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This roasted red pepper sauce is perfect for pasta, as a spread, or a dip! Try it with chicken, fish, fries, sandwiches, and more.
Looking for a flavor-packed sauce that takes just a few minutes to make? This roasted red pepper sauce is full of zingy flavor, no cooking required! Throw a few ingredients into a blender, and it makes a bright orange, tangy, garlicky sauce.
It’s extremely versatile; use it as a pasta sauce, a dip for vegetables or fries, or as a sauce for fish or chicken. It makes any meal more fun!
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This sauce is super yummy! I added about 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast flakes.” – Angie B.
Ingredients in This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This roasted red pepper sauce is similar to a Romesco Sauce, a Spanish sauce made with red peppers, olive oil, almonds, and garlic. In fact, it has almost the same ingredients, but this sauce has more red peppers and is lighter in texture. You’ll use an entire 16-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, but it’s worth it for the luxurious texture and flavor.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Jarred roasted red peppers
- Unsalted almonds
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
- Optional: heavy cream, grated Parmesan cheese
Making it a Pasta Sauce
On its own, this roasted red pepper sauce makes an excellent dip for vegetables, Roasted Potatoes, or Fries, and works well as a sauce for fish or chicken. But want to serve it with pasta? Here are a few things to note:
- Add heavy cream and/or Parmesan if serving as a pasta sauce. When you add this sauce to pasta on its own, it tastes watery and doesn’t cling to the pasta well. Adding heavy cream adds richness, helping it adhere to pasta. A bit of grated Parmesan cheese adds a richer flavor when served with pasta. Go to Roasted Red Pepper Pasta.
- Use 1 cup of sauce per 8 ounces of pasta. The sauce recipe below makes enough for 1 pound of pasta (6 to 8 servings).
Ways to Serve It
Once you’ve blended up this tasty roasted red pepper sauce, there are so many tasty ways to enjoy it. Here are some ideas:
- Fish like Baked Fish, Grilled Salmon, Trout, or Tuna Steak
- Shellfish like Sauteed Shrimp, Jumbo Shrimp, or Pan-Seared Scallops
- Roasted or grilled vegetables like Grilled Broccolini, Roasted Potatoes, or Grilled Green Beans
- Fries like Baked Fries or Steak Fries
- Pasta like spaghetti, bucatini, penne, rigatoni, or tortellini
- Bowl meals like Mediterranean Bowl or Easy Power Bowls
And that’s it! Let me know how you serve it.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This roasted red pepper sauce is perfect for pasta, as a spread, or a dip! Try it with chicken, fish, fries, sandwiches, and more.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Sauce
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, liquid drained
- ¼ cup roasted unsalted almonds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: 2 tablespoons heavy cream or ¼ to ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese*
Instructions
- Place the garlic in the blender and blend until finely chopped.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend. Taste and adjust salt as necessary.
Notes
*If you’re using this sauce for pasta, the cream is helpful for adhering to the pasta. I suggest blending the cream and Parmesan cheese together to make this a pasta sauce. If you’re using it as a dip or sauce for protein, these ingredients aren’t necessary. The 2 cups of sauce work with 1 pound of pasta.
This sauce is super yumm! I added about 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes.
Has anyone tried this without the almonds? My husband can’t eat nuts.
Let us know if you have any questions!