Romesco sauce is a traditional Spanish sauce that can bring the sweet roasty flavor of red peppers to all your meals.
This beautiful, bright red recipe is from my new cookbook, Gettin’ Saucy: 38 Recipes to make your meals sassier and saucier. It’s one of the few new recipes that I included in the book; many of the recipes in Gettin’ Saucy are staples in our kitchen, the types of recipes I now make without measurements.
But when I told my friend Anthony, an excellent chef himself, about the book he suggested a romesco sauce, which I had never actually eaten before.
So I found a few recipes, played a bit in the kitchen, and created this awesome, simplified version of healthy, delicious homemade romesco sauce.
Most romesco recipes use bread, both as a way to repurpose stale ingredients, but also as a thickener. I find that the almonds give it great texture, but if you want to toss some bread or breadcrumbs into the food processor, go for it!
I also love that this recipe is lower fat. I’m a big fan of healthy fats, and most of the recipes are made with oils or nut butters as bases, but sometimes you just want something a bit lighter, right? This is the sauce for you.
Use this Romesco sauce to sass up hummus plates, vegan cheese plates, smooth onto sandwiches or wraps, use to top pasta or roasted veggies, or use as a veggie dip.
If you’re short on time, use a 10-ounce or larger jar of ready-made roasted red peppers, but be sure to read the ingredients to ensure there aren’t any fake flavors or preservatives hiding inside. Substitute out the traditional almonds for walnuts, macadamia nuts, or sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
Homemade Romesco Sauce from Gettin’ Saucy
3 medium-sized red bell peppers
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt (more to taste)
1⁄2 cup whole almonds
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2-3 Tablespoons water (more as needed)
- Remove red pepper tops, slice red peppers in quarters, and scoop out seeds. Toss with olive oil, garlic, paprika, and salt.
- Roast red peppers and garlic at 400o for 15-25 minutes. Remove garlic if it starts to burn, leaving peppers in until done. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
- With oven still on, add almonds to pan and cook for 5-8 minutes, until fragrant and toasted. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once peppers and almonds have cooled, add to food processor with vinegar and blend until totally smooth. Taste, and add a few pinches more salt or a splash more vinegar.
- Use immediately, or keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups
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