Roasted Vegetable and Romesco Crostini

An elegant Spanish appetizer, these vegetable crostini are topped with a spicy romesco sauce and tender roasted vegetables.

Today we are continuing our trip through Spain and enjoying another favorite! Romesco sauce! I learned to make this sauce while taking a cooking class in Barcelona and couldn’t wait to re-create it at home. It was spicy, nutty and creamy and just a delight when smeared with roasted veggies.

I thought we could make this into a fun bite-size tapa style dish and put all the flavors I enjoyed in one hand-held bite. The romesco sauce is so easy to pull together. The only thing you really need to find are dried ancho peppers which are becoming more and more mainstream.

A tip I have is: make sure you take the stem and seeds out BEFORE soaking. I did the opposite by accident and it was more difficult to remove the seeds. You’ll see in the instructions. As far as the veggies go, that is completely up to you!

I also roasted some red onion (not shown here) and was snacking on that with the romesco sauce. But really, whatever vegetables are in season or you have on hand will be delicious with this sauce.

As far as instructions, I won’t do step by step photos like I normally do because I think this recipe is pretty straight forward. Roast veggies in the oven and make the sauce in the food processor! That’s really it!  Don’t you love easy and delicious appetizers like this?

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Roasted Vegetable and Romesco Crostini

An elegant Spanish appetizer, these vegetable crostini are topped with a spicy romesco sauce and tender roasted vegetables.

Course: Appetizer, Tapa

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 432kcal

Author: Samantha Ferraro

Ingredients

Roasted vegetables

• 2 zucchini chopped and roasted until tender (You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand)

Romesco Sauce

• 3 dried ancho peppers seeds and stems removed
• 3 large tomatoes cut in quarters and roasted
• 1 garlic bulb roasted
• 1 cup hazlenuts toasted
• 1 cup slivered almonds toasted
• 1 bell pepper roasted
• 1 slice of bread stale or lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup water if needed
• Few dashes of sherry or red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Italian or French bread sliced on the diagonal and toasted

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• If you haven’t already, begin by roasting the red bell pepper, tomatoes and garlic bulb. Drizzle everything with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until tender. Wrap the garlic in foil and roast everything on the same baking sheet. When done, set aside.*You can also roast your zucchini to top the crostini on a separate baking sheet.
• In a bowl, soak the dried peppers in warm water for 10 minutes.
• In a large food processor, add all the romesco ingredients. Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, dried ancho peppers, nuts, bread and olive oil. Pulse everything together until smooth. If it is too thick, add water accordingly and season with salt and pepper. taste for seasoning and adjust consistence if needed.
• When sauce is ready, spoon romesco sauce on sliced bread and top with roasted zucchini. Drizzle with additional olive oil and serve.

Notes

This makes a lot of romesco sauce. You can save for later and smear on chicken, fish and other vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 775mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4428IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 4mg