Romesco Sauce

According to Melissa Clark, prolific food writer, and cookbook author, there isn’t one correct recipe for Romesco, and the ingredients change slightly as you travel from town to town in Catalonia.

What’s agreed upon, however, is that Romesco is a rich, creamy, and wholesome recipe made with a combination of peppers, tomatoes, and nuts.

Of course, like in most Mediterranean recipes, the sauce is held together by a generous drizzle of good-quality olive oil and a splash of vinegar.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to make a quick romesco sauce at home with simple pantry staples that you can find in most supermarkets.

Also, we make it with a food processor, although the traditional Romesco sauces are made with a mortar and pestle.

In the variations chapter, we make a more authentic and traditional version for the more adventurous.

We hope you enjoy this delicious, wholesome, and healthy roasted red pepper sauce from the hills and shores of the Mediterranean.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Roasted red peppers

You can use homemade roasted peppers or store-bought jarred red peppers, drained well from their marinating liquid.

In the original Romesco recipe, Ñora peppers are used, but because they are hard to find outside of Spdon’twe don’t use them in our recipe.

Instead, we replace them with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to recreate their flavor.

Sun-dried tomatoes

Choose sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and drain them well before use. They are packed with flavor and umami, giving the Romesco depth and richness.

Nuts

We use unsalted almonds and hazelnuts. Raw or toasted is indifferent.

However, you can use only almonds if you prefer. Other nuts that work well in Romesco sauce are walnuts and pinenuts.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is preferable. We would avoid garlic powder in this recipe. A small clove is enough. shouldn’thouldn’t be overly garlicky.

Red pepper flakes

They add a touch of heat. Substitute chili powder, chopped chili pepper, or cayenne powder for red pepper flakes.

Paprika

Pimentón, or Spanish paprika, is best thanks to its smokey, mildly spicy flavor.

If you can’t find pimentón settle for standard smoked or sweet paprika.

Olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and nutrition profile. Regular olive oil is also ok.

Vinegar

We use red wine vinegar. You can also use white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar. We do not recommend lemon juice for this recipe.

Salt

Sea salt or kosher salt is best. Salt is necessary to add flavor.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Cut the garlic in half lengthwise, remove its core (if any), and add the clove to a food processor with all the ingredients: almonds, hazelnuts, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, and olive oil.

Blend for a minute or two until you have a creamy but slightly coarse sauce.

There isn’t a standard consistency for Romesco. It depends on your preference. So, if you like a thinner sauce, add more oil or cold water until you reach your desired consistency.

Taste and adjust for salt, heat, and acidity before serving as a dip, sauce, or spread.

45-minute Romesco sauce

This one’s a more elaborated but also more authentic version of Romesco. If you have the time, we recommend it. To make it you’ll; you’ll need.

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 2 vine tomatoes or 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 slice of crusty bread (about 3 ounces or 80 grams)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts
• 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Roast the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Cut the red bell peppers in half, remove seeds and stems, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.

Cut the tomatoes in tomatoes in half, crush a clove of garlic, and add them to the baking tray.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the peppers are soft and charred.

Transfer bell peppers to a bowl and cover with a plate. Let cool for 15 minutes. Set tomatoes and garlic aside.

After 15 minutes, when the bell peppers have cooled down a little, but are not completely cold, peel them. Try not to use water here, as the water would wash off the flavor from the peppers.

Pan-fry the bread

Cut the bread into dice. Add the diced bread, half of the olive oil, a crushed clove of garlic, paprika, and red pepper flake to a skillet.

Fry the bread on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly toasted. Stir often, and don’t burn the spices and the garlic.

Blend ingredients

Add all ingredients to a food processor, including the roasted garlic and the pan-fried garlic (discard peel).

Blend until you get a creamy and rustic romesco sauce.

Taste and adjust for salt, heat, and acidity. This version might need an extra tablespoon of vinegar than the quick version. Adjust based on your preference.

Romesco sauce is versatile. In Spain, the most common way of serving it is as a dip with grilled calçots, a type of green onion grown in Valls, a city near Tarragona in Catalonia.

As an appetizer or main meal

We like to spread it on a plate, add air-fried zucchini in the center, and drizzle with tahini sauce, a pinch of smoked paprika, and toasted shaved almonds.

Dig in with warm pita bread, and you are in for a treat.

With roasted, grilled, or air-fried veggies

Try it on air-fried, oven-roasted, or grilled vegetables.

Roasted eggplants, air fryer zucchini, grilled onions, roasted broccoli, and cauliflower are delicious dipped or covered in romesco sauce.

Not to mention oven-roasted or air-fried potatoes.

Grilled or roasted meat, fish, or tofu

We even tried it with grilled tofu and oven-baked tofu, and it was delicious.

All the Mediterranean flavors come together in this Spanish-Italian-inspired dish.

As a pasta sauce

Romesco sauce is delicious on pasta too. It behaves like pesto, and it coats the pasta perfectly.

All you have to do is thin the sauce with some pasta cooking water, then toss the pasta in, and you are done.

Make ahead: Romesco is an excellent recipe to make ahead because it keeps well for days, and you can even freeze it. So go ahead and add it to your meal prep rotation.

Refrigerator: Transfer sauce into an airtight container like a mason jar and keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Freezer: Transfer it into a freezer-friendly container; it can be a jar or ice-cube-trays, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrost: Thawing depends on how you want to use it. To use as a dip or spread, thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. To use with pasta, melt the frozen romesco with pasta cooking water. Avoid freezing multiple times.

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• Hummus
• Mutabal
• Baba ganoush

• Tzatziki sauce
• Yogurt tahini sauce
• Tahini sauce
• Vegan basil pesto
• Red pepper pesto
• Sun-dried tomato pesto
• Green goddess dressing
• Chipotle sauce
• Vegan mayo
• Chimichurri

For more condiment ideas, check out our dressing and sauces category page.