Spanish Romesco Sauce
Spanish Romesco sauce is a smoky dip that’s delicious with crusty bread or on roasted vegetables. If you are a hummus fan, then you’ll love this recipe.
This Spanish romesco sauce is so much more than a dip. It’s everything hummus wants to be: spicy, complex & perfect with just about anything.
Dipped into crusty bread? ✅
Poured over pasta? ✅
Spooned onto roasted vegetables? ✅
I dare you to find something this dip doesn’t go well with. Think of this as the Spanish version of bruschetta: a simple appetizer that, if done right, is really good.
I love serving this one whenever I make a Spanish-inspired meal– roasted vegetables, paella, olive tapenade, and sangria!
This romesco sauce is also great in a sandwich, like you would use hummus or another dip. Try it in my vegetable pitas with romesco sauce or my cauliflower sandwich.
Ingredient Notes
- You can use any olive oil for this recipe. I’m partial to California Ranch Olive Oil or Kosterina, an olive oil I discovered after visiting Greece last summer, and it’s just so good.
- You do need stale bread for the right texture of this romesco sauce, but if you don’t have a slice of stale bread, just toast the bread before adding it.
- Blanched almonds are a must for the color– you don’t want the almond skins in the sauce for both the texture and color of the finished sauce. If you can’t find blanched, then slivered will work.
- Trader Joe’s has the best prices on roasted red peppers! You can usually get a jar for $1.99, which is a steal compared to other grocery stores.
- Smoked paprika is different from sweet paprika, so make sure to use the smoked kind!
- The red wine vinegar at the end is so important to balance the paprika and the salt. Please don’t skip it, though you can use another acid if you don’t have red wine vinegar– like apple cider or even white balsamic vinegar.
How to Make This Romesco Sauce
Step 1: Toast the Bread and Almonds
Heat the olive oil and add the bread and almonds. Cook until golden brown, making sure to stir frequently to prevent browning. This is really important as burned almonds will ruin the entire dish.
Add in the minced garlic. I do this last to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Step 2: Pulse the Tomatoes
Add the tomatoes and roasted red peppers to the base of a food processor and pulse a few times until chunky. There should still be some nice texture to the sauce, but pulsing the tomatoes and peppers first makes for a better texture in my opinion than adding everything all together at once.
Step 3: Add the Almonds and Bread
Add the almond mixture, vinegar, salt, and puree until mostly smooth, with some texture. From here, the romesco sauce is thin and delicious.
You can enjoy it like this, but for a thicker texture that’s best with bread or sandwiches, add the pureed romesco sauce to a preheated baking sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Chef Tips for Success
- Toasting the bread and almonds in the skillet first adds depth and body to the sauce.
- The smoked paprika and red wine vinegar are key to the taste of this romesco sauce. Make sure to use smoked paprika and not regular paprika or sweet paprika.
- A food processor will make for the best texture, but a blender can be used. You may need to stop and scrape down your blender to ensure that all of the sauce is blended.
- The sauce shouldn’t be pureed completely; it should still be a little chunky!
- The longer you bake the sauce, the thicker it will become. I think 10-15 minutes is perfect, but watch to ensure your sauce doesn’t thicken too much. If you plan on tossing this romesco sauce with pasta, then I don’t bake it first, just add right from the blended step.
How to Serve
We adore this romesco sauce as a dip, slathered onto warm pita bread or homemade bread (fantastic on my no-knead Instant Pot bread and easy flatbreads!)
It’s also a fantastic accompaniment to grilled or roasted vegetables like asparagus, eggplant, and peppers. The sauce adds a depth of flavor that elevates simple vegetables.
More Pepper Recipes
- 20-Minute Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Rigatoni with Peppers and Sausage
- Minestrone Soup
- Hot Pepper Jelly Recipe
If you try this Spanish romesco sauce, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Spanish Romesco Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 slice stale french bread, cubed
- 1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes
- 8 ounce jar roasted red peppers
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan; add the bread and almonds and stir frequently, cooking until they are golden brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté another 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Place the can of tomatoes with their juice in a food processor, with the juice. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers and place in the food processor. Pulse a few times until chunky. Add the salt, paprika, vinegar, and almond-bread mixture. Puree until smooth.
- Pour the sauce onto the pre-heated baking pan in the oven and cook for 15 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Remove from oven, cool slightly, and pour into a bowl and serve.