Sugar-Free Tomato Chipotle Ketchup

Tasty Burger with Sugar-Free Chipotle Ketchup and a dollop of mayo

As our daughter squirted a nice big blob of ketchup on her hamburger at dinner the other night, she remarked with satisfaction that "ketchup made everything taste better."  Well, that's pretty accurate.  It certainly enhances the savory, salty flavors of meat.  A nice big dollop on top of a burger or hotdog - good stuff.  Eaten in sufficient quantities on tater tots or fries to be considered a vegetable in its own right?  Yeah.  Sounds good!



Of course, ketchup is pretty much off limits to those who lead a sugar-free life, so I set out to make a new recipe for it.  The fries and tater tots - well, sadly, that's never going to happen.  But we can say "heck yeah!" to burgers and hotdogs.

This recipe offers the sweet, spicy, vinegary notes that are the hallmarks of ketchup, with the additional complex smoky spice of chipotle.  It lasts for months in the refrigerator, so it's ready any time you are for a meaty treat.

Sugar-Free Tomato Chipotle Ketchup

1 @32 ounce can tomatoes in puree (use good quality tomatoes - it really makes a difference here)

2 TB olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 chipotle en adobo
1/3 cup erythritol
1/4 cup xylitol
5 tiny scoops stevia
1 TB tomato paste
1 stick cinnamon

1. Puree the tomatoes with an immersion blender or regular blender

2.  In a heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil, then cook the onion and garlic until they are softened

3.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, including the pureed tomatoes.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring with increasing frequency, until very thick, about an hour.

4.  Remove the cinnamon stick and let the mixture cool.

5.  Puree the ketchup again.

6.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer; it's good for a few months.