What is Romesco sauce, you ask? Romesco is a roasted red pepper sauce that originates from Tarragona in Catalonia, a region in Northeastern Spain. It was originally intended to be eaten with fish, but once you taste it, I think you’ll agree that it’s delicious on practically anything.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is Romesco sauce made of? Traditionally, Romesco is made from roasted tomatoes and red peppers, nuts, garlic, and olive oil. It gets its zippy flavor from red wine vinegar, and a slightly smoky flavor with a touch of smoked paprika.
I’ve tested this sauce a variety of different ways, using sun-dried tomatoes to skip the roasting process, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes, and even with no tomatoes at all, to see if any extra effort is necessary. Honestly, it’s delicious either way, as I think the predominant flavor here is the roasted red peppers and garlic.
I make this sauce almost weekly now, and usually skip the tomatoes all together, but it is delicious with a small handful of sun-dried tomatoes, too, if you happen to keep them on hand. I’d hate to ask you to buy something extra for this recipe if you don’t normally use them, because the flavor is truly addictive either way. Here are the basics you’ll need:
Roasted red peppers (use jarred for convenience) Garlic Red wine vinegar Almonds (or any other nut) Olive oil Smoked Paprika Red pepper flakes (optional)
I’ll share a few modification ideas in the recipe below, but if you have these main ingredients, you can make the best Romesco sauce you’ve ever tasted.
How to Make It
To make Romesco sauce, you’ll need to start with roasted red peppers. You can buy these in a jar at the grocery store (I usually find them near olives), or here’s how to roast red peppers, if you want to try it at home. Once you have the ingredients on hand, all you have to do is toss them in a blender! It’s literally ready to eat in just minutes.
What does Romesco sauce taste like? Romesco has a lightly sweet and zippy flavor, with hints of garlic and smoky flavors, and a touch of spice. It’s once of those sauces that adds the perfect amount of flavor to almost any dish. Adding this sauce to your meals will simply elevate the overall taste, making you feel like you’re dining at the best restaurant in town.
How to Serve It
What can you put Romesco sauce on? Literally, everything. Here’s what I’ve tried it on so far:
Veggie Wraps (it’s our favorite sauce now!) Pasta Pizza Buddha bowls/grain bowls Grilled cheese (insanely good) Roasted veggies Air Fryer Salmon Quinoa Lunch Bowls (just 1 spoonful adds so much flavor!)
It makes everything taste like it came from a 5-star restaurant, if you ask me. I hope you’ll love it just as much!
If you try this Romesco sauce, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience. – Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite sauce to make?
