Walnut Romesco Sauce

Real talk: this walnut romesco sauce is amazing. Blow-your-mind amazing. Eat-it-on-everything-amazing. Where-have-you-been-all-my-life amazing (and yes, in my head, I said that like this).

I had never thought twice about romesco sauce before seeing this last week, and I’m kicking myself for this oversight. The thick orangey-red condiment caught my eye immediately, and I knew I’d be making romesco in the near future. But while the Catalonian sauce is traditionally made with almonds, hazelnuts or pine nuts, I had none of those things and therefore, searched for and found a walnut romesco recipe instead.

This Food Network recipe is extremely basic, foregoing the onion, tomatoes and parsley of The Kitchn’s recipe and the stale bread that’s also common in romesco recipes (it adds more body to the sauce). But a) simple plays right into my lazy hands; and b) the combination of roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic-infused olive oil, smoked paprika and balsamic adds enough zing that you don’t miss any of the other ingredients.

And in case I forgot to mention, this walnut romesco sauce is makes-me-want-to-dance-in-joy delicious. So far I’ve had it with roasted (green!) cauliflower, sauteed cod, a slice of crusty bread, my spoon, and even my fingers (JK I would never do that, because I hate getting my hands dirty. But I thought about it.) I can’t wait to try it on eggs this weekend, or with a baked sweet potato or as pasta sauce … endless possibilities.

A bright, punchy sauce that takes two seconds to make and tastes good on literally everything? Like I said, AH-mazing. 

Walnut Romesco Sauce
Adapted from Food Network

– 3 cloves garlic, peeled

– 1/4 cup olive oil

– 4 ounces roasted red peppers, drained

– 1/2 cup walnuts

– 1 tablespoon water

– 1 tablespoon tomato paste

– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

– 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

– 1/2 teaspoon chipotle or ancho chile powder

– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

– 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1) In a small saucepan, saute the garlic cloves in the oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

2) Add the oil and the remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Serve on EVERYTHING.