14 Unexpected Ways To Pair Hot Sauce And Vegetables

Once you hop on the hot sauce express, it's hard to get off. The condiment is a popular staple all over the world, with different cultures using unique peppers and complementary ingredients to create their own versions. When it's boiled down to basics, hot sauce is typically a combination of hot peppers and vinegar. Sometimes it's fermented, sometimes it's mixed with aromatics, and sometimes it's so hot it can burn your taste buds into oblivion. 

The surprising pairing that isn't typically found in the world of hot sauce lovers is the use of the spicy condiment on vegetables. As vegetarian cooking explodes in popularity, it's time we all learned a thing or two about unexpected ways to pair hot sauce and vegetables. It's not that wild of a notion if you think about it. Hot sauce is made with vegetables, after all, and what goes better with veggies than more veggies? Grab a bottle of hot sauce, and your favorite vegetarian recipes, and let's get cooking.

When you think of leafy greens, a sizzling pan doesn't typically come to mind. But culinary creatives and home cooks know that there's nothing better than braised dark leafy greens. The unique crunch of a water-filled stem, along with those delicate leaves that absorb so much flavor is a win-win. Roast, grill, or pan-fry them to alter the texture and create a juicy, nutrient-dense side dish. Baby bok choy in particular is fantastic when braised and scalded in a pan. A head can be cut in half the long way, washed, and then placed cut-side down on a hot oiled pan. Add some sauce and you've got the most aesthetically pleasing and scrumptious dish in just minutes. When it comes to flavoring your bok choy, we like to crank up the heat.

Make a sauce with tamari, maple syrup, hot chili sauce, minced ginger, and garlic. If you can handle the heat, feel free to add quite a bit of the chili sauce, as the refreshing crunch of the stems will help to dilute it. First, cook the greens with a little water to steam, and the lid on. Then add your sauce and let it reduce as the bok choy begins to crisp up. Spoon some of the sauce over the cut head as it cooks, and when it's golden brown on the bottom and the sauce is nice and sticky, remove it from the heat and enjoy.

Those who have discovered the world of vegetarian tacos know that they've opened the door to Narnia. The options are endless, the flavors are incredible, the textures phenomenal, and you feel fully satisfied once you've licked your fingers clean. Although sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and mushrooms are commonly featured in vegetarian tacos, that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself. The most important step in any taco-making excursion is zeroing in on the spices. A quick go-to marinade for roasted veggies is tamari, maple syrup, chili powder, lime juice, minced fresh garlic or garlic powder, and hot sauce. For that heat component, we recommend using Mexican-style hot sauce which is unique since it's rarely fermented, uses less vinegar than traditional hot sauce, and can be thinner.

But why stop there? Mix Mexican-style hot sauce with vegan mayo to create a spicy, tangy, aioli to make those veggies shine. If that isn't your thing, consider just loading your taco up with plain hot sauce after you've added all of your fresh toppings like sour cream, sliced tomatoes, and avocado.

Roasted butternut squash is loaded with creamy textures and natural sugars and that sweetness is an ideal complement to heat. And although it's tricky to slice in half, the struggle is well worth the outcome which will be apparent the second you can smell it roasting in the oven. Buy a small squash as they tend to be sweeter, and try to grab one that is locally grown or freshly picked for an enhanced flavor profile and nutrient density as they are often more recently harvested. Next, scrub it clean and slice it in half the long way. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and place it cut-side-up on a parchment-lined oven pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and start grabbing your ingredients for seasoning.

For a simple spice-baked butternut squash recipe, try using olive oil, cumin, chili, salt, rosemary, and hot sauce. For a more experimental cook who still values the hot and sweet combination, use coconut oil, ginger, honey, and hot sauce together with cracked pepper and sea salt. Use as much hot sauce as you can tolerate, and bake for at least one hour. Stab the squash with a fork, and when it goes in easily without much-added pressure, it's ready to eat.

Who doesn't love biting into a crispy, deep-fried ball of smashed chickpeas, aromatics, herbs, and spices? The best part is, to enhance the experience of eating falafel we simply dip them in more blended chickpeas. When enjoying a stuffed falafel pita, it's important to include all of those veggie fixings. Diced cucumber, sliced tomato, pickled red onions, and of course creamy and refreshing tzatziki sauce, all packed into a grilled pita pocket. Don't forget the hummus and creamy tahini to pull it all together. This sandwich combines the perfect elements of refreshing and crisp, with crispy and dense. And the only thing missing? A little heat.

Both shatta and harrisa could be used in your pocket of veggies and beans, but if you're working with what you have in your refrigerator a little sriracha or even Frank's Red Hot can add a spicy punch. In contrast with the cool yogurt-based tzatziki, your taste buds will be sure to be satiated and excited. Not only does hot sauce add complexity, but it also awakens your palate.

For anyone who's settled for a vegetable wrap from a deli or at an office lunch because it's the only vegetarian option, then you know the struggle. A memorable, mouth-watering, saucy, and power-packed veggie wrap is just hard to come by, it's plain and simple. And it really does tend to be just that, plain and simple. We aren't sure when people decided it was okay to throw lettuce, tomato, carrot shreds, and spouts together in a wrap without sauce or seasoning and call it a day. That's like eating a salad without dressing. Luckily, there is one simple way to elevate even that sad little veggie pinwheel that your boss brought you for the lunchtime meeting. Simply douse it in hot sauce.

It's likely you can find some in almost any communal refrigerator or restaurant, but hot sauce lovers have been known to bring a little bottle of tabasco with them wherever they go. If you're making a veggie wrap at home, mix hot sauce with vegan mayo or ranch dressing to make the ultimate creamy spicy sauce.

Although the term "steak" might feel deceitful when it comes to cauliflower or cabbage, the truth is that the preparation and cooking process can be quite similar, and sometimes even the appearance can have a close resemblance. While we all know that cruciferous vegetables don't taste anything like beef, it's fun to experiment, learn, and stretch our culinary abilities to the max. For those who love to push boundaries, experiment in the kitchen, and appreciate a good spicy marinade, then it's time to get cooking.

Really, you should be cooking cabbage steaks more often. They're a healthy alternative to red meat and absorb flavor like nobody's business. The key to creating a good marinade for veggie steaks is to add an acidic, sweet, salty, and of course, spicy element. Whatever the theme of your marinade, add a heavy dose of hot sauce. It will help your vegetable to stand out and make an impression. If you're not so sure you can take the heat, drizzle a little on after it's been cooked.

For those who don't know where to start, follow our recipe for Israeli Cauliflower Steak and swap red pepper flakes for your favorite hot sauce. Be sure to add a drizzle more for garnish.

Grain bowls are all the rage, which makes sense because they are simple to make, and can be incredibly healthy depending on their ingredients. They are an easy go-to meal-prep option because, with different sauces and configurations, even the redundancy of overlapping ingredients can go unnoticed. To make each grain bowl unique, it's important to choose the right sauce. And by right sauce, we mean the right hot sauce.

While most bowls can handle a classic like tabasco, Franks Red, or sriracha, it may pay to choose a grain bowl theme and match your hot sauce accordingly. If you're loading up on black beans, rice, peppers, tomatoes, and onions then it might make sense to pick a Mexican hot sauce like chili rojo. If you're putting together a basic breakfast bowl with potatoes, quinoa, eggs, pickled onions, and kale we recommend a good old dousing of buffalo sauce.