Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This fantastically easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce takes 5 minutes to make, and adds instant flavor to a ton of foods. I drizzle it on Crispy Smashed Potatoes, spoon it onto Spice Rubbed Chicken, toss it with pasta and vegetables, and more. It’s made without heavy cream, and is friendly to all styles of eating (Whole30 compliant, paleo, gluten-free, etc).
Much like the Basil Vinaigrette I shared last week, this is a sauce that can go on sooooooooo many things. It’s basically flavor sauce.
Drizzle it on chicken, fish, vegetables, and so on, and boom! Flavor.
This is another recipe that I came to love during my Whole30, and I really have to thank the Whole30 for forcing me to rediscover the awesomeness of blender sauces.
Because of the restrictions of the program, you’re forced to get creative with simple and flavorful recipes, and having this sauce on hand was key to many satisfying dinners.
Tips for Best Results
Brand matters – Because we will be using purchased roasted red peppers in a jar for this recipe, quality really matters and will affect the flavor of the sauce! I have done side-by-side taste tests comparing various brands and it’s INCREDIBLE what a difference there is in flavor. My favorite brand is Divina (I have no affiliation with them).
Use the freshest ingredients possible – The other ingredients here, like the fresh basil, fresh garlic, lemon and so on, should be of peak freshness. Flavor deteriorates as these ingredients age, so try to use the freshest stuff possible.
As far as the preparation goes, it’s quite simple, and goes as follows:
Put stuff in a blender, and blend until it has a creamy texture.
Done.
See why I love it so much? It’s an easy sauce made with simple ingredients, but just wait until you taste it (seriously).
Don’t have a blender? Just use a food processor instead. It won’t be quite as smooth, but will be close enough.
Step by Step Guide:
For the prep, you’ll need roasted red bell peppers, shallot, garlic, capers, and basil:
Quick note on the peppers: make sure to use a good quality jarred roasted red pepper. I’ve seen brands where it’s a bunch of pepper scraps crammed into a jar, and in my taste tests, it wasn’t as good.
I usually use Divina brand, which I get from Whole Foods. The peppers are huge (about 3 to a jar), have those charred fire roasted bits, and are really delicious.
You may also roast your own peppers, but I’ve done it before numerous times via numerous methods (stovetop, grilling, broiling in the oven on a baking sheet), and it’s a lot of work. The flavor isn’t better than a good quality jarred option, in my opinion.
Moving on: throw those ingredients into a high-powered blender, and also add some lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper:
Blend on high for about 30-60 seconds, until completely smooth:
You can see that it’s quite a creamy sauce, thanks to those roasted peppers, but without any dairy. The sauce can now be stored in the refrigerator for one week, ready to be drizzled on whatever you’d like.
I LOVE this sauce on those Crispy Smashed Potatoes I posted the other day:
I also dunk roasted broccoli florets into this sauce, serve it with Crispy Spice Rubbed Chicken Thighs, or even plain Slow Cooker Chicken Breast when I’m in a pinch.
More Ways to Serve It
Drizzle on fish like Grilled Salmon, toss with cooked pasta like you would a tomato sauce, serve with roasted Spatchcock Chicken or lamb as a dipping sauce, drizzle a little bit on a fancy vegetable pizza, spread on a sandwich, or dollop a spoonful onto your Turkey Burger.
You can also drizzle this creamy roasted red pepper sauce over your favorite grain bowls.
Or, mix it into Homemade Mayonnaise or Aioli for serving with potatoes. It’s one of the most versatile sauces I know of.
Recipe Variations
While this delicious sauce certainly does not need it, you may certainly change up different ingredients here as you’d like.
Parmesan cheese – Add up to 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese for an extra savory umami flavor.
Nutritional yeast – Add up to 2 tbsp for a nutty flavor.
Sun-dried tomatoes – Blend in up to 1/4 cup to add a deep tomato flavor.
Vinegars – I love the brightness and subtle sweetness of the fresh lemon juice, but you may also substitute red wine vinegar, or your preferred acid.
Heat – Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
FAQ and Tips
Yes, for up to 2 months in an airtight container. You may also choose to freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray, then you can quickly add a few cubes for sauces and such.
Store your homemade sauce in the fridge in an airtight container, or tightly covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.
Yes, fresh herbs like parsley or oregano would both be great in place of the basil.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 ounce jar roasted red peppers drained
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp packed chopped fresh basil (10 leaves)
- 1 tbsp capers drained
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (3/4 oz, liquid measurement)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender jar.
- Blend for 30-60 seconds on high speed, until completely smooth.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for 1 week, or freeze for 1 month.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
This post contains affiliate links.
39 Comments on “Roasted Red Pepper Sauce”
Just made it for the first time. Quite delicious.
Thanks June! So glad you enjoyed!
Could I make a larger batch of this and use it to make lasagna as my husband can’t eat tomatoes but loves peppers
Absolutely! This goes great with pasta and should work well with lasagna too! let me know how it goes!
Thank you. I will let you know the outcome tomorrow. Hopefully this works well as we love lasagna and miss having it
This sounds delicious! I’ll make it tonight. I was asking a dietician what I can use instead of tomato sauce on tacos This is what was suggested
Thought I would try this with sea bass and it was delicious and so easy. I didn’t have basil so used oregano. Wonderful.
Really good recipe! Super easy & fast to make. I didn’t have shallots so subbed some red onion. Served with a mustards sauce over crab cakes, Yum.
This tastes great! Thanks for sharing it
How much in a serving?
I love this sauce. Thank you!!’
I love roasted red pepper sauce! This creamy version is perfect!
I love this sauce. Thank you!!
Instead of peppers from a jar, can one use fresh raw peppers? Also, can one make the sauce with green peppers?
Made this tonight for the first time. Both my husband and I have chronic kidney disease, thankfully, we are in the low risk group – but not wanting to get worse. We both love pasta but now need to truly limit sodium and tomatoes. Red peppers are a kidney friendly veggie, and your recipe was SUPER delicious! It is perfect!
It came together in a snap, which is another bonus. We are going to be enjoying this recipe over and over and over again! I’m definitely sharing it with my cooks club on Facebook and my friends. Thank you so much!!!
Excellent the first time I made it. The second time I added a 1/2 cup + of almonds to add a pesto/crunch thing. Great stuff.
I add a little bit of honey and it just takes the whole thing up a notch. So delicious! Quinoa, black beans, pico, avocado with this sauce on top. My favorite lunch.
pardon me, but could i use something else, like olives in place of capers? this sounds delicious, thank you!
You can leave them out, or you can try the substitution since that might be really good!
This is a delicious tasting sauce and so versatile. I first tried it a few months back because I can no longer tolerate tomatoes. I’ve made it several times to put on Pasta dishes, and veggies. I love it so much I even got a little creative one evening and added some cream cheese to make a variation. It was fantastic too. Thanks for such a wonderfully delicious and versatile recipe!