Name: red pepper Romesco sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 6 red bell peppers, cleaned and quartered; 2 medium ripe tomatoes (or 4 small), washed with the stem at the top cut out; 3 cloves garlic peeled; ¼ cup raw (or lightly roasted, no salt added) almonds; ¼ cup raw (or lightly roasted, no salt added) hazelnuts; 1 tsp. smoked paprika; 1 ½ tbsp. red wine vinegar (sherry vinegar will work here too); ½ tsp. salt (optional); 2- 15 oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 small onion diced; 2 cups red pepper Romesco sauce

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Red pepper Romesco sauce in mason jar with lid open with whole hazelnuts and almonds on white board.

What is Romesco sauce?

Creamy Spanish red pepper Romesco sauce gets its full flavor from a combination of roasted red peppers, tomatoes and garlic with a splash of red wine vinegar and smoked paprika. Ground hazelnuts and almonds for thickening and flavor and well, there you have it. Is it a sauce, dip, spread? Yes, yes and yes. Romesco sauce at your service!

Fresh red bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic on white board.

A brief history

Romesco sauce (salasa Romesco) comes to us from Catalonia, Tarragona specifically. The accepted history is that it was created in the fifteenth century by the fisherman of the region. Like all good sauces, the recipe has numerous iterations. My favorite, healthed-up variation starts with roasted red peppers, tomatoes and garlic.

Fresh red pepper with top cut off, center cleaned out on blue cutting mat.

Pepper hack

If you’re going to create a great red pepper sauce, start with great ingredients, perfectly prepared. To me, this means not opting for the easy, heavily oil-laden jarred roasted red peppers. No need here, thank you very much. I find it easiest to cut the tops of my red peppers, then pulling out the core and splitting them into quarters. I also use the flesh left at the top if possible. Waste not, want not.

Red peppers, tomatoes and garlic are roasted in the oven on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

How to roast red peppers

I’m a huge fan of roasting peppers and whole cloves of garlic. I use the same method when I make spicy pepper sauce for burritos and soups. For our Romesco sauce, we’ll put everything in the oven to roast – the peppers, garlic and a few tomatoes. Depending on your oven size and temperature accuracy, this will take about 20 minutes. Be sure to line your baking tray with parchment paper or foil. This is a bit of a messy process and who wants to spend time cleaning up when you have sauce to eat?

Almonds and hazelnuts are ground using a spice grinder.

Go nuts!

Ground hazelnuts and almonds are not just thickeners. They create a creamy, smooth texture and a deep flavor that you won’t get anywhere else. For this recipe, I’ve used ¼ cup of each kind of nut; however, you could dispense with the combination and only use almonds or hazelnuts. Your choice. Just throw your nuts into a spice grinder or food processor and reduce them to a powder. There is no need to peel the nuts (remove the skins). Your resulting ground nuts will be slightly moist due to the natural fat content.

Ground almonds, hazelnuts, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic, red wine vinegar and smoked paprika in blender.

Prepare to blend

You’ll know when the peppers are ready because the skins have gone dark brown or a bit black. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before you attempt peeling the skins. One more hack here: wrap the hot peppers in plastic wrap. It makes them easier to peel. The skins of the tomatoes will fall off, so you don’t need the same process. The garlic just gets thrown into the blender.

Spoonful of finished red pepper Romesco sauce in blender

Go forth, blend!

Ready with the peeled peppers? Toss everything, including the vinegar, smoked paprika and ground nuts into your blender. Go to town. Make it as smooth as you like. Be sure to taste it, to adjust the spices. Right. It’s a good excuse. It should turn the loveliest color of auburn, think sunset.

Red pepper Romesco sauce over chickpeas, over asparagus, and bruschetta with sauce in black bowl.

What can I put Romesco on?

The answer – you are only limited by your imagination. Romesco is often served in Spain as a dipping sauce with grilled vegetables. You can serve it hot or cold. Warm a bit in the microwave or on the stove. Store extra in the freezer (like there’s going to be extra).

Steamed asparagus on black plate with warm red pepper Romesco sauce over it.

Think Romesco, not cheese sauce

Let’s all admit – giving up cheese is difficult. I’m still experimenting to create the ‘perfect’ cheese sauce. My endeavors considerably slowed down when red pepper Romesco arrived. It’s fantastic over vegetables. A sophisticated plant-based cheese sauce, if you will.

Chickpeas with Romesco sauce in stainless steel skillet

Chickpeas Romesco

Tried chickpeas Romesco? Plate of yum! Rinse and drain 2 cans of chickpeas and sauté them with a small diced onion. Add 2 cups of red pepper Romesco sauce. Serve as is over greens, rice and of course, pasta. Genuinely decadent.

Red pepper Romesco sauce on bruschetta with black olives, tomatoes and arugula on white and blue plate.

What isn’t good with toast?

You can fancy up any meal with Romesco bruschetta. It pairs well with olives and arugula (rocket). If you want to go all out, whip up sweet potato flatbread and create Spanish pizzas. Thank goodness this recipe yields around 5-6 cups.

Final thoughts

When I think Romesco sauce, I think flavor, decadence and versatility. Having given up cheese for a few years now, I don’t often miss it. I’m in a lull of trying to recreate it, because I’ve yet to taste a relevant replacement. Romesco provides a great option for veggies and pasta (and of course toast). The plant-based approach in my humble opinion, is not about replacing what you think you can’t ‘give up’. It’s about not being stuck in past habits. That void you think you’re experiencing is just opportunity knocking. Run toward it with spoon in hand. Peace.

red pepper Romesco sauce