When I was in the US recently, on all my (many, many) flights, complimentary drinks were served- you know, water, soda, various juices, etc... Soda I knew wasn't an option for me because they are so full of garbage and/or sugar so they'd make me feel sick... and even canned juices are usually with added sugar, and therefore, not an option. I decided to go for tomato juice, and the chilled, red drink tasted so delicious and was really thirst quenching.
After my 4th can of juice (or thereabouts- I told you- many flights), I decided to look at the ingredients, to see just "how bad" those drinks were. And what I saw surprised me. Pretty simple ingredients- and they weren't from "freshly squeezed tomatoes" or anything. No. They were made with tomato paste, water, and salt. That's it!
With ingredients like that, I didn't understand why people ever buy tomato juice, when it's probably super simple to make it from tomato paste. Except I never made it before, and I never knew how easy it was to make tomato juice.
Today, I decided to try it out. Is it actually simple and easy to make my own homemade tomato juice from a can of tomato paste?
Absolutely.
Does it taste the same as the store bought stuff?
Yes!
Wonderful!
Here's how you can also make it yourself. Cost wise, it is definitely worthwhile, since one (580 gram/2 cup) can of tomato paste, locally costs about $1.40, makes half a gallon of tomato juice, and a small, approximately 1 quart container of tomato juice costs about $2.85- so this is a quarter of the cost...
If you like to drink tomato juice plain, just make this and use it as is, or refrigerate for a refreshing drink. You can also use it to make Bloody Mary's (just add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, and vodka), or in recipes that call for tomato juice, like many stuffed cabbage and tomato soup recipes.