One thing that is common in every Indian household is tomato ketchup. It’s one of the most commonly bought sauces. But now that we are developing the taste for international cuisine, we have started storing other sauces such as pasta or pizza, sweet onion sauce, barbecue sauce and mustard sauce in our kitchen pantry. The Indian market is now thriving with a variety for all tastes and foods. While these sauces are delicious, it may not be advisable to have them with every meal. But did you know that you can also make your sauces from your leftover vegetables ?! Need to think about how it would taste or what can you possibly combine a vegetable sauce with? You would be happy to know that the possibilities to experiment with vegetable sauces are endless. Not only do they taste great, but they can also be good for your health. Let’s look at all of the vegetables you can experiment with.
Here are 5 simple vegetable sauce recipes for endless dining options:
1. Cauliflower sauce
This is simple, rich in flavor, and one of the most versatile sauces to use in pasta, pizza, chicken recipes, or simply as a dip with fries. It’s low in calories and nutritious. You only need three ingredients for this sauce – cauliflower, salt and garlic. First, cut your cauliflower into small pieces and cook until soft. When the cauliflower starts to soften, put it in your blender, add salt to your liking, and toss in three to four garlic pods. Mix this mixture together until it becomes a smooth paste and your sauce will be ready in no time. You can also add spices and experiment to your liking. Here are some other cauliflower dishes that you can try.
Cauliflower is nutritious and healthy. Make a sauce with just three ingredients.
2. Pesto
You saw this one coming, didn’t you? This is healthy, nutritious and tasty! All you need is spinach, garlic, salt, black pepper, olive oil, pine nuts, and a tablespoon of lemon for making pesto. You can use one and a half cups of spinach, wash and bring to a boil until soft. While the spinach is cooking, cut and remove the skin of three to four garlic pods. When this is done add the spinach, garlic, a handful of pine nuts, half a cup of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix this mixture until all the ingredients are combined. At the end, throw in your one tablespoon of lemon and the pesto will be ready in no time! This can be used in pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and with any protein of your choice. Here is an interesting spinach recipe for you.
Pesto is easy to prepare and tasty.
3. Pea sauce
This may sound a little unusual, but it can be used in a number of different things. To do this, you need vegetable oil, a medium-sized, finely diced onion, three to four garlic pods and half a cup of peas, two-thirds of the vegetable stock and, depending on your taste, salt and pepper. First, take a pan, add your vegetable oil, add garlic and onion and cook until fragrant. To do this, add your peas and vegetable broth. Cook for 5 minutes and then add this mixture to the blender and mix until a smooth paste is formed. When this step is complete, pour your mixture back into the pan and toss in the salt and pepper. Then your sauce is ready. Try these delicious meals on green peas!
Pea sauce may sound unconventional, but it is an interesting twist on the dishes.
4. Carrot sauce:
Our country is famous for the delicious and warm Gajjar Ka Halwa, but did you know that you can make a delicious bath from carrots too? This sauce can be served with any meal or snack, adding a sweetness to the carrots and a spicy note to the flavors you mix in. Just take two to three carrots and bring them to a boil. Then put these carrots in a blender and add seasonings like chili flakes, salt, pepper and half a tablespoon of lemon. Mix it until it becomes a smooth paste and your carrot sauce is ready in no time! Here are some other carrot recipes to try.
Photo credit: iStock
The sweet and savory sauce makes it a perfect sauce to try
5. Marinara sauce
Another simple, tasty, and versatile sauce that can be used with almost all types of food is marinara. To do this, you will need two tomatoes, an onion, four to five garlic pods, two tablespoons of olive oil, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Take a pan and add the olive oil to cook the tomatoes, onions, and garlic until they soften. Then pour these vegetables into the blender and mix the spices with salt. Mix until a smooth paste is formed and your marinara sauce is ready!
(Also Read: Cooking Tips: How To Make Restaurant Style Red Sauce Pasta At Home)
Make restaurant-quality pasta with red sauce from marinara!
6.Toasted paprika sauce:
This spicy, tasty and charred sauce makes it a perfect side sauce, be it for chicken, any other type of meat or just as a dip for vegetables. To do this, first take two to three red peppers and roast them on a pan. If you see the charred spots on the veggies, put me in a blender. Put salt, chilli flakes, pepper and two to three pieces of garlic in the blender. Mix this until a paste is formed. This charred sauce gives a spicy grill flavor that can be served with almost anything.
(Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About Bell Peppers)
7. Creamy mushroom sauce:
This sauce is most commonly used in pasta and can be used with an endless variety of vegetables and proteins. To do this, first cook your mushrooms in a pan until they are soft and golden brown. Add the chilli flakes, salt, pepper and oregano. While the mushrooms are cooking, mix together a tablespoon of cornstarch and a cup of milk. Whisk both together properly so that no lumps form. When you see the mushrooms cooked, pour milk and cornstarch and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. And your mushroom sauce is ready!
Try these sauces with different foods and let us know which ones you liked in the comments section below.
