Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (2024)

by Caitlin Shoemaker

updated on

GFGluten Free

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This Easy Romesco Sauce only uses 9 healthy ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes! Gluten Free, Vegan, and Oil-Free, it’s perfect over pasta or with roasted veggies.
The photos for this recipe have been updated as of 2/2020.

The first time I tried Romesco sauce was on my 21st birthday, at a local vegan restaurant.Considering it combinespretty much all of my favoriteflavors into one yummy sauce, my mind = blown.

Now that I’ve figured out how to make my own version (that’s onlyslightly addicting), it’s safe to say I’m going to be enjoying Romesco alot more often.

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (2)

If you’ve never heard of romesco sauce before, it’s a tomato & red pepper-based sauce originating from Tarragona, Spain. Not only is this sauce nice and tangy, but it’s creamytoo – thanks to almonds and/or walnuts. All in all, it’s hearty, savory,smoky, and has just alittlekick — but can have more, if you decide to go heavier on the cayenne.

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (3)Traditional romesco is made with a fair amount of oil, but I decided to keep things oil-free around here (as I usually do). I also increased the depth of flavor in this sauce a few ways. fire-roasted canned tomatoesadd some smokiness to the sauce whilealso ensuring that you can make this romesco sauce even when tomatoes aren’t in season. I also added some toasted nutritional yeast for an extra kick – it can be optional, but I will say Istrongly recommend you do.

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (4)This recipe makes about 3 cups of sauce, so you will probably have some leftovers. However, this sauce isso versatile, you shouldn’thave any problems using it up! It’s traditionally served with seafood, but Ialso love it with:

  • Roasted vegetables,
  • Pasta,
  • as a drip for crackers or crudités,
  • or even as a spread on toast!

Basically? This romesco sauce isreally freakin’ delicious and goes with just about anything savory 😉

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (5)

A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS:

  • This sauce will last well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to one week, but you can also freeze any leftovers for up to one month.
  • You can make your romesco sauce smooth or chunky – I used to prefer it chunky, but now I like it smooth! See the end of this blog post for an older photo of the chunkier texture, which you can get if you use a food processor instead of a blender.
  • If you’re looking for moreslightly addicting & saucyrecipes, you’ll also love this Vegan Chipotle Mayo and this Rosemary Garlic Cashew Cream!

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (6)

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂

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Romesco Sauce Recipe

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (7)

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★★★★★5 from 2 reviews

This Easy Romesco Sauce only uses 9 healthy ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes! Gluten Free, Vegan, and Oil-Free, it’s perfect over pasta or with roasted veggies.

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 Minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

  • 3/4 cup (87 g) slivered almonds
  • 1 tablespoonnutritional yeast (optional, but strongly recommended)
  • 1 cup (8 ounces / 225 g)fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 12 ounces (340 g) roasted red peppers (homemade or store-bought)
  • 1/4 cup (5 g) parsley, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon (1 to 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

  1. Add the slivered almonds to a medium pan over medium-high heat. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. The almonds should be fragrant and most of them will have become golden brown when finished.
  2. Set the almonds aside, and return the pan to the heat. Add the nutritionalyeast to the pan and toast for around 60 seconds, stirring continuously. The nutritional yeast will also become a darker brown, and more fragrant.
  3. Next, add all ingredients to a high speed blender (for smooth sauce) or food processor (for chunky) and process for 30-60 seconds, or until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
  4. Serve immediately, or store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 10 days. If desired, heat up in a pan for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Fire Roasted Tomatoes can be substituted for regular Diced Tomatoes (or even fresh), but this will affect the final flavor of the recipe.

