15 healthy summer recipes featuring canned tomatoes

15 healthy summer recipes featuring canned tomatoes

With summer’s warm embrace, it’s time to celebrate the abundance of fresh flavors and nourishing ingredients that nature provides. From vibrant salads to refreshing drinks, summer recipes offer a delightful opportunity to indulge in healthy and delicious meals. However, one ingredient that truly shines during this season is tomatoes! 

While fresh tomatoes have their allure, canned tomatoes have their own advantages. Packed at the peak of ripeness, they offer consistent quality and flavor year-round. Canned tomatoes undergo minimal processing, are environmentally friendly, and are rich in vitamins A, C, and lycopene, an antioxidant associated with various health benefits.

So, let canned tomatoes be your culinary companion as you cook your way through the summer season. With their ability to infuse dishes with vibrant color, robust flavor, and nutritional benefits, you’re sure to create something that everyone will enjoy. From light and refreshing appetizers to hearty main courses, here are 15 healthy summer recipes to invigorate your taste buds and nourish your body.

15 healthy summer recipes featuring canned tomatoes

Check out this collection of healthy summer recipes to get inspired in the kitchen during the season. Plus, these recipes all feature canned tomatoes (and canned tomato products) for an added boost of health, color, and flavor.

10 Low-Heat Recipes to try THIS SUMMER!

10 Low-Heat Recipes to try THIS SUMMER!

Keep the heat down and the flavor high this summer thanks to slow cookers and instant pots! These low-heat recipes from dietitians are perfect for hot summer nights for when you don’t feel like turning on the stove.

There’s no need to heat up your kitchen on a hot day to turn out healthy, delicious meals! While it’s tempting to say “no” to cooking when the temperatures skyrocket, you can still beat the heat and enjoy dinnertime without turning on the stove or oven. Thanks to your trusty slow cooker or instant pot, you can enjoy your favorite tasty recipes all summer long! So, here are some low-heat recipes that are dietitian-approved to keep you and your kitchen cool during the hottest days of the year. Bon appetite!

10 LOW-HEAT RECIPES to try THIS SUMMER!

Keep the heat down and the flavor high this summer thanks to slow cookers and instant pots! These dietitan-approved recipes are perfect for hot summer nights for when you don't feel like turning on the stove.

For other crockpot recipes, check out some of our favorites:

Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
Wrangler’s Beef Chili
Pizza Soup

Summer Vegetarian Chili

Summer Vegetarian Chili

Summer Vegetarian Chili

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Who says chili has to be a cool weather dish? Pack your chili with loads of vegetables, give it a “meaty” texture thanks to steel cut oats (yes, steel cut oats!), spice it up with herbs and Latin spices, and top it with farm fresh avocados and green onions, and you’ve just discovered your next warm weather, rustic meal. Serve it with salad and cornbread and you’re all set!

Serves 10

Ingredients:

  • 1 POUND RED BEANS, DRIED (I.E., KIDNEY BEANS, CRANBERRY BEANS, RED BEANS)
  • 6 CUPS WATER
  • 2 VEGETABLE BULLION CUBES
  • 3 MEDIUM CARROTS, DICED
  • 3 STALKS CELERY, DICED
  • 1 ONION, DICED
  • 3 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
  • 1 GREEN BELL PEPPER, DICED
  • 1 ZUCCHINI, SLICED
  • 1 CUP YELLOW CORN, FROZEN OR CANNED
  • 1 14.5-OUNCE CAN DICED TOMATOES WITH JUICE
  • 1 4-OUNCE CAN TOMATO PASTE
  • 2 TABLESPOONS SOY SAUCE, REDUCED SODIUM
  • 1 TABLESPOON CHILI POWDER
  • 1 TEASPOON PAPRIKA
  • 1 TEASPOON CUMIN
  • 2 TEASPOONS DRIED OREGANO
  • 2 TEASPOONS DRIED CILANTRO
  • 1 TABLESPOON BROWN SUGAR
  • ¾ CUPS STEEL CUT OATS, DRIED
  • 1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE
  • HOT SAUCE TO TASTE
  • SALT TO TASTE (OPTIONAL)
  • GARNISH (AS DESIRED): FRESH AVOCADO SLICES, GREEN ONION SLICES, CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO, CHOPPED FRESH TOMATOES

Instructions:

  1. PLACE BEANS IN A LARGE POT, COVER WITH WATER, AND SOAK OVERNIGHT.
  2. THE NEXT DAY, DISCARD THE WATER, AND ADD 6 CUPS FRESH WATER AND BULLION CUBES. COVER AND SIMMER OVER MEDIUM-LOW FOR 45 MINUTES.
  3. ADD CARROTS, CELERY, ONION, GARLIC, PEPPER, ZUCCHINI, CORN, TOMATOES, TOMATO PASTE, SOY SAUCE, CHILI POWDER, PAPRIKA, CUMIN, OREGANO, CILANTRO, BROWN SUGAR, AND STEEL CUT OATS.
  4. STIR WELL TO COMBINE, COVER, AND SIMMER FOR AN ADDITIONAL 45 MINUTES, STIRRING FREQUENTLY, UNTIL BEANS, OATS, AND VEGETABLES ARE TENDER. MAY NEED TO ADD ADDITIONAL WATER LOST TO EVAPORATION. SHOULD MAKE A THICK STEW-LIKE TEXTURE.BEFORE SERVING, STIR IN LEMON JUICE AND ADD HOT SAUCE TO ACHIEVE DESIRED LEVEL OF SPICINESS. SEASON WITH SALT AS DESIRED (OPTIONAL).

 

Serve in bowls and garnish as desired with fresh avocado slices, green onion slices, chopped fresh cilantro, and chopped fresh tomatoes.

Recipe and photography by Sharon Palmer, RDN, The Plant-Powered Dietitian