I have been trying to figure out how to make a Spanish romesco sauce work in different ways than just on fresh crunchy veggies.
This classic Spanish sauce is made with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, and vinegar- similar to how you would make a pesto. The bite from the vinegar is the perfect complement to the pureed tomatoes and red peppers, and I realized it would make a fresh and veggie-packed pizza sauce!
While I cut the corners with some of my ingredients (canned tomatoes, jar of roasted red peppers, and whole wheat pita for the pizza crust), sub in your own ideas, your favorite dough and toppings for this pizza to make it yours.
You should also know that I apologize in advance if you see the word PITZZA anywhere. Pita pizza is just really hard to write. This healthy pizza recipe is a fun one to make with others- whether an impromptu pizza party or for Superbowl viewing snacks.
Lay out a bunch of toppings for people (including marinara for the not as adventurous to try this romesco sauce) and pop everyone’s individual pizza on cookie sheets to warm up. You can find great whole-wheat pita near the sandwich thins and bread in your grocery store, and it crisps up nicely while still staying soft on the inside- my favorite part of pizza!
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup roasted almonds
- 1-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained
- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 tablespoons sherry/red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup romesco sauce
- 4 pita breads
- 1 sliced yellow pepper
- 1 vine-ripened tomato
- 2 oz sliced mozzarella
- Green or kalamata olives
- Begin by draining the roasted red pepper and diced tomatoes.
- In a food processor, begin by processing the garlic cloves until minced. Add in the whole almonds and chop them up until they are in small pieces. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients (roasted red peppers, tomato, vinegar, olive oil, and paprika) and process until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread the sauce out onto your pitas and top with sliced mozzarella, sliced veggies and tomato, and olives.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the pita pizza is warmed throughout.
- Let the pita pizzas cool on a rack for a couple minutes before cutting.
Use the excess romesco sauce as a sauce for dipping raw vegetables, or try baking it on top of chicken with some mozzarella – it will blow your mind. It will last a week or more in the fridge, but can be frozen for later use.
Marisa
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
Gahhh that romesco sauce! It looks tangy and savory and it NEEDS to get into my mouth via pizza or veggies or a spoon.
Marisa says
I also baked it on some chicken last night with mozzarella, and it was amazing! Thanks Carly!
Nancy Granada says
Love romesco….never thought to use it on pizza…brilliant!
Marisa says
Glad to hear you are already a fan of the sauce- it is such a delicious flavor and reminds me of an alternative (healthy!) pesto!
Steph @NutrishusRD says
This looks great Marisa! I will be trying your sauce ASAP – homemade tomato sauces are the best.
Marisa says
Thanks, Steph! I had it on chicken last night and it was fantastic too. Let me know how it works out for you.
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
I love romesco sauce too but rarely make it though it would be awesome on a pizza!
Marisa says
I’m glad to hear you’re a fan, Deanna!
Jenna Jacob says
This looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!
Marisa says
Thanks Jenna! Let me know how the recipe turns out for you- I love seeing pictures of remade recipes!
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
Yayyy baby pizzas! These look good. I was actually thinking about how I haven’t made my own pizza in awhile. These may be perfect!
Marisa says
Thanks, Erin! It had been awhile for me as well- there’s something about pizza that is just irresistible. Let me know what tasty creation you come up with!
Lauren @ Sweat The Sweet Stuff says
Wow this looks amazing! I’ve never actually made romesco sauce but I’ve wanted to! So now I’ll have to!
Marisa says
Hope you get to try it out, Lauren- I am definitely happy to have tried it out! SO delish!
Serena says
Ha! Love the PitZZa name! (:
Also think the Romesco Sauce on pizza is brilliant. Gotta admit I love the idea of the sauce but just can’t see me or my kids dunking raw veggies in it. Pizza on the other hand, I can get behind.
Marisa says
Thanks, Serena- sometimes things are just better on a pizza! Including veggies!
Jill @ Fitness, Health and Happiiness says
I love romesco sauce and using it as an alternative to traditional pizza sauce is a fabulous idea!
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
Oh how creative are these and the photos are just gorgeous. I don’t know if I’ve ever had romesco sauce but I definitely wanna try it!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
I’ve never tried romesco sauce but it sounds amazing and looks even better on top of these pitzas!! 😉
Marisa says
Thanks Sarah, I hope you get to try them out 🙂 It is a tasty and versatile sauce.
Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits says
Marisa,
What a good idea of using pita bread for making a quick pizza. But I think the real star here is the Romesco sauce. I love it!!
Marisa says
Thanks, Mireya! The pita bread was so easy and the sauce was fun to make, so it is an easy dinner to pull together on weeknights or days when you don’t feel like putting in a lot of effort but want a tasty meal!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
Yum! This looks delish!
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
I love romesco sauce! Can’t believe I haven’t thought to put it on pizza! PS- total blogger question but what widget do you have for the readers favorite posts section? I have been trying to find one that’s just images without text but… no luck. Any thoughts would be great 🙂
Marisa says
Hi Alex! Thanks for stopping by! Hope you get to try out the recipe. The widget is through Jetpack.
Allie says
You had me at “roasted almonds” hahaha!
Marisa says
Glad to hear that, Allie! The recipes usually call for skinned slivered almonds, but I prefer the texture and flavor of using roasted almonds. You can try it either way!
Mark says
Hey, could you please tell me which camera/lense you use to take these shots? Everything looks so mouth watering, I can’t look at the pictures for long, I get hungry. 🙁
Emily @ More Than Just Dessert says
I am a big fan of the “mini pizzas”!! These look great!