sweet miscellany

This quick and simple tomato sauce comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal prep work! It is incredibly flavorful and pairs well with your favorite pasta or pizza. You can add basil for a fresh, summery flavor or enjoy it as-is!

Tomato season has officially ended in my garden. While last year was an incredibly productive one, I think this one take’s the cake! At one point I felt like I couldn’t eat them as fast as I was harvesting them. The very last harvest (pictured here) was the perfect opportunity to whip up a small batch of my quick and simple tomato sauce. It comes together in just about 30 minutes, requires minimal chopping, and yields an incredibly flavorful sauce that you would swear spent all day bubbling away on the stove!

What is Quick and Simple Tomato Sauce?

Quick and simple tomato sauce is a flavorful tomato-based sauce that comes together in about 30 minutes total. It has a rich tomato flavor that is perfect for pairing with pasta or spreading over pizza. It is not traditional by any means, but rather a flavorful sauce that can be achieved without spending all day in the kitchen. Here’s what goes into the sauce:

Cherry Tomatoes – the natural sweetness of cherry tomatoes yields a really nice sauce here. Since they’re already packed with flavor, it helps to achieve an incredibly delicious sauce with minimal ingredients in a fraction of the time of a traditional one. I used traditional cherries from my garden along with Juliet, a larger grape tomato.
Shallot – though not traditional, I love the sweetness and depth of flavor shallots add to the sauce.
Garlic – a very traditional addition, garlic flavors the sauce and perks up the tomatoes.
Olive Oil – helps to sauté both the shallot and garlic while also carrying flavor through the sauce.
Sea Salt– seasons the sauce and balances all of the flavors.
Basil – while an optional ingredient, I love the contrast of the fresh basil with the sweet and tangy sauce. Since the flavor of basil can be muted if cooked for too long, it’s added to the sauce at the very end.
Vegan Butter – another optional ingredient but one I love to stir in at the end to add a little richness to the sauce.

The Key to Making this Tomato Sauce in Just 30 minutes

The key to making this sauce in a timely manner is probably something you’d never expect…your blender! Instead of going to the effort of chopping up the tomatoes, we’re using the blender! The blender breaks down the tomatoes fully, including the skins. That way, you don’t have to worry about trying to strain out the tough bits of skin in your finished sauce. Obviously this is not traditional in any way, but it’s an incredible time saver, especially when you’re making a small batch of sauce like this one!

How Much Sauce Does this Recipe Make?

This recipe yields a “small batch” of sauce. In other words, it’s not going to make a big batch for canning. Instead, you’ll get about 2 cups of flavorful tomato sauce which is enough for enjoying with half a pound of pasta or 2-3 pizzas. You can multiply this recipe if you’d like to make more, but it will take longer for it to cook down.

3 Ways to enjoy Your Tomato Sauce

Paired with your favorite cooked pasta. For the photos, I used a pipe rigate pasta because it’s what I had in my pantry. You can use any pasta shape you like! If you prefer, you can sprinkle some vegan or regular Parmesan cheese over the top.
Spread onto homemade pizza. If you like to make your own pizza at home, I highly recommend trying this sauce! Simply spread some onto your dough and add your favorite toppings. Since it’s summertime, I think it would be lovely with a mix of zucchini and eggplant.
Paired with sauteed veggies and served over polenta. I love to pair tomato sauce with sauteed zucchini and mushrooms but you could also use eggplant! Once you’re sauce is ready, simply stir in your sauteed veggies of choice and serve it over warm polenta.

More Recipes for Tomato Season

Fresh Tomato Tart with Basil Pesto (vegan with gf option)
Summer Tomato Salad with Balsamic Pickled Onions (vegan/gf)
Herbed Polenta with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes & Macadamia Ricotta (vegan/gf)

Quick and Simple Tomato Sauce

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

5 cups ripe cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
Sea salt, to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil, optional
1 tbsp vegan butter, optional

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Instructions

Heat a large sauté pan (a straight-sided skillet) over medium. While the pan is heating to temperature, add your tomatoes to a blender. Blend until the tomatoes are fully liquified and the skins and seeds have been pulverized and broken down.

Add the olive oil to your pan once it comes to temperature, then add the shallot. Sauté until just softened, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Carefully pour your pureed tomatoes into your pan, then season with a big pinch of salt. Cook the sauce over medium, stirring it every minute or two to keep it from burning. The sauce is ready when it has reduced in volume by about half and has thickened to a lovely sauce consistency. This will take about 25 minutes depending on the size of your pan.

Once you remove the sauce from the heat, taste it and add more salt as needed. Then, stir in the chopped fresh basil and vegan butter if you like. Makes about 2 cups of sauce which is enough for about half a pound of pasta.

Notes

Cherry tomatoes will yield the best flavored sauce in this recipe. Use a mix of whatever cherry tomato varieties you have!
The basil and vegan butter are completely optional but are my favorite add-ins to the finished sauce. The basil lends great flavor while the vegan butter adds a little richness.
To enjoy the sauce with pasta, simply toss the warm sauce with cooked pasta. Garnish with extra basil and vegan or regular parmesan if you like.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: sauce

Long Bean Potato Salad with Basil Tahini Dressing (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Long beans, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and scallions yield a light and summery version of a potato salad that is dressed with a flavorful basil tahini dressing. To amplify the summer vibes of this vegan and gluten free salad, you can garnish it with sunflower petals!

