When it comes to cooking meals, the spices you choose can make or break the dish.
Depending on the flavor you’re going for, there are countless options from which you can choose to take your recipes to the next level.
One popular spice that we’ll be talking about today can actually be found in the HelloFresh subscription boxes.
Whether you hate grocery shopping or find it challenging to cook for just one or two people on a consistent basis.
HelloFresh is a fantastic alternative to creating your own meals. The subscription also comes with a lot of delicious spices and sauces that you may find yourself craving: Tuscan Heat Spice.
That said, if you find yourself wanting this spice without the subscription, you’re still in luck.
When it comes to alternatives for a Tuscan heat spice that comes in HelloFresh boxes, there are a handful of choices from which you can choose, such as Simple Truth Organic Tuscan Style Trattoria, Gustus Vitae Taste of Tuscany seasoning, World Market Tuscan Garlic & Herb, Creole seasoning, and Italian seasoning. You can also make your own home-made version out of spices you have around the house.
Whether you canceled your HelloFresh subscription and are missing out on that Tuscan heat spice, or you simply want to add it to a dish that didn’t originally come with the spice, there are a handful of different options that you can use.
Well, to be fair, there are actually many different options at local markets from which you can choose to replace HelloFresh’s Tuscan Heat Spice.
In this article, we’ve compiled the top seven choices, including store-bought options and a home-made one, too.
Without further ado, let’s dive in, so you can take your lunch and dinner dishes to the next level!
Tuscan Heat Spice Substitutes
1. Simple Truth Organic™ Tuscan Style Trattoria
Tuscan Style Trattoria seasoning rub from Simple Truth Organic™ is a great Tuscan rub for meats, vegetables, and plant-based proteins, too.
As the name suggests, this seasoning is completely organic with healthy ingredients that have a great shelf life, too.
It is also free from wheat, crustaceans, sesame seeds, eggs, fish, soybeans, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, and all their derivatives.
Tuscan Style Trattoria is available for purchase at local grocery stores like Smith’s, Kroger, Ralphs, and more.
Even if it isn’t stocked at grocery stores in your area, you can order it online in various places, including Amazon.
As it’s an organic spice, it will be more costly than other options, but it is definitely worth it.
2. Gustus Vitae Taste of Tuscany Seasoning
Taste of Tuscany seasoning is a blend of sweet and peppery flavors that will add a bold flavor to all types of recipes.
This spice mix has a thicker consistency that makes it especially great specifically for dishes like bruschetta and crostini.
Overall, however, it is a well-rounded spice that can be used across the board for meat, cooked vegetables, salads, and soups alike.
This Tuscan seasoning is all natural, non-GMO, and hand-packed in California with both local and imported ingredients.
It also does not contain any nuts, soy, dairy, sugar, salt, or gluten. It’s crafted in smaller batches, making it a bit more expensive than other seasonings.
That said, it is a high-quality spice, which can make it worth it.
Though it is not often physically stocked in stores, Taste of Tuscany seasoning can be purchased on the Gustus Vitae website, Amazon, and other online stores.
So, while you can’t pick it up as a part of your normal grocery routine, you’ll be able to have it brought to your door conveniently.
3. World Market® Tuscan Garlic & Herb Seasoning – Best All-Purpose Spice
World Market® Tuscan Garlic & Herb Seasoning is a premium blend of basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, and tomatoes.
It’s an all-purpose seasoning that can be added to a wide range of dishes, ranging from pastas and red meat to grilled fish and sauteed vegetables to everything in between.
This seasoning is a World Market® exclusive, so it is only available on the World Market website.
That said, it is still a cost-effective option that will make for a great addition to your spice cabinet.
More importantly, it will satisfy your craving for that Tuscan Heat Spice you can find in HelloFresh meals without having to subscribe to the meal service.
4. Italian Seasoning – Very Versatile Spice
In many cases, you can simply use Italian seasoning for a taste similar to the one a Tuscan heat spice will add.
