This velvety sauce gets surprisingly creamy with puréed vegetables—no dairy needed. Of course, you can skip the puréeing if you’d like an even easier dish. Bonus: It freezes well.
This recipe was developed by Kate Sherwood, The Healthy Cook. Have a comment, question, or idea? Email Kate at healthycook@cspinet.org.
Serves: 6
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. ground coriander or cumin
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- a pinch allspice
- 1½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 15 oz. can no-salt-added tomatoes
- 2 15 oz. cans no-salt-added chickpeas, drained, with their liquid reserved
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- cilantro and sliced chili peppers (optional), for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Sauté the red pepper and onion until browned, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic. Sauté, stirring often, until golden, 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and the reserved chickpea liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. (Make sure to vent the lid and hold it firmly with a towel because the steam from the sauce can pop the lid off.) Return to the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Add the chickpeas and green bell pepper. Return to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, and vinegar. Serve with the garnishes, if using.
Nutrition Information
Per serving: (1 cup):
- Calories: 210
- Total fat: 6 g
- Sat fat: 0.5 g
- Carbs: 29 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Total sugar: 4 g
- Added sugar: 0 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
