DASH-Inspired Vegetable Stew
A vegetable stew built on no-salt-added tomatoes and low-sodium broth — full of carrot, zucchini, and greens, DASH-style.
This stew is built the way DASH-style eating generally recommends: vegetable-heavy, low in added salt, and flavored with herbs and spices instead of a heavy hand on the salt shaker.
No-salt-added canned tomatoes and low-sodium broth do a lot of the quiet work here, keeping the base of the stew genuinely low in sodium without you having to think about it too hard — which lines up directly with the recipe's heart-healthy and high-blood-pressure tags. Smoked paprika and thyme step in to add depth where salt normally would, and a full vegetable lineup — carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, spinach or kale — keeps the pot filling and colorful. Nothing here is fried or heavy on oil, just a single tablespoon to start the sauté.
Let it simmer uncovered so it thickens slightly, and stir the greens in right at the end so they keep some bite.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion — chopped
- 2 cloves garlic — minced
- 1 medium carrot — diced
- 1 medium bell pepper — diced
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 cup chopped spinach or kale
- 1 can — 400 g no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- 1Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- 2Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
- 3Add carrot, bell pepper, and zucchini; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 4Pour in diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in smoked paprika, black pepper, and thyme.
- 5Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- 6Stir in spinach or kale and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
- 7Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.