Of all the components I've shared so far, this romesco sauce recipe is my favorite. It's an easy sauce/spread that's made from a few simple ingredients, primarily roasted red peppers. If it's summer, I recommend making your own roasted red peppers but during the cooler months, jarred roasted red peppers sustain me. Romesco's smokey flavor is wonderful on sandwiches, with eggs, and especially with roasted vegetables. Make a batch on the weekend and use throughout the week- you won't regret it.
PrintRomesco | Component Cooking
A smokey vegan sauce that is the perfect compliment to a myriad of vegetarian recipes and meals.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
- Cuisine: sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup hazelnut pieces
- 1 large roasted red pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- In a small, dry skillet, add the almonds and hazelnut pieces over medium heat. Shaking the skillet often, lightly toast the nuts until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
- In a food processor or small blender, combine the ingredients for the romesco sauce, including the toasted nuts. Puree until the sauce is fairly well smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: I say this makes around 8 servings but that will really depend on how you use it. Also, use good quality olive oil- it's an important ingredient in this sauce.
You could make this sauce ahead of time and assemble when ready to eat.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: red peppers, tomato puree, hazelnuts/almonds
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 114
- Sugar: 1.3
- Sodium: 3.6
- Fat: 11.1
- Carbohydrates: 3.3
- Fiber: 1.3
- Protein: 1.7
- Cholesterol: 0
Romesco Sauce
variations
Nuts/Seeds: I wouldn't recommend any strong nuts/seeds but you could use sunflower in place of the nuts or use all almonds or all hazelnuts. I've also been known to do a few soaked cashews which makes the sauce a bit creamier.
Herbs: Swap cilantro for the parsley or just add a bit of cilantro in with the parsley.
Beans: Similar to using cashews, toss a handful of cooked white beans into the mix. This creates a creamier texture- perfect for dipping!
Bread: More traditional recipes call for a bit of crusty bread. I've found I prefer mine without.
How to use Romesco
Grilled Cheese/Toast: Spread on a grilled cheese sandwich before cooking or make breakfast toast with a layer of romesco, vegetables, and an egg.
Grain Bowls: Use the romesco sauce to top a grain bowl along with legumes, grains, and vegetables. It's hard to go wrong with this combination.
Frittata: Use as a dipping sauce for vegetable fritters or cakes. Romesco is also delicious if you make hummus or a cashew sauce and stir in ¼ cup or so of it.
Roasted Vegetables: I've yet to meet a roasted vegetable that doesn't go well with this sauce. Roast the vegetables in a bit of olive oil then toss with romesco before serving.
Hummus: As mentioned above, romesco stirred into hummus is delicious. I don't have exact amounts but start with ¼ cup and add more romesco until you find a good balance.
Pasta: Toss with pasta and vegetables for an easy weeknight dinner.
Pizza: Romesco as pizza sauce is one of my favorite applications. Ditch the tomato sauce and use romesco sauce instead. Perfect for different types of vegetable heavy pizzas and lots of cheese.
Agness of Run Agness Run says
The romesco sauce seems finger-licking! I would love to try it in combination with hummus. Do you have any good hummus recipe?