label's sodium content, since pre-seasoned canned tomatoes tend to run saltier than plain diced tomatoes. Taste before adding more garlic, onion, or salt to a dish -- it's easy to double up on flavors already baked into the can.
Substitutions
- Plain canned diced tomatoes plus sauteed fresh garlic and onion -- more work, but full control over how much of each goes in.
- Canned diced tomatoes with a different added seasoning, such as basil and oregano -- close, but shifts the herb profile.
Tips & common mistakes
The garlic and onion are already fully cooked into the tomatoes, so this doesn't give the caramelized flavor that sauteing fresh garlic and onion in oil would -- it's a shortcut for convenience, not a direct substitute in a dish where browned aromatics are the point.