Made with sweet potatoes, red peppers, kidney beans and sweetcorn, this Vegetable Mole is a simplified, vegetarian version of a traditional Mexican Mole. Ready in just 30 minutes, it makes a great weeknight dinner!
What is Mexican mole?
This Easy Vegetable Mole is inspired by the traditional Mexican sauce ‘mole’ (pronounced mol-eh and not like the animal who likes to dig up your garden!).
According to Wikipedia, a traditional Mexican mole might include 20 or more ingredients, including chillies, tomatoes, tomatillos, cumin, cloves, garlic and cocoa. The ingredients are roasted and ground and then water is added to make a sauce. The sauce is then simmered until it is very thick. The process is very labour intensive and can often take a day or more. (Though obviously these days the sauce is made commercially and can be bought from a shop!)
An easy vegan version of mole
Clearly a dish which takes a day to make and involves 20+ ingredients does not fit well with the ethos of Easy Peasy Foodie! After much experimentation, I have created a version that, I hope, captures the essential flavours of the dish but which takes far less time and uses a much simpler selection of ingredients.
Mole is traditionally made with meat, but this version makes vegetables the star of the show with a simple combination of kidney beans, red peppers, sweet potatoes and sweetcorn. It makes for a quick, cheap and healthy meal that captures a little of the spirit of a Mexican mole – but with a lot less effort!
What to serve with Vegetable Mole?
I like to serve this easy Vegetable Mole with brown rice and little bowls of all the ‘toppings’ (sweetcorn, pumpkin seeds, fresh coriander and lime quarters) for everyone to help themselves. But this dish is easily substantial enough to be served just as it is, or with some crusty bread, for an even easier meal!
What to drink with Vegetable Mole?
The rich, earthy, herbal flavours of this simple Mexican-inspired dish pair well with Syrah and/or Grenache based reds from the South of France, and also Tempranillo and Garnacha based wines from Spain.
Alternatively, if you prefer white wine, go for a zingy, zesty Sauvignon Blanc from somewhere like New Zealand or Chile.
What to do with leftover Vegetable Mole…
Once cool, place any leftover Vegetable Mole in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 4 days. To reheat, tip into a large saucepan, along with a splash of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Vegetable Mole?
Yes you can. Put the cooked and cooled mole in an airtight container and place in the freezer where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Vegetable Mole (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves grated or crushed
- 1 tablespoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Or to taste, but go carefully - cayenne pepper is hot!)
- 1 kg sweet potato (roughly 2 medium sized ones) peeled and chopped into 2cm / ¾inch chunks
- 2 red peppers chopped into 2cm / ¾inch chunks
- 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 x 400 g tin kidney beans
- Salt and pepper
- 1 x 200 g can sweetcorn drained
- Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges to serve
- 50 g pumpkin seeds for garnish (See Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
- Brown rice or crusty bread to serve
Instructions
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a wide, deep pan and add the diced onion. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 3-5 minutes until the onions have softened, but are not brown. (Use this time to prep your veg!)
- Add in the garlic, cumin, chilli powder and cayenne pepper. Lower the heat and fry for 1 more minute. (Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry.)
- Next, add in the sweet potato and red pepper. Give everything a good stir, then add in the tinned tomatoes, cocoa powder, bay leaves and kidney beans, plus some salt and pepper. Fill one of the empty tomato tins with water and add this to the saucepan and stir again.
- Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and then turn down and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Take the lid off after about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Stir occasionally to stop the sauce sticking.
- Use this time to cook your rice. (The brand of brown rice I use takes 20 minutes to cook. You may need to start your rice off earlier if your brand takes longer.)
- When the mole is ready, squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and stir in half the sweetcorn. Put the rest of the sweetcorn in a dish to serve alongside the mole.
- Garnish the mole with fresh coriander and pumpkin seeds, and serve with lime wedges and brown rice. Alternatively you could put the lime wedges, coriander and pumpkin seeds in little dishes on the table, alongside the sweetcorn, and let people to help themselves to the garnishes.
Notes
- To make this dish even better, toast your pumpkin seeds. Simply place the pumpkin seeds on a small baking tray and place in an oven set to 120C / 100C fan / gas mark ½ / 250F for 5 minutes. Watch the pumpkin seeds like a hawk to make sure they don't accidentally burn!
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Only Crumbs Remain / Angela says
I must admit that I’d never heard of a mole before (other than, as you say, the one that burrows under your lawn and is very cute!) so I was intrigued to learn more. For me it sounds delicious, but I can imagine that Mr E wouldn’t be on board with this one due to the spicing. I can I can imagine my folks going for it though, so it may well have to be one of those dishes I make with them.
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
Ha, I thought the title might be intriguing!! The spicing is pretty delicate actually, just a little tingle…I’m the sort of person who can’t cope with anything stronger than a medium curry and this is nowhere near! Pretty much all the recipes I put on the site are checked by my kids who will accept spices but only if it’s fairly mild…this one passed! You could always reduce the quantities too. Let me know what you think if you try it! Thanks for all your lovely comments 🙂 Eb x
Alison says
This looks lovely, my kind of meal
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Alison! Me too!! I love this kind of easy peasy one pot / 30 minutes type of cooking! Good for hectic evenings 🙂 Eb x
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
This looks lovely! Just the sort of thing we’d enjoy for a weeknight dinner. 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Helen. It’s a great one for a weeknight dinner: quick to make and not too much washing up! And if you make too much it’s great for lunch the next day 🙂 Eb x
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
This looks so good – and i reckon would adapt well to a slow cooker too! #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Lucy. Yes, I imagine it would adapt well to slow cooker cooking. Eb x
eileen says
Mmm, This would be great for a tasty and light dinner. Pinning it for later.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Eileen. It’s really tasty and great for a quick midweek supper. Eb x
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
I love a good mole sauce – have made it and bought it and wish I had it more – so this simple recipe might be a good alternative – looks lovely
Eb Gargano says
Thank you Johanna. Simplifying recipes is what I love to do! Eb x
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Lovely recipe Eb. Perfect for winter and so fresh and healthy. Great mix of ingredients…… and so quick too! Love the pan pic!
Eb Gargano says
And for once I’ve posted something gluten free! 🙂 It is a pretty awesome meal: healthy, easy and tasty! And as you say – perfect for winter. I just love this kind of food! Thanks for commenting 🙂 Eb x
Honest Mum says
Wow that looks delicious. Must try it! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Eb Gargano says
No worries. Thanks for hosting and for your lovely comments. It’s a really lovely recipe and very easy to make. A good one for a busy weeknight! Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Ooooh Eb, this looks so good! I must have a look at this book it sounds like it is full of delicious recipes. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
It’s a great book, Kirsty. Full of delicious, healthy recipes. Thanks for commenting 🙂 Eb x
Val Adams says
This is a lovely dish, filling and nutritious with just the right amount of spiciness, not harsh at all. As a vegetarian who eats fish (pescatarian) it was a very welcome change and I will come back to it again and again. I mixed in the rice to finish it off, I am not big on carbs so it was just a small helping. I will try it with bulgur wheat next time and maybe persuade my big, fat and ugly hubby (not really) to try it too.
Eb Gargano says
Hi Val – thanks for this lovely comment! So pleased you liked this recipe 😀 I hope your hubby likes it too! Eb