Salt & Wind Travel

Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip Recipe

Let us introduce this romesco dip recipe, which is one of our most-requested dips of all time! Inspired by the classic Spanish sauce known as romesco, this Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip’s only problem is how fast it gets eaten.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Like any respectable spread, you quickly find yourself (and, let’s be honest, I’m speaking from first-hand experience here) using it any and everywhere. As in, use this romesco dip to amp up your morning avocado toast, slather it on turkey sandwiches, serve it with roasts like spatchcocked chicken, toss it with pasta, use it for scrambled eggs, or as a very much welcome addition to your next grilled cheese.

The reason we make this romesco dip on the regular? Well, it’s super easy and quick to make but also you can make it with pantry staples, and it’s vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Of course, it isn’t totally allergen-free, as it still has nuts!

Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

Here is what you’ll need to make this romesco dip recipe:

  • Roasted Bell Peppers
  • Raw Blanched Almonds
  • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • Red Wine Vinegar
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Garlic
  • Italian Parsley
  • Kosher Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper

How To Make This Dip

Because the nyora pepper is hard to find stateside, we use roasted red bell peppers in this recipe instead. After years of using roasted tomatoes and tomato paste, we nixed them because they make it a bit watery. 

So the ingredients are a lot of pantry staples, including extra-virgin olive oil, red wine or sherry vinegar, roasted red bell peppers, almonds, smoked paprika, garlic, and parsley. And, if you have garlic confit or slow-roasted garlic garlic on hand, add it instead of the raw garlic to enhance the flavor.

A note about how to blend this dip. If you prefer it with a chunky texture, go ahead and pulse it in the food processor until all the ingredients are broken down. Or, if you have a high-performance blender, you can make it uber-smooth. Either way, it’s delicious so you do you!

What To Serve With This Dip

This dip can be made up to 4 days ahead, so you can make it ahead for a party or keep it in your fridge for a healthy, plant-based snack

Suppose you’re looking to make more of a meal. In that case, this will go great along with a meal starting with these Falafel Wraps, as part of a cocktail party spread along with these Zucchini, Avocado, and Olive Crostini. or with these Mini Chicken Shawarma.

Romesco Dip Recipe

What Is Romesco Sauce?

Before we go much further, we should say what this is not. Spain’s ubiquitous Romesco sauce inspires this romesco dip, but it is not an authentic recipe and is in no way supposed to be actual romesco sauce.

Romesco is a sauce that comes from Spain’s Southeast Catalonia region though it often appears on tapas menus across the country. You’ll find variations on the recipe, but the most common base is a combination of roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, nuts, olive oil, and a local nyora pepper. This all gets mixed by hand in a mortar and pestle for a rustic puree whose texture is not unlike a classic pesto sauce.

The result is a sauce that is a bit smoky, tangy, sweet, and totally delicious. It was traditionally served with fish but went with all the things. This recipe is an excellent place to start if you want to make the from-scratch classic romesco sauce.

What Is Romesco Dip?

We gotta sauce for all the “classic” and “authentic” references we just made: romesco dip is not a dish you will find in Spain. Sure, you’ll see romesco sauce used in myriad ways, but it’s not sold as a dip like hummus here in the States.

This dip came about because we were traveling in Spain and found ourselves eating the Romesco sauce right off the spoon and wishing we had more. And because we wanted it on everything from crusty bread to crudites aka cut-up veggies.

Go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!

Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip Recipe

Inspired by the classic Spanish sauce, romesco, which is made with roasted peppers, Marcona almonds, paprika, and garlic, this Roasted Red Pepper Romesco Dip Recipe is a major crowd pleaser.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Spanish
Servings 16 servings
Calories 103 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (15-ounce) jar roasted bell peppers juices drained
  • 6 ounces blanched almonds (about 1 cup)
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley (with tender stems - about 1/2 ounce)
  • kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Make The Romesco Dip: Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may need to use a tamper or stop the food processor or blender and scrape down the sides a few times to make sure iit all gets evenly processed.
    Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve drizzled with olive nada with cut-up raw vegetables or your favorite crackers for dipping.
    TIP: Makes about 2 cups of dip — can be made up to three days ahead of time. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

PERSONAL NOTES

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 103kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 85mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 207IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
Keyword easy appetizer, healthy appetizer, healthy dip
Tried this recipe?Mention @saltandwind or tag #swsociety!

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