Keywords: romesco sauce, vegan romesco sauce, oil free romesco sauce, roasted red pepper sauce, spanish romesco sauce, red almond sauce

Here’s a photo of the chunkier Romesco Sauce, before I updated the blog photos:

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (8)

Romesco Sauce Recipe (Oil Free) - From My Bowl (2024)

FAQs

What is romesco sauce made of? ›

Romesco is a rich Spanish sauce of charred tomatoes and roasted red peppers, puréed and thickened with toasted almonds and bread. The flavors are further sharpened with the addition of raw garlic, vinegar, chile powder or red pepper flakes (adjust the heat to your liking).

What do you eat Romesco with? ›

Romesco sauce
  1. on top of roasted veg (particularly slices of grilled aubergine or roast potatoes)
  2. as a dip.
  3. stirred into pasta or rice.
  4. dolloped on top of soup or a veggie stew.
  5. as a toast topper or in a sandwich or wrap.
  6. drizzled over steamed dark green veggies like seasonal greens or kale.
Feb 7, 2023

Is romesco served hot or cold? ›

Romesco sauce is versatile. This would be delicious hot or cold over pasta, or with fish.

Is Trader Joe's Romesco sauce vegan? ›

Saturated fat? Zero. And you're getting healthy fats from almonds and olive oil…so it's also vegan. Way to go, Joe!

What is similar to romesco sauce? ›

Similar to Romesco, this is a mid-level spicy sauce from Tunisia. Dissimilarly from Romesco, Harissa does not use nuts, and instead incorporates dry chiles and spices, as well as tomato. Great to use as a dipping sauce for crudite. Sometimes used like ketchup, as the consistency can be a little more 'paste' like.

What is another name for romesco sauce? ›

Romesco sauce is used in many ways and is sometimes referred to as Spanish ketchup. It can be used to flavor and thicken stews, especially seafood stews. If served as a condiment, it's served at room temperature.

What does romesco taste like? ›

What does Romesco sauce taste like? Romesco has a lightly sweet and zippy flavor, with hints of garlic and smoky flavors, and a touch of spice. It's once of those sauces that adds the perfect amount of flavor to almost any dish.

Why is it called Romesco sauce? ›

Origins of Romesco Sauce Romesco originates from Tarragona in Southern Catalonia. The term 'romesco' comes from the Mozarabic “remescolar,” meaning "to mix." This sauce was first made by fishermen in the 15th century using simple ingredients like garlic, dry peppers, olive oil, dry bread, and wine.

What is the difference between Romanesco and Romesco? ›

Confusing? One thing that Romesco and Romanesco have in common is that both are from the Mediterranean. Romesco is a Spanish sauce and Romanesco is an Italian 16th-century heirloom type of cauliflower in the cruciferous family that includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and kale.

Where does Romesco originate from? ›

Romesco (Catalan pronunciation: [ruˈmɛsku]) is a tomato-based sauce that originated from Valls, province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The fishermen in this area made this sauce to be eaten with fish.

What is red pepper sauce made of? ›

It is 5-ingredient basic, but you wouldn't know that from the taste. Fresh garlic, lemon juice, and roasted red peppers build up the flavor base, while the almonds and olive oil make for that silky-meets-textured feel that is reminiscent of magic green sauce.

What is Spanish style tomato sauce? ›

Spanish sauce is a spicy tomato sauce made with sautéed onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, as well as a dash of hot sauce.

What are the ingredients in Trader Joe's romesco? ›

Ingredients. Roasted Red Peppers (red Peppers, Water, Salt, Grape Must Tomatoes (tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Sea Salt, Calcium Chloride), Garlic Almonds, Olive Oil, Almond Butter (dry Roasted Almonds), Redwin Vinegar Parsley, Sea Salt, Crushed Red Pepper, Paprika (for Color And Spice).

Does romesco sauce contain nuts? ›

Romesco sauce comes from Tarragona, a Catalonian city just south of Barcelona on Spain's northeastern coast. Its base ingredients usually include nuts—often almonds and/or hazelnuts—tomatoes, dried peppers, garlic, bread, olive oil, and vinegar, all mashed or processed into a paste.

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