Homemade Romesco Sauce Recipe
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If you’ve never had Romesco sauce before, you are seriously missing out. This tangy, smokey sauce is excellent over so many different foods. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. This is one of those sauces you’ll always want to have in your fridge for a quick and tasty meal.
What Is Romesco Sauce?
Romesco sauce is a tangy, smokey sauce made from two base ingredients. Roasted red bell peppers and roasted tomatoes. The finished sauce reminds me of a smokey thousand island dressing, but better.
Romesco is a classic sauce that was created in Catalonia, Spain. The fishermen in the area created this delicious sauce to enjoy with fish. But it has so many tasty uses.
You can play around with the flavors by using either almonds or hazelnuts. I made this one with almonds and I really like it this way. I’m not a huge fan of hazelnuts, so I probably won’t try that version myself.
How To Use Romesco Sauce
Romesco sauce is great because it pairs well with so many different dishes. You can use this sauce like a condiment, a dressing, or a dip! Here are just some of the foods you can use Romesco sauce with. Just spoon it on or stir it in and enjoy!
- Grilled or roasted vegetables
- Grilled meats like chicken, lamb, steak, or pork.
- Seafood like grilled shrimp, scallops, or white fish like cod or halibut.
- Roasted Potatoes
- Pasta like spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni.
- Dippers like crostini, crackers, or pita bread.
- Grilled tofu or tempeh
- Sandwiches or wraps as a replacement for mayo.
- Egg such as poached, scrambled, or fried. You can also mix it into deviled eggs instead of mayo.
- Rice or quinoa bowls
- Grilled cheese or veggie burgers
- Salad dressings – Thin out the Romesco sauce with a bit of olive oil and vinegar.
Pro Recipe Tips
- You can make Romesco sauce ahead of time. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- This sauce can also be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months. Try freezing it in ice cube trays for single servings.
What You’ll Need To Make Romesco Sauce
Jarred roasted red peppers – Or 2 large red bell peppers, roasted over a gas stove flame and peeled.
Tomatoes – Just pick medium-sized tomatoes. I didn’t bother to weigh them and neither should you. It’ll be fine, I promise.
Raw almonds – You’ll be roasting them, so they need to be raw.
Garlic cloves – Pick the largest ones on the bulb.
Extra virgin olive oil – Or any light-flavored oil you prefer.
Red wine vinegar – Or sherry vinegar.
Smoked paprika – Not regular. It needs to be smoked for the proper flavor.
Salt – Any salt you normal use will work here.
Ground black pepper – Finely ground is best.
How To Make Romesco Sauce
Roast the almonds and halved tomatoes in the oven at 325F. for 10 minutes, stirring the almonds halfway through. Remove the almonds, and increase the heat to 400F. and continue roasting until the tomatoes are done. If they start to look too dry, you can drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Roast until they are soft.
Gather and measure all your ingredients.
Transfer them all to a blender. I used a pot and stick blender because that’s all I have here at the moment. But a regular blender will work too.
Blend until smooth.
Transfer the sauce to a food-safe container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
More Homemade Sauce Recipes
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Classic Romesco Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers (drained – or 2 large red bel peppers, roasted over a gas stove flame and peeled)
- 2 medium tomatoes (halved and roasted)
- ¼ cup raw almonds (roasted)
- 3 large garlic cloves (peeled)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
- Roast the almonds and halved tomatoes in the oven at 325F. for 10 minutes, stirring the almonds halfway through. Remove the almonds, and increase the heat to 400F. and continue roasting until the tomatoes are done. If they start to look too dry, you can drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top. Roast until they are soft.
- Gather and measure all your ingredients.
- Transfer them all to a blender. I used a pot and stick blender because that's all I have here at the moment. But a regular blender will work too.
- Blend until smooth.
- Transfer the sauce to a food-safe container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
