All the tang of classic ketchup with a little spicy kick. And without any added sugar! Paleo and low carb versions. This post is sponsored by Tabasco®.
The idea of making my own ketchup actually occurred to me in advance of the Tabasco cooking challenge. In fact, I’d already purchased several pounds of fresh tomatoes at my local farmer’s market with that very intention. And so I was at first delighted when ran my eyes down the ingredients list from Tabasco and saw tomatoes. How perfect, I thought.
And then I thought about it a little more and my heart began to sink. Because ketchup is typically sweetened and there were no sweeteners on the list of ingredients. And ketchup typically contains vinegar to give it a tanginess, and vinegar was nowhere to be seen on that ingredients list. I began to realize that if I attempted ketchup with these limited ingredients, I might end up with something more akin to regular, albeit spicy, tomato sauce.
But as I said at the beginning of this challenge, limited ingredients can really fire up your creativity. It dawned on me that although I couldn’t use my usual sweeteners, dried fruit has plenty of sweetness for ketchup. And as Tabasco Original Red Sauce is made up of hot peppers and vinegar, I figured it would add enough spice and tang. Okay, so dates aren’t exactly low carb, but I thought it would be fun to whip up a Paleo Ketchup recipe for the Tabasco Challenge.
And I did actually make a low carb version too, so that I could enjoy some ketchup myself. The instructions for that version are at the end of the recipe!
Spicy Paleo Ketchup
Ingredients
- 4 medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 lbs tomatoes peeled and seeded, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine dates and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until translucent.
- Add tomatoes,date/water mixture. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer half an hour.
- Transfer to a blender or blend with a immersion blender until smooth.
- Return mixture to pot, add Tabasco and season with salt and pepper. Return to a simmer and cook until mixture is the consistency of ketchup (this may take upwards of 2 hours).
- Add additional salt, pepper and Tabasco if desired.
- For a lower carb version, skip the dates. Add ½ cup of water when adding tomatoes. When adding Tabasco, add ⅓ cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol.
Roshani says
This looks delicious and I need to make this recipe soon! Thanks for sharing!
Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says
Love homemade ketchup! (And of course, your added spicy kick!) 🙂
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
I think your ketchup looks fabulous! I love the spicy kick!
Alice B. says
Carolyn,
I have thoroughly enjoyed this Tabasco challenge and your creativity resulting in the great recipes and ideas you developed! Kudo’s to you!!! You have done an awesome job!
As always, thank you so very much!
Alice B.
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Oh, my husband will love this! He was just talking about making a spicy ketchup this weekend! Now I have a recipe to follow! 🙂
Carolyn says
Cool! Way healthier with the dates than with sugar!
Vicki Bensinger says
Oops meant to say dates not figs. Although figs could be tasty too!
Carolyn says
Dates, figs…any dried fruit that can help sweeten it!
Vicki Bensinger says
I love your ketchup redux. It’s so healthy and I’m sure delicious with the added TVs for sweetness. Great recipe. I’ll be saving this.