Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Have you ever gone to the store and bought something that you completely forgot you purchased last time you went? I must have done that a couple of times this week because I found 10 red bell peppers in the fridge when putting away yesterday’s groceries. What to do with all of those peppers before they go bad?

I put 4 aside to make stuffed peppers (one of my husband’s favorites) and used the remaining 6 to make a roasted red pepper sauce. This is kind of my take on a romesco sauce with roasted peppers, garlic, whatever nut I have on hand (usually either almonds, walnuts, or cashews), olive oil, and lemon juice. Sometimes I add a touch of cayenne for a kick or some herbs for freshness.

I alternate making this with jarred roasted peppers and roasting my own. Since I have so many peppers, today I’m making my own.

I cut the peppers in half, placed them skin side up on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, and roasted them for about 35 – 40 minutes at 450 to get that nice browning.

Add to a blender or food processor with garlic, nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, and a bit of salt. Blend until smooth.

Slather this sauce on sandwiches, serve with eggs, drizzle over roasted or sauteed chicken and vegetables, use as a pizza sauce, eat it straight from a spoon (go ahead, absolutely no judgment!), add extra pepper flavor to stuffed peppers, use as a dip for chips or raw veggies … enjoy!

Print Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Use this sauce for sandwiches, pizza, roasted or sautéed chicken and vegetables, or even as a salad dressing.

The prep time does not include the time to roast the peppers if you choose to roast them at home.

Prep Time5 mins

Course: Sauce

Author: Rachel at Fridge Two Table

Ingredients

• 6 roasted red peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup nuts (I used whole, raw almonds. Feel free to substitute walnuts or cashews, both of which also taste delicious here. Adjust the amount down a bit for using chopped nuts.)
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced (My lemon produced approximately 4 tbsps of juice.)

Instructions

• Add everything into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
• If you prefer a runnier sauce, add a tablespoon of water or olive oil at a time until you get to your desired consistency.

Notes

• For a kick, add some cayenne. Start with about a quarter of a teaspoon and add until you reach your desired spicyness level.
• To give it some additional freshness, add in about a quarter cup or so of fresh herbs – I like adding mostly fresh parsley with a few chives.