5 light and healthy sauces ready in 5 minutes

Making fresh and summery dishes is easy, but sometimes it is a headache to finish them well, that they are very appetizing and complete, that they do not look like a jumble of things in the fridge or a simple salad.

To improve any fresh dish without cooking anything special, we can always resort to Quick and homemade sauces and dressings. They will not take you more than 5 minutes and you will have enough for several dishes.

In this article I show you some easy sauces and dressings whose main ingredient is vegetables. This will make it much easier to turn any pasta dish, salad or fresh legumes into a richer, more vibrant and exquisite meal.

fresh tomato sauce

It is one of the easiest you can do. Choose the tomatoes that you like, because in summer there are many varieties to choose from, and if they taste sweet to you, add some herb or spice with a stronger flavor (for example, bay leaf).

Ingredients

2 very ripe tomatoes about ⅛ teaspoon of salt Pinch of black pepper 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil A few basil leaves

Preparation

Grate the tomatoes into a bowl, chop the basil leaves and mix it all together. Taste it and rectify salt or spices to your liking. Leave it in the fridge until ready to use.

Use this sauce on cold pasta dishes, legume salads and the like. It is not necessary to add a lot. If you want to turn it into a lighter dressing, add a little cold water and vinegar or lemon juice.

pepper sauce

This one is denser than the previous one and goes great with cooked and cold vegetables, such as potato salads, to which we can also add walnuts, pine nuts and almonds for a crunchy contrast.

Ingredients

3 roasted piquillo peppers A pinch of salt A pinch of sweet paprika 1 teaspoon of lemon juice ½ clove of garlic (without the nerve)

Preparation

Beat everything with the mixer until you get a homogeneous cream. Store it in the fridge until you use it.

Using this recipe as a base you can make more different sauces. For example, you can add a few tablespoons of homemade vegetable mayonnaise and make a pink pepper sauce, or grated tomato, vinegar and pepper to make a piquillo pepper vinaigrette, etc.

zucchini sauce

If you take advantage of one day of the week to roast vegetables, you can make sauces like this in no time. It looks great with pasta, cooked vegetables, toasted breads…

Ingredients

1 roasted zucchini 1 clove of garlic seasoned (pickled) approx. ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon tahini

Preparation

Beat everything with the mixer until a homogeneous sauce is left, without bits. Taste it and rectify salt. Store it in the fridge until you use it.

More things can be added to this sauce: sesame seeds, lemon juice, ground pepper, mustard, fresh herbs (especially parsley, cilantro or chives), etc.

artichoke sauce

If you are looking for an original sauce, try this one. It goes very well with raw, cooked or steamed vegetables, so it is a good option to make a snack on the go.

4 cooked and drained artichoke hearts½ clove of garlic (without nerves)1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oilPinch of saltPinch of pepper1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Wash the artichokes, drain them and put them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Beat it all together until you get a more or less homogeneous cream. Store it in the fridge until you use it.

This sauce can be varied with ingredients such as tofu (a small piece), apple cider vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, chives… If you want it to be like a pestoAdd a handful of pine nuts, a tablespoon of debittered brewer’s yeast and a few basil leaves.

pico de gallo

It can be used as a sauce or dressing for pasta dishes, rice dishes, legumes and fresh salads in general. If you don’t like spicy, just skip it.

Ingredients

1 tomato½ onion½ green chili½ red chiliA dash of lime juiceA pinch of saltA handful of coriander

Preparation

Finely chop all the vegetables and mix them with the juice and salt. Finely chop cilantro and add, mixing. Leave it in the fridge until ready to use.

If you prefer it to be a more liquid dressingPass all the ingredients through the food processor or blender and pulse a few times, so that the ingredients are chopped but without making them a puree.