5-Minute Healthy Romesco Sauce

Name: 5-Minute Healthy Romesco Sauce
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 12 Ounce Jar Roasted Red Peppers (drained); 1 14 Ounce Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (drained); 1 Cup Blanched Almonds; 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1/3 Cup Flat Leaf Parsley (chopped); 3 Cloves Garlic; 1/2 Lemon (juiced - this is approximately 2 tablespoons); 2 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar; 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt; 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika; 1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

By Nicole Modic ⎯

November 7, 2023

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Made from roasted red peppers and flavorful tomatoes, romesco sauce is the perfect way to liven up fresh vegetables, warm pita bread, perfectly cooked chicken, and so much more. Introducing my 5-Minute Healthy Romesco Sauce – a bright sauce made from just a few simple and easy pantry ingredients. It’s packed with flavor and is the best way to spice up almost any dish!

A plate of the romesco sauce, sitting on a countertop with a spoon sitting in the bowl and crudités around the sauce

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The simplest way to instantly add flavor, texture, color, and excitement to any dish? It’s with a sauce. A good sauce can be make or break for any recipe, and can easily take the most simple recipes and turn them into exciting ones. I absolutely love having an array of healthy dips in my fridge – whether that’s an herby chimichurri, a creamy tahini dressing, or a healthy hummus, there are so many fun dips that instantly elevate any dish!

And when it comes to elevating dishes, this Romesco sauce is no exception. Made from roasted red peppers and fire roasted tomatoes, this dip is bright, colorful, and packed with flavor. It’s the perfect compliment to my Smashed Brussels Sprouts, but that’s not the only way to serve it! Whether you’re pairing it with soft and fluffy pita bread or crispy crudité, you can’t go wrong with this Romesco sauce. In fact, it’s one that I’ll be serving as an appetizer this Thanksgiving!

Whether you’re making it for the holidays or as an accompaniment to weeknight dinner, this Romesco sauce is quick and easy to whip up in a pinch. It comes together in only 5 minutes, which means that you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying all of the foods that you love. What could be better than that?

All of the ingredients needed to make this romesco sauce, laid out on a cutting board on a countertop — To make this sauce, you will need roasted red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, blanched almonds, parsley, garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar, and seasonings.

A food processor, sitting on a cutting board, with all of the ingredients needed to make this romesco sauce inside of it — To make this sauce, you will need roasted red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, blanched almonds, parsley, garlic, lemon, red wine vinegar, and seasonings.

What You Need to Make This Flavorful Dip

Roasted Red Peppers: The base for any good Romesco sauce begins with roasted red peppers! You can roast the red peppers yourself, or buy them jarred – I prefer to do the latter to save time and energy.
Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Fire roasted tomatoes have a deep, smokier flavor that really adds depth to the Romesco sauce.
Blanched Almonds: When an almond is blanched, the skin is removed, making it softer. You can buy almonds that are already blanched, or blanch them yourself by soaking them in boiling water for 60 seconds and then peeling off the skin.
Parsley: Flat leaf parsley adds a delicious flavor to this sauce – don’t skip it!
Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible, as it just adds the best flavor!
Lemon: You’ll need the juice of approximately one half of a lemon for this recipe. This is approximately 2 tablespoons of juice!
Red Wine Vinegar: A splash of red wine vinegar helps to form the perfect dressing!
Seasonings: To season the Romesco sauce, we’ll be using a blend of kosher salt, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes. Yum!

A food processor, with the finished Romesco dipping sauce inside of it — Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. You can always add more kosher salt, if needed, or more crushed red pepper flakes to give it more of a kick!

Two Steps for Bringing This Healthy Sauce to Life

Making this sauce is so simple and easy, and it comes together in just 5 minutes! To make this creamy Romesco sauce, add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until it’s smooth and creamy, with just a hint of texture.

Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Then, serve with your favorite crudités, smashed brussels sprouts, or with warm pita bread, and enjoy!

A plate of the finished crispy smashed brussels sprouts, sitting alongside a bowl of the creamy romesco sauce — Finally, serve the romesco sauce with your favorite crudités, pita bread, smashed brussels sprouts, or however you desire. Then, serve and enjoy!

How to Serve This Bright & Flavorful Romesco Sauce

The best part about this Romesco sauce is that there are so many ways to enjoy it! Whether you’re serving it as an appetizer or part of a main course, here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy this healthy and flavor-packed sauce.

Serve with Crudités: A simple platter of crudité (aka chopped fresh vegetables) is perfect for serving alongside this dip!
Enjoy with Pita Bread: Warm pita bread is the perfect vessel for enjoying this Romesco sauce with.
Pair with Chicken: My juicy chicken pairs well with almost any dip, and this Romseco sauce is no exception!
Dip with Smashed Brussels Sprouts: My crispy smashed brussels sprouts go with this dip like bread goes with butter. It doesn’t get any better than that!

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.

** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim

Dairy Free/gluten-free/Grain Free/Refined Sugar Free/Vegan