If you haven't tried this fantastic and easy Spanish sauce recipe, you should! It has roasted tomatoes, red peppers, almonds, and a few other everyday ingredients. It comes together quickly and is truly a versatile sauce that can save any meal.
It's good over fish, chicken, and meat, as a sandwich spread, a dip and over pasta, one of my favorite ways that's not so common. It ranks among my favorite sauces. I make a large batch and eat it every single day until it's gone.
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Blender Spanish sauce
It's a tomato-based sauce originating in Spain. There are several versions, and, similar to gazpacho, some have bread and some don't.
I was taught this recipe by a Spanish woman who wouldn't even think of not adding bread, so I'm following her lead. After experimenting a bit, I find that this rich Spanish sauce with bread is unique and superior to the one without. It adds a lot to the distinctive flavor, together with the almonds.
After several tries with different combinations, I like it exactly as it is on the recipe card. But feel free to adjust; it's always a great idea to adapt recipes to our palate. Maybe you want a lot of garlic, more tomatoes, or more oil. Your call.
Testing notes
Bread, such as a baguette or other artisan-style bread, is the best. You don't use the crust, but their crumb is denser and has a better flavor than sliced from a package. That said, you can use white sandwich bread, and it's better if it's homemade.
Roast all vegetables together and save time. Cut red peppers and tomatoes into pieces, and add whole garlic cloves, unpeeled. You might need to remove some earlier than others. You can roast the vegetables a week ahead and keep them in a jar with olive oil and a tight lid. Don't drain them, and make sure to add less oil when making the sauce.
Line the baking or roasting pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup and less sticking to the pan, which can be annoying when veggies start to caramelize.
Almonds: You can buy already-skinned almonds. Since I almost always have whole almonds at home, I take the time to peel them, which I don't usually do for other recipes. But for this one, I do like it because it adds a creamier texture. But you can use whole raw or lightly toasted almonds, absolutely! After all, it's meant to be an easy romesco sauce recipe.
I use an immersion blender over a regular blender, as the latter can blend the ingredients well, but I find it annoying to take out the mixture that is at the bottom of the jar, so I'd rather use another option. A processor might work, but it sometimes doesn't process the sauce well. If you like it chunkier, this is a good option.
Storage: the best way is to keep it in a glass jar with a tight lid and a thin layer of olive oil on top. This will prevent air from getting into the sauce and ruining it much faster. It keeps well for a week or two in the refrigerator, but really, I've had it for more than that. And you can freeze it for a few months.
Romesco sauce uses
- Grilled and roasted meat: this is a tomato and red pepper-based sauce, so it's especially fantastic with fish and grilled chicken.
- Pasta: one of my favorite sauces ever for any pasta, especially fusilli, penne, and spaghetti.
- Sandwich spread: spread a thin layer instead of other condiments, like this chicken sandwich (instead of pesto), grilled meat, and roasted veggie sandwiches.
- Romesco dip: serve it as part of an appetizer plate or cheese board with olive oil crackers, pita chips, or crudites. With roasted potato wedges, baked with or without skin, then dipped in this homemade tomato sauce at room temperature.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Red bell peppers: You can roast your own, or use jarred or roasted bell peppers like Spanish piquillo peppers. They're a time saver and delicious. I usually have tomatoes and garlic in the house that I can roast, but not red bell peppers.
- Garlic: roasting it before is a game-changer. So much flavor without the acrid undertone.
- Olive oil: It's an oil-based sauce, so use extra virgin olive oil. The better the oil, the better the flavor of the sauce.
- Spicy peppers: I like dishes that are not overly spicy, especially sauces like this one, because I want the rest of the flavors to shine. Medium heat is good for me. But hey, be my guest if you're in the high-heat area regarding spiciness.
- Red wine or sherry vinegar: a teaspoon or two is a good addition to this sauce, as it adds some acid.
Steps to make romesco sauce
Roast the vegetables
This method is the best because it concentrates the flavor and adds an amazing natural caramelized flavor.
Combine tomato wedges, red pepper chunks, and whole, unpeeled cloves on a piece of foil and season to taste.
Roasting
Bake them in a medium oven until charred, wrinkled, and maybe slightly burnt here and there, and that's fine, as it gives depth of flavor to the sauce.
The almonds
You can certainly use them skin-on. It's not mandatory to remove it. But for me, it's an extra step that's very much worth it, as it adds a fresher almond flavor. Sometimes the skins are too thick or earthy-tasting.
Paula's Tip
You can skin the almonds several days before, dry them in a very low oven so they don't become soggy, and keep them in a jar with a tight lid. You can also lightly toast them, either in a large skillet over very low heat, stirring them constantly, or on a rimmed baking sheet in a medium-low oven. Be careful not to burn them! Some recipes call for pine nuts or hazelnuts instead of almonds. They work well with the rest of the ingredients.
How to skin almonds
It's very easy. Cover almonds with boiling water, let them stand for a few minutes and then slip off the skins with your fingers. They will have separated from the meaty almond.
Watch the video below 👇🏻
Step-by-step VIDEO
Process everything
Put all ingredients in a jar, a bowl, or the bowl of a food processor. Drizzle some olive oil and start to process.
Add the rest of the oil in a thin stream and keep processing until it's as smooth and thick as you want.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
You might want a thinner sauce, and I recommend adding a few teaspoons of water instead of more oil. So it doesn't get too heavy.
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Easy Spanish Romesco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 1 cup medium tomato pieces, about 1 large beefstake tomato
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- ½ cup roasted red pepper chunks, homemade or store-bought piquillo peppers
- 2-3 drizzles extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- roasted vegetables
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup bread cubes, no crust
- ½ cup almonds, whole or peeled (skinned)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili, jalapeño type or in adobo, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- pinch of ground cumin
- pinch of ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar, optional
Instructions
- Turn on the oven at 350°F (180ºC).
- Put a piece of aluminum foil over a baking dish.
- Arrange 1 cup medium tomato pieces, 4 garlic cloves and ½ cup roasted red pepper chunks (if not using store-bought from a jar). If you separate them in rows, they're easier to remove as they are done.
- Add 2-3 drizzles extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and roast until each ingredient is golden and slightly caramelized, but not burned, about half an hour for the garlic, and a little more for the tomato and peppers, until they are charred and juices flow. Don't throw away the juice that collects at the bottom! Optional: lightly roast ½ cup bread cubes in the same pan, just until they start to dry but don't toast much.
- Peel the almonds if you want to: put them in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave 5-10 and peel them. The skin comes off easily, like chickpeas. If it still won't come off, drain the water, add boiling water and repeat the process. Dry them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, coarsely chop them (they're easier to process) and reserve.
- Put all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of an immersion blender or a large bowl: roasted vegetables with the juices that accumulated and the garlic pulp squeezed out of the cloves, ½ cup bread cubes, ½ cup almonds, drained peppers if using from a jar, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili if using, ½ teaspoon salt, a pinch of ground cumin, a pinch of ground coriander and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add a little oil from the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, begin to process, then add more gradually, until you have a thick sauce. You might not use it all, so taste and adjust together with seasonings as needed. Add 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar if you feel it needs an acidic element. If you want a more fluid sauce, you can thin it a bit with a few teaspoons of water.
- Store in a glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top. It lasts a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
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