Easy Spanish Romesco Sauce Recipe

Looking for a sauce to put on EVERYTHING? This easy Romesco Sauce recipe is just what you need! Made with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, garlic and herbs blended until smooth for a bold, zesty sauce you’ll want to eat with a spoon.

I like things saucy so I am always looking for something bursting with flavor to put on everything from chicken to vegetables without breaking a sweat. My favorite restaurants are usually the source of inspiration when looking for a partner for my protein. Like my favorite pesto recipe, this homemade Romesco Sauce is nothing short of amazing…..and super easy.

During the summer months, you don’t want to have to stand over a pot stirring and sweating when the heat is on. So blender or food processor sauces are my go-to when I don’t want to whip up a barbecue sauce. 

Throwing all the ingredients into the bowl and pressing a button until it’s a smooth, velvety sauce…..that’s more my speed. And that’s why this Romesco Sauce recipe has been on repeat for the past several weeks.

Romesco Sauce

If you’re wondering what Romesco Sauce is…..it’s a tomato-based sauce that originated from Valls, Tarragona, Catalonia. Catalan fishermen made this sauce to be eaten with fish. It’s, most often, made from any mixture of roasted tomatoes and garlic, toasted almonds, pine nuts or hazelnuts, olive or sunflower oil, and roasted peppers.

Romesco Sauce is the perfect healthy condiment. Even though we love to use this on fish like salmon on the regular, I also like to serve it with steak or chicken. 

Add a little more olive oil and you have a zesty, light salad dressing. The versatility of Romesco Sauce is only limited by your own imagination.

Ingredients You Will Need

This sauce is fairly easy to throw together with common pantry ingredients. You can whip it up in a food processor or blender in just a couple minutes.

Here’s what you need:

• Roasted Red Peppers – You can make your own by roasting them in the oven or you can just use them from the jar. The bonus to the jar is the extra oil that their packed in makes the perfect flavor booster for your sauce.
• Tomato Paste – Use a high quality tomato paste or homemade if you’re that ambitious. I am not. 
• Garlic – Fresh is best. And add more or less garlic depending on your mood. I like three large cloves most days.
• Almonds – Unroasted, unsalted almonds…..so, look for raw almonds. If you want them to have a deeper flavor, you can toast them in a pan for a few minutes. I don’t….I’m lazy.
• Parsley – Again, fresh parsley, not dried. If you can only find dry parsley, just use half as much since the drying process concentrates the flavor.
• Lime – The zest and juice is used to brighten things up. You can use lemon if limes aren’t readily available
• Olive Oil – Because you’re not cooking the sauce, use a really high quality olive oil for this recipe.
• Smoked Paprika and Cayenne – Both of these spices are my secret weapon for flavoring just about anything. Don’t skip them.

How To Make It

Romesco Sauce is crazy easy to make in just 2 minutes, especially if you use convenience foods like jarred roasted red peppers.

Place ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender.

Puree until smooth.

That’s it. You now have homemade Romesco Sauce!

What To Serve It With

Spanish Romesco Sauce is incredibly versatile and can be use as a sandwich spread, a vegetable dip, a salad dressing or a sauce for your favorite grilled chicken, fish and pork.

We love to use it with this Baked Chicken during the week or as a topping for our favorite grilled chicken. It’s also fantastic served as a dip on this easy cheese board for parties.

You can use it in this sandwich, too! People rave about it when I serve it for lunches and tailgates. Or serve it alongside grilled shrimp for a fun twist on Spanish Tapas!

Whatever you want to serve this sauce with is usually a good idea, in my opinion.

More Sauce Recipes

If you like this Romesco Sauce then you’ll also love this easy Blender Hollandaise….it’s fast, easy and so buttery. Or try this simple Steak Sauce that’s ready in no time….and this easy Garlic Butter Sauce that’s ready in minutes. Seriously, so easy.

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