Name: Romesco Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 Cups
Ingredients: 1 red bell pepper; 6 plum tomatoes; 1 head garlic; 1 medium onion (Spanish); 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing the vegetables); 1/4 cup almonds (blanched); 2 thin slices baguette; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 1 teaspoon pimentón (Spanish sweet paprika); 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground red chili (ñora or ancho if possible)

My recipe for the Romesco Sauce Recipe was first published on Sunday Supper Movement where I am a contributor.

The versatility of this ROMESCO SAUCE RECIPE will make it a favorite in your home! Pair smoky, homemade Romesco sauce with meat, seafood, or vegetables.

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What is Romesco Sauce?

Romesco is a roasted vegetable sauce filled with peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, nuts, bread, olive oil, vinegar, and paprika. It’s originally from Tarragona in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Romesco sauce is wonderfully smoky and flavorful. It is perfect for pairing with grilled meat, seafood, and vegetables, and has a variety of other uses.

What is in Romesco Sauce?

Romesco sauce uses a few core ingredients. Here is what we use in our Romesco sauce recipe:

Red bell pepper– Traditionally, this sauce is made with ñora chili peppers. I used a mixture of one charred red bell pepper and ground, dried ancho chili pepper. You can cut down on prep time by substituting with jarred roasted red peppers, but this may reduce its smoky flavor. To make the skin on the charred red bell pepper easy to peel, immediately transfer to a bowl from the oven and cover for about 20 minutes.
Plum tomatoes
Garlic
Onion– Use a Spanish onion if available.
Olive oil– A Spanish extra-virgin olive oil is best.
Almonds– Many recipes for Romesco sauce use a combination of almonds and hazelnuts. I opted to use purely almonds.
Bread– I used toasted, sliced baguettes, but you can also use a slice of white bread with the crusts removed.
Salt
Sherry Vinegar– If you don’t have sherry vinegar available, swap with red wine vinegar.
Pimentón– Paprika. Use Spanish sweet paprika if possible.
Ground red chili– I added 1/2 teaspoon dried ancho chili powder (or cayenne). You can adjust this to taste or even use ñora chili peppers. To use dried ñora chili peppers (about 3), soak in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes, strain, remove the seeds, puree until smooth, and heat briefly in a hot pan before blending into the Romesco sauce.

How to make Romesco Sauce

Follow these instructions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
Place the red bell pepper on the baking sheet. Cut an ‘x’ into the top of each tomato and place on the baking sheet. Remove the papery outer layer of skin and slice the whole garlic in half through the cloves. Place the halves, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Remove the outermost layers of skin from the onion and cut into wedges from the top, not cutting all the way through to keep it intact. Place cut side up on the baking sheet.
Brush the vegetables with olive oil and place in preheated oven. Roast until all the vegetables have softened and are starting to char, 25-30 minutes. If the vegetables don’t char well enough, turn on the broiler for a few seconds to minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, place a small pan over medium low heat. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the almonds once heated. Cook, stirring often, until golden. Be careful not to burn. Remove the almonds to a plate and add the bread slices to the pan. Cook until golden on each side.
Once roasted, place the bell pepper in a bowl and cover for 20 minutes.
Peel the skin from the bell pepper and discard the stem and seeds. Peel the skin and remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Remove the skin from the onion and garlic. Place the prepared vegetables in the blender. Add the almonds, bread, salt, vinegar, sweet paprika, ground red chili, and remaining 7 tablespoons olive oil.
Puree the mixture until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

How long does Romesco Sauce keep?

Romesco sauce will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Keep in mind it will thicken as it chills, and is best served at room temperature.

Can you freeze Romesco Sauce?

This Romesco sauce recipe freezes well!

Transfer the extra sauce to ice cube trays (I like silicone for easy removal) and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag.

How do you reheat Romesco Sauce?

To reheat frozen Romesco, place the desired amount of frozen cubes into a bowl and microwave for a few seconds until warmed and smooth or place over medium heat in a small saucepan and cook, stirring often, until fully heated.

Uses for Romesco Sauce

This sauce pairs well with grilled fish, meats, and vegetables. I especially love it with asparagus.

One of my favorite ways to use the sauce is to spread it over slices of toasted bread and top with chorizo and Manchego cheese. I also like to swap it out for the tomato sauce in this Macarrones con Chorizo (Spanish Pasta with Chorizo).

Other ideas include:

Use this Romesco sauce recipe as a dip for chips, crackers, fries, vegetables, or even breaded and fried Manchego cheese
Flavoring for soups and stews (according to chef José Andrés, Romesco was originally created as a fish stew)
Sauce for sandwiches and burgers (especially with grilled cheese!)

Looking for more sauce recipes?

Try these homemade sauce recipes: