Saucy meals in minutes

Here are some easy ways to use salsa to whip up instant meals.

Brown lean ground beef in a skillet and drain off any fat. Stir in salsa, chopped apples, raisins, and sliced pimiento-stuffed olives. Cover and cook 5 min. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.
Saute sliced onions until limp, add salsa, and serve over cheese ravioli or pierogies.

Broil slices of polenta (buy in a tube) and top with room temperature salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, and low-fat sour cream.

Scramble eggs or egg substitute. Serve topped with salsa verde (green salsa) or tomatillo salsa, shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese, and nonfat yogurt.

Bake snapper or catfish fillets. Top with salsa and sliced olives.

Grill lean hamburgers or chicken burgers. Serve in a bun with salsa instead of ketchup. (For a picnic, grill up burgers ahead of time, layer in a casserole with salsa, cover, and keep hot on the grill. Let guests help themselves.)

Skewer sea scallops and broil or grill. Serve on a mixture of salsa, sliced scallions, and cooked corn.

Spread deli slices of roast beef or turkey breast with chunky salsa. Roll up and place seam down in a baking dish. Top with more salsa. Cover and bake at 350° F for 20 min.

Make seafood stew. Bring equal parts canned broth and salsa to a boil. Add shrimp, scallops, oysters, or cubes of red snapper or catfish. Cover and cook 8 min. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.

Mix shrimp and salsa in a skillet. Cover and simmer until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 min.