Recipe development by Dalina Soto MA, RD, LDN

Food photography and copywriting by Isabel Vasquez Larson RD, LDN

Keep a stash of sardines and canned tomatoes in your pantry to prep this simple recipe, even when you’re overdue for a trip to the grocery store! It comes together in 30 minutes tops, and it’s packed with nutrients lacking in many people’s diets. The sardines are full of omega-3 fatty acids to lower inflammation and protect your heart, along with vitamin D—a vitamin most of our clients are deficient in.

Photo of completed sardines in tomato sauce over white rice with fresh parsley on top

What You’ll Need

We created this recipe with a few pantry staples. If you don’t already keep sardines in your pantry, that may change after you fall in love with this recipe. It’s easy to whip up for an omega-3 and protein-rich meal.

The ingredients you need for this recipe are:

Sardines canned in olive oil
Diced onion
Minced garlic
Crushed tomatoes
Tomato paste
Smoked paprika
Dried oregano
Black pepper
Red wine vinegar or lemon juice

If you want to be fancy, you can also use fresh parsley for a garnish.

Photo of the ingredients to make Sardines in Tomato Sauce

1. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion

First off, grab a medium-size skillet and heat the olive oil (or oil from the sardines) over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the chopped onion and sauté until it’s soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Photo of a pan on the stovetop with diced onions and olive oil being stirred with a wooden spoon

2. Add the garlic

Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until it’s fragrant. We used jarred minced garlic to save time. Because let’s be real—peeling and chopping garlic can be tedious and we’re all about shortcuts to make nutritious meals more accessible.

Photo of a pan on the stovetop with chopped onions and minced garlic, being stirred by a wooden spoon

3. Add tomatoes and spices

Next, add the can of crushed tomatoes (or two freshly crushed tomatoes), along with the tomato paste, paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt if you’re using it.

Simmer for 8–10 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium low to prevent it from boiling. Stir it occasionally.

Photo of a pan on the stovetop with tomato sauce and spices

4. Time for sardines!

Gently add the sardines to the sauce, being careful not to break them apart. They’ll inevitably fall apart a little, but try keeping them as intact as you can for a better eating experience.

Cook them for 3–4 minutes to warm through without breaking them apart.

Photo of a pan on a burner with sardines in tomato sauce

5. Stir in vinegar or lemon juice

Time to add some tang with red wine vinegar or lemon juice. Simply stir in whichever one you’re using so it’s incorporated well into the sauce. Be gentle to prevent the sardines from falling apart.

6. Garnish and enjoy!

If you’d like, garnish the dish with fresh parsley. We love this dish over a bed of white rice, but you can also enjoy it with pasta or crusty bread.

Photo of a plate with white rice topped with sardines in tomato sauce, topped with fresh parsley

Sardines in Tomato Sauce Health Benefits

Heart Health

Sardines are naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, per a 2023 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Most Americans fail to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation to eat two 3-ounce servings of omega-3-rich fatty fish per week. This delicious dish can help you up your omega-3 intake to follow this heart-healthy recommendation.

The olive oil also adds heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants to prevent cardiovascular disease, per a 2022 study in Frontiers in Nutrition.

The tomatoes contribute more heart-protective compounds like lycopene, an antioxidant linked to reduced cardiovascular risk, per a 2022 study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Tomatoes also provide a few grams of fiber for healthy cholesterol metabolism.

Diabetes

This dish balances protein and healthy fats from sardines with slow-digesting tomatoes to prevent blood sugar spikes. Each serving has about 3 grams of fiber, or 11% of the daily value (DV), and 18 grams of protein.

It’s low in carbs—with only 9 grams of net carbs per serving—so we suggest pairing it with a source of carbs like rice or pasta to give you energy. You can add another fiber source like avocado to further slow glucose absorption.

Sardines are also an excellent source of vitamin D—a nutrient many Americans are deficient in since there aren’t many food sources of it.

There’s a link between low vitamin D and type 2 diabetes. Some studies find that correcting a vitamin D deficiency lower risk of diabetes, per the National Institutes of Health.

Yield: 4

Author: Dalina Soto MA, RD, LDN