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Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato Sauce

March 28, 2025

Serving tomato sauce as part of a dish provides bold flavor and nutrients such as vitamin C and potassium, which can help support immune function and heart health to those in your care. Within the Child and Adult Care Food Program, tomatoes credit towards the vegetables component. Depending on how the tomato is prepared such as tomato paste and tomato puree, it may credit differently. But what about tomato sauce? Do you credit based on the volume served or is there an exception to this rule? 

You’ll want to pay attention to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, reveals the answer. 

Take a look at the information provided below to help guide you in determining how to credit different tomato products. 

  • The Crediting Handbook for the CACFP
    • Tomato paste, tomato puree and tomato sauce each credit differently in the CACFP based on their concentration. Below is how to credit each of the tomato products in the CACFP. 
      • 1 tbsp of tomato paste credits for 1/4 cup vegetable
      • 2 tbsp of tomato puree credits for 1/4 cup vegetable
      • 4 tbsp tomato sauce credits for 1/4 cup vegetable
    •  As you can see from the example above, tomato sauce is based by volume served, since 4 tablespoons equals to ¼ cup. So, if you serve a ¼ cup of tomato sauce, this will credit as ¼ cup vegetables.  
  •  Use the Meal Pattern Minute: Tomato Paste and Tomato Puree and this one to train or review with other CACFP operators on crediting these types of tomato products. 
  • Search for creditable meal components in the USDA Food Buying Guide. This interactive web-based tool can help you find specific meal components, their yield information and how much to serve to credit towards the CACFP meal pattern.
  • Here's a delicious tomato sauce recipe from USDA, packed with rich flavors from canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and a blend of aromatic herbs and spices. Perfect for pasta, pizza, or as a dipping sauce! 

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