Romesco Sauce Recipe

Peppers are highly versatile vegetables, making their way into many recipes, including stuffed bell peppers, shakshuka, and even enchilada soup. We love all types of peppers, but bell peppers are the star in this recipe. This romesco sauce is a smoky, nutty, bright-red blended sauce that can be served in a variety of ways. We love it on roasted veggies, particularly roasted cauliflower, but recipe developer and registered dietitian nutritionist Kristen Carli, MS, RD has found numerous ways to incorporate it into her weekly diet.

One thing to keep in mind is this recipe is particularly easy because it calls for jarred roasted red bell peppers. If you want to roast fresh red bell peppers yourself, you're welcome to do so. However, we love that this recipe starts with pre-roasted bell peppers, allowing you to make the sauce in 5 minutes flat. Below you'll find the step-by-step details of how to make this romesco sauce.

To make this romesco sauce, you only need a few ingredients. You'll need one jar of roasted red peppers, sliced almonds, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Carli notes that she prefers "using raw sliced almonds over raw whole almonds as they are already pre-chopped which helps the blending process in the food processor." This makes sense! Since we're going to blend these anyway, we might as well use ingredients that will blend easier.

The first step involves getting out your trusty food processor. Carli recommends using a food processor over a blender here, even if it's a high speed blender. "Food processors are ideal for blending sauces of this volume," she says. Add the drained jar of roasted red bell peppers and the sliced almonds to the food processor. This is what makes up the bulk of the romesco sauce. 

Now, add the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the food processor. While the jarred roasted red bell peppers will bring a yummy roasted flavor to this sauce, this delicious combination of seasonings will help to balance out the flavors. These seasonings add a bit of a smoky flavor, a bit of a tangy flavor, and a touch of saltiness. Carli recommends adding some "cayenne pepper if you want to kick up the heat a notch."

Blend this mixture in the food processor until smooth. You'll find that it blends fairly easily because you're not using whole almonds. Once the mixture is fairly smooth, slowly stream in the olive oil. Continue to process until the olive oil has been incorporated. Stop the food processor and test the consistency by scooping a bit on a spoon. If the mixture is a bit too chunky for your liking, continue to blend until you've reached the desired consistency.

Once you've blended the romesco sauce to the desired consistency, Carli recommends to "store this romesco sauce in a small Mason jar with an airtight lid and keep [it] in the fridge." If you don't have a small mason jar, any small, airtight container will do. This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. We highly doubt that you'll have any leftovers though, because this sauce is delicious.

Carli recommends serving this "drizzled on top of roasted cauliflower, as a spread on burgers or sandwiches, tossed with pasta and sauteed greens, drizzled on top of baked potatoes for some extra flavor, or as a dip for crackers and raw veggies." Who knew romesco sauce could be used in so many ways? With only 5 minutes of prep time and no time cooking, we don't see why we won't make this sauce at least once a week.