Tomato puree and tomato paste both have precise legal definitions under US food law. Passata does not.
That gap is not an accident. It explains why the jar on an American shelf often says strained tomatoes instead.
This guide covers what tomato passata actually is. It covers how it differs from the products federal regulation does define, and what to reach for when a recipe calls for it and the pantry comes up short.
The short version
Passata is raw tomato, cooked briefly if at all, strained smooth of skins and seeds. It is not concentrated down the way puree or paste are.
That is exactly why US regulation has no dedicated category for it. Federal law defines tomato puree as 8 to 24 percent tomato soluble solids, and tomato paste as anything above that.
Passata usually sits below even the puree threshold. It stays closer to fresh tomato in concentration, just smoother.
The closest substitutes are blitzed canned whole tomatoes. Tomato puree thinned back down with water works too, until it pours like passata again.
What passata actually is
Passata starts as ripe tomatoes, briefly scalded to loosen the skins. It then gets passed through a mill or strainer that removes skin and seeds.
What comes out is smooth and pourable, close to raw tomato flavor. It skips the extended cooking that concentrates puree and paste.
That lack of concentration is the whole point. Passata is meant to taste like fresh tomato reduced to a pourable form, not like a cooked, reduced sauce base.
US federal regulation defines tomato concentrates by soluble solids content. Tomato puree runs 8 to 24 percent, and tomato paste runs anything above 24 percent.
Passata typically sits below that puree floor. It is smoother than crushed tomatoes, but thinner and less concentrated than a true puree.
That puts it in a gap the regulation simply does not name. It is the practical reason passata shows up on American shelves labeled strained tomatoes instead.
The product does not cleanly fit the legal category American law actually defines.
Where the tradition comes from
In parts of southern Italy, passata making is still a single, intensive day rather than a year round habit. Families gather in August, when the tomato harvest peaks.
They spend the day washing, scalding, and milling tomatoes through a hand cranked strainer. A basil leaf goes into each bottle before sealing.
The filled bottles then get boiled outdoors in large pots to preserve the contents for the winter ahead. The finished product varies by region even within Italy.
Naples traditionally favors a smooth, thinner passata. Further south, some regions instead make a thicker, sun dried concentrate called conserva, closer in spirit to paste than to passata.
That regional split is a useful reminder. Passata was never meant to be a single fixed product, just a smooth, uncooked base built from whatever the summer harvest produced.
What to use instead
Blitzed canned whole tomatoes are the closest single substitute. Running drained or undrained canned whole tomatoes through a blender until smooth reproduces passata’s texture almost exactly.
Both start from a similar raw, strained base. Tomato puree works too, with one adjustment.
Since puree sits at a higher soluble solids concentration than passata, thinning it with a little water gets it back into passata’s range. Straining canned crushed tomatoes through a fine mesh sieve is a third option.
That works well when a recipe wants a completely smooth texture without any visible skin or seed fragments. None of these substitutes are identical to fresh milled passata.
Each one gets close enough for the vast majority of recipes that call for it. For a full breakdown of how passata compares to puree, paste, and sauce side by side, see this site’s tomato products guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is tomato passata the same thing as tomato puree?
Not quite. Puree is legally defined in the US as 8 to 24 percent tomato soluble solids, while passata typically sits below that threshold, since it skips the cooking down that concentrates puree.
Why does passata get sold as strained tomatoes in American stores?
Because passata does not cleanly fit into the tomato puree or tomato paste categories that US food regulation actually defines. Strained tomatoes is the label American brands use instead of inventing an unregulated new term.
What is the best substitute for passata?
Canned whole tomatoes blitzed smooth in a blender come closest, since both are essentially raw, strained tomato. Tomato puree thinned with a little water is a solid second option.
Is passata cooked or raw?
Mostly raw, or only briefly heated. The tomatoes get scalded just enough to loosen their skins before milling, not simmered down the way sauce or paste is.
Does passata taste different from tomato sauce?
Yes, noticeably. Passata tastes closer to fresh tomato, since it is not reduced or seasoned, while tomato sauce in the American sense is typically cooked down and seasoned before canning.
Bottom line: tomato passata is raw or barely cooked tomato, strained smooth and left unconcentrated, which is exactly why it slips through the gap in US food regulation that clearly defines puree and paste but not passata. That gap is also why it often hides under the strained tomatoes label on American shelves. When a recipe calls for it and none is on hand, blitzed canned whole tomatoes or thinned tomato puree both get close enough to work.
Sources
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 155.191: Tomato Concentrates