The deeper we get into summer, the more I lose interest in cooking. I usually find myself calculating how long I can get away with eating fruit for lunch and dinner since it’s too hot to do much else. Obviously, this isn’t sustainable for me (or my digestive system!) for too long. Luckily, I’ve got dishes that I can turn to that are a bit more pared down than those of fall and winter. And this long bean potato salad just made its way onto the list!

This summery potato salad pairs local seasonal produce, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a super flavorful basil tahini dressing together for a truly delicious dish. It’s filling without being heavy and there’s no mayo in sight which can make it feel a bit too cloying in the summertime. I really love all of the flavors and textures at play here from the buttery soft potatoes to the crunchy sunflowers seeds to the sweet and tangy cherry tomatoes. I hope you give this recipe a try this summer!

Long Beans and Where to Find Them

Long beans, also called yardlong, snake, or asparagus beans, are legumes that produce edible pods just like green beans. Long beans are pole beans which means they have a vining habit and require the support of trellises to climb up as they grow. Once harvested, the beans are generally around 12 inches long and come in shades of green and reddish purple depending on the variety. The great thing about long beans is that they are much more heat tolerant than green beans so they are a summer staple here! It’s common to see them at farmers markets but they can also be sourced from Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find them, you can easily substitute an equal amount of green beans in the recipe.

What You Need to Make this Long Bean Potato Salad

Long Beans – they add some protein and a lovely bean flavor to the salad. If you don’t have long beans, you can use an equal amount of green beans.
Red Skinned New Potatoes/Baby Potatoes – form the base of the salad. Their soft texture absorbs the dressing really well.
Cherry Tomatoes – add freshness and a nice sweet tanginess that tastes like summer.
Scallions – add a nice mellow onion flavor that pairs really well with the beans, potatoes, and tomatoes.
Sunflower Seeds – add a lovely crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
Basil – lends its characteristic bright and summery flavor to the dressing which complements every element in the salad.
Tahini – adds creaminess and bulk to the dressing while keeping it from feeling too heavy.
Lemon – adds its bright and tart flavor to the dressing which pairs really well with the basil.
Apple Cider Vinegar – adds a bit more acid to the dressing along with depth of flavor.
Maple Syrup – helps balance the acid and amplify the flavors of the basil and lemon.
Nutritional Yeast – adds a savory, umami element to the dressing.
Salt – seasons while also enhancing all of the flavors.
Water – thins the dressing to a pourable consistency.

How to Make the Best Long Bean Potato Salad

Start by filling a large stock pot about 2/3 full of water and set it over medium high heat in order to bring it to a low boil. While the water comes to a boil, you can prep your long beans and potatoes. You want the potatoes to be in bite-sized pieces, so depending on their size, either half or quarter them. Trim off the stems of the long beans, then cut them into pieces that are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.

Once the water comes to a low boil, add a very large pinch of salt followed by the chopped potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they are just fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove them from the pot with a strainer and set them aside to cool. Add the beans to the cooking water. Cook them for about 3 minutes until they are tender, then strain them. Allow the cooked beans and potatoes to cool down to room temperature.

While the beans and potatoes are cooling down, chop the tomatoes and scallions and add them to a large bowl along with the roasted sunflower seeds. You’ll add all of the ingredients for the basil tahini dressing to a blender, blending until very smooth. The dressing will look thin at first but will thicken up as it sits.

The last step is to add the cooled potatoes and beans to the bowl with the tomatoes, scallions, and sunflower seeds. Toss, then add some of the dressing and toss again. Start by adding about half of the dressing, making sure to taste it to see if you’d like to add more. I ended up using about 2/3 of the dressing for this salad. Season the salad with salt as needed, then garnish with sunflower petals as you like just before serving!

More Fresh Salad Recipes to Enjoy this Summer

Long Bean Potato Salad with Basil Tahini Dressing

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6–8 side servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 lb red skinned new potatoes/baby potatoes
1 bunch (6-7 oz) long beans
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 bunch scallions
1/2 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup tahini
1 small lemon
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
packed 1/2 cup of basil
1/2 cup water
sunflower petals to serve, optional

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Instructions

Fill a large stock pot about 2/3 full with water and set it over medium high heat in order to bring it to a low boil. While the water comes to a boil, you can prep your long beans and potatoes. You want the potatoes to be in bite-sized pieces, so depending on their size, either half or quarter them. Then, trim off the stems of the long beans and cut them into pieces that are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long.

Once the water comes to a low boil, add a very large pinch of salt followed by the chopped potatoes. Cook the potatoes until just fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove them from the pot with a strainer, then add the beans to the water. Cook the beans for about 3 minutes until they are tender, then strain them. Allow the cooked beans and potatoes to cool down to room temperature before assembling the salad.

While the beans and potatoes are cooling down, halve the cherry tomatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl. Thinly slice the scallions and add them to the bowl along with the roasted sunflower seeds. Add the tahini, the zest and juice of the lemon, the apple cider vinegar, the maple syrup, 1/2 tsp of the sea salt, the nutritional yeast, the basil, and the 1/2 cup of water to a blender. Blend until very smooth. The dressing will look thin at first but will thicken up as it sits!

Once the potatoes and beans have cooled to room temperature, add them to the bowl with the tomatoes, scallions, and sunflower seeds. Toss gently to combine, then add about half of the dressing and toss again. Taste the salad, then add more dressing and/or salt as needed. Garnish with sunflower petals if you like before serving!

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Makes about 6-8 side servings.

Notes

If you cannot find long beans, use an equal amount of green beans.
Red skinned potatoes will hold their shape best once cooked as will any waxy potato.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: salad