Yellow tomatoes: sliced, whole cherry or passata, which jar for which dish?

We stock three jars of yellow tomatoes, all made by Pastificio Gentile of Gragnano: whole yellow cherry tomatoes in water and salt, sliced yellow cherry tomatoes with nothing added, and a passata made from yellow tomatoes alone. None of them contains preservatives, according to the labels. Which one to buy depends on whether you want whole fruit, pieces or a smooth sauce.

What is in each jar?

• Yellow cherry tomatoes, whole (Pomodorini Gialli al Naturale): yellow tomatoes, water and salt. 580 g, of which 510 g is tomatoes once drained. Per 100 g: 29.4 kcal, 0.1 g salt.
• Sliced yellow tomatoes (Pomodorini Gialli 'a Pacchetelle): yellow cherry tomatoes and nothing else. 970 g. Per 100 g: 29.4 kcal, 0.02 g salt.
• Yellow tomato passata (Passata di Pomodori Gialli): 100% yellow tomato. 980 g, sold under San Nicola dei Miri, the preserves line of Pastificio Gentile. Per 100 g: 32.2 kcal, 0.2 g salt.

Which jar for which dish?

Some ideas:

• Use the passata as the base of a sauce, a soup or a pizza topping, when you want the colour of yellow tomatoes all the way through.
• Use the whole cherry tomatoes when you want them to keep their shape: stirred into pasta at the end, spooned over bruschetta or added to a risotto.
• Use the sliced tomatoes for a quick sauce with pieces in it, or drain them for an antipasto plate.

What does 'a pacchetelle mean?

It is the Neapolitan name printed on the sliced jar, and the label's English translation is simply "sliced yellow tomatoes". Gentile also uses the name for one of its red cherry tomato jars, Pomodorino di Gragnano 'a Pacchetelle.

Which pasta goes with them?

Any of Gentile's Pasta di Gragnano PGI works. Two we have written about: calamaretti, short rings that fill with a sauce with pieces in it, and spaghettone, a thick spaghetto for a smooth sauce such as the passata.

How do you store them?

All three labels say the same: keep the jar in a cool, dry place, and in the fridge once it is open.

Where to buy yellow tomatoes in the UK

Crema Aroma stocks all three jars, with the rest of the Gentile range on our Gentile page.

Reviewed 27 September 2026.