Why Romesco Sauce Is The Game-Changer Your Homemade Pizza's Been Missing

Tomato sauce is the original pizza sauce, but white sauces, pesto, and even barbecue sauce have become popular alternatives in recent years. Well, now you can add one more sauce to the list because romesco sauce is the game-changer for your next homemade pizza. A Spanish sauce originating from Catalonia, romesco sauce consists of roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, almonds, garlic, and olive oil, along with spices like smoked paprika. It's smoky, savory, and rich with a nice zing from the peppers and a splash of sherry vinegar.

The roasted tomatoes and almonds almost give red pesto vibes and make for an especially thick and creamy consistency. It's an all-purpose sauce to begin with and tastes wonderful spread over proteins like fish and chicken, as a dipping sauce for patatas bravas, and even works well as a pasta sauce. So, spreading romesco over homemade pizza dough is a logical next step. You can also use the sauce as a finishing touch for a white or olive oil-based pizza, doling dollops over the pie fresh out of the oven.

We have a recipe for smoky romesco sauce, but there are certain shortcuts that save you the trouble of prepping and roasting all the veggies. Roasted red peppers are common canned or bottled commodities that you can pick up at the grocery store. Instead of roasting tomatoes, you can swap them for a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Likewise, a jar of sun-dried tomatoes would bring even more umami and sweetness to the sauce.

Romesco is typically served with fish in Spain, so you could easily top a romesco pizza with grilled shrimp, mozzarella, and fresh basil. The zingy smokiness of the roasted red peppers would taste delicious with many different types of cheese, from gamey dollops of goat cheese to sharp white cheddar. Instead of spreading romesco sauce over a Spanish tortilla, you can top your romesco pizza with caramelized onions, fingerling potatoes, and eggs.

For more pizza topping ideas, we have many recipes that use romesco sauce, not to mention countless pizza recipes. For example, we use romesco in this recipe for broccoli steaks, so roasted broccoli florets or roasted cauliflower may just be a great pizza topping. Shower a cauliflower and romesco pizza with Parmesan cheese for a nutty and salty complement. Romesco sauce is a foundation for this grilled asparagus recipe, so consider making a spring veggie pizza with asparagus, romesco, mushrooms, and dollops of ricotta cheese.

Roast peppers and tomatoes on the grill for your romesco sauce along with more veggies and even the dough for grilled veggie pizza. If you can't get enough peppers, you can top a romesco pizza with blistered shishito peppers and grilled onions, drawing inspiration from our recipe for macadamia romesco with shishito peppers and roasted veggies. The peppery zing of romesco sauce will pair well with all the classic Italian proteins we love on our pizzas, from Italian sausage to pepperoni.