The main difference is Italian seasoning won’t be as peppery or have as much of a spice. In most dishes, this won’t be a big issue anyway, so you can use Italian seasoning as is if that’s what you feel like doing.
That said, you can easily fix that by adding your own pepper and either cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper.
As with any dish, your own personal preferences will play into what the right choice is for your spice blend.
Whatever the case, Italian seasoning can get you pretty close to the flavor of Tuscan seasoning, so you can make the most out of any recipe.
5. Creole Seasoning – Best Spicy Hello Fresh Tuscan Heat Spice Substitute
Creole seasoning is often used as a substitute for Italian seasoning, so it only makes sense that it works for Tuscan heat spice, too.
Already, Creole seasoning will give your dish a bit more of a spicy kick than Italian, making it an even better alternative to Tuscan seasoning.
It has all the traditional herbs found in Italian and Tuscan spices such as oregano, thyme, and basil as well as white and black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Just be aware that Creole seasoning will be spicier, so you should be careful with how much you are adding depending on the dish you’re making.
For example, if you’re already making a dish that calls for peppers or spicy sausages, you can easily overdo it. However, this may not be an issue if you really like your spice!
6. Pizza Seasoning
This one may seem a bit odd, but trust us, it can work in a pinch! Your standard pizza seasoning usually includes garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and thyme.
Already this sounds a lot like a Tuscan Heat Spice, but you may have noticed the addition of smoked paprika.
This spice is, for lack of a better word, smoky. With this being said, you should be very cautious with how much of this complex flavor you want in your dish.
Too much can very quickly overpower any other flavor in your recipes, so you’ll want to keep that in mind as you season your food.
For soups and stews, you can get away with being more liberal. Other dishes that require seasoning meats or fish, on the other hand, will require a more careful hand.
7. Your Own Homemade Blend
Instead of opting for ready-made spices that come close to a Tuscan heat spice, make your own!
Fortunately, the recipe is very simple, and you’ll only need to mix six ingredients together: basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and fennel.
We’ll briefly go over the amounts of each you’ll need, so you can get started:
- 4 TSP Dried Basil Flakes
- 2 TSP Dried Rosemary Flakes
- 2 TSP Dried Oregano Flakes
- 2 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1 TSP Cayenne Pepper (More or less for different heat levels)
- 1 TSP Ground Fennel
- Salt and Pepper to taste
You can substitute or add some of these ingredients as well. For starters, marjoram makes for a good alternative to oregano.
Dried thyme, tarragon, onion powder, and sage can also add a nice flavor to the overall mix, depending on your personal preferences.
You can also add some crushed red pepper flakes for an extra kick. Check out our easy to make Copycat Recipe below!
Easy Tuscan Heat Spice Recipe (Copycat)
Instead of opting for ready-made spices that come close to a Tuscan heat spice, make your own homemade recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 TSP Dried Basil Flakes
- 2 TSP Dried Rosemary Flakes
- 2 TSP Dried Oregano Flakes
- 2 TSP Garlic Powder
- 1 TSP Cayenne Pepper (More or less for different heat levels)
- 1 TSP Ground Fennel
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Simply mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl
Notes
You can substitute or add some of these ingredients as well. For starters, marjoram makes for a good alternative to oregano.
Dried thyme, tarragon, onion powder, and sage can also add a nice flavor to the overall mix, depending on your personal preferences.
You can also add some crushed red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 53Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 306mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 5gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
No precise recipe is right for everyone, so play around with it and find one that you enjoy.
Time to Start Spicing Up Your Dishes
Now that you have a better idea of how to make your own Tuscan spice, it’s time to start cooking!
Tuscan Heat Spice and all its alternatives work well in a variety of dishes, including pastas, vinaigrettes, sauces, soups, stews, and salads as well as anything that has chicken, red meat, grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and more.
Whatever you’re cooking up, you can use any of these alternatives to Tuscan Heat Spice to give it that extra flavor you love.
We hope we’ve helped you plan out your next couple of meals and have filled the void left from not having those HelloFresh meals anymore!
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