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Every summer cookout needs a few good side dishes and this Smoky Romesco Pasta Salad is about as good as it gets! With a vibrant roasted red pepper sauce, dry-cured Spanish chorizo, briny olives, and buttery Manchego cheese, it’s loaded with flavor to amp up any gathering.
Let me start by saying that this is not your average pasta salad — and that’s a good thing. The homemade romesco sauce — made with roasted bell peppers, garlic, shallots, lemon, red wine vinegar, toasted almonds, and dried spices — packs a punch. It would seriously be delicious on its own with just the pasta, but I’m not going to leave you hanging.
To drive home the Spanish-inspired vibes, I added dry-cured chorizo, which has smoky, savory notes that complement the paprika in the sauce. I like to sauté it first so that it gets crispy, and then toast the breadcrumbs in the residual chorizo fat so that not a drop of flavor goes to waste. That said, the mix-ins are very versatile here, so feel free to use whatever combination of cheese, veggies, and pickled/briny things that you have on hand!
Ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- Brown Rice Short Pasta
- Roasted Red Bell Peppers
- Shallots
- Garlic Cloves
- Fresh Parsley
- Tomato Paste
- Lemon Zest
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Toasted Slivered Almonds
- Smoked Paprika
- Dried Oregano
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Spanish Chorizo
- Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs
- Grape Tomatoes
- Castelvetrano Olives
- Manchego Cheese
Step-by-Step:
step one: cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Set aside to cool entirely before assembling.
step two: blend up the romesco sauce
In a high-speed blender or in a food processor, add the roasted red peppers, shallot, garlic, tomato paste, lemon zest and juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, almonds, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Blend on medium speed until totally smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
step three: cook the chorizo
In a medium skillet set over medium heat, add the diced chorizo and cook until the fat is rendered and the edges are browned and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the reserved grease in the pan. You should have about 1 tablespoon.
step four: toast the breadcrumbs
To the remaining grease, add the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and toasty, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
step five: assemble the pasta salad
Add the cooled pasta and romesco sauce to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Add the grape tomatoes, olives, manchego cheese, crispy chorizo, parsley, and about 1/2 of the breadcrumb mixture and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
step six: garnish and serve
Garnish with the remaining breadcrumbs and more parsley. Serve cold or room temperature.
Recipe FAQs:
This recipe calls for dry-cured Spanish chorizo — the firm, sliceable kind similar to soppressata or pepperoni that you’ll find near the charcuterie or deli section of the grocery store. It’s fully cooked and ready to eat straight from the package. This is different from Mexican chorizo, which is a raw, loose ground sausage and will not work the same way in this recipe.
If you can’t find Spanish chorizo, soppressata, or any dry-cured salami would all work beautifully here and are easy to find at most grocery stores!
I love Jovial Foods brown rice pasta, but for this recipe, I would recommend cooking it for less time than the box recommends. I find that it cooks to al dente in 8 to 9 minutes, not the 12 minutes it lists on the box. Do not boil for too long or the pasta will fall apart when assembling this salad!
Yes! You can make the whole pasta salad or the romesco sauce up to three days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can boil the pasta in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
Ian’s original panko breadcrumbs or Aleia’s brand are my go-tos!
I know y’all are going to lose your minds when you try this Smoky Romesco Pasta Salad! Tag me on social @thedefineddish so I can see your final dish!
looking for more summer pasta salads? try these!
Smoky Romesco Pasta Salad
Ingredients
for the pasta:
- kosher salt
- 12 ounces brown rice short pasta, such as fusilli, cavatappi, or penne
for the romesco sauce:
- 1 heaping cup drained and roughly chopped roasted red bell peppers (from about 1 (12-ounce jar, drained)
- 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
for the chorizo and breadcrumbs:
- 8 ounces dry-cured Spanish chorizo, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the mix-ins:
- 1 pint (about 10 ounces) halved grape tomatoes
- 2/3 cup pitted and roughly chopped Castelvetrano olives
- 3/4 cup diced manchego cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley, plus more to garnish
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente, according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Set aside to cool entirely before assembling.
- In a high-speed blender or in a food processor, add the roasted red peppers, shallot, garlic, tomato paste, lemon zest and juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, almonds, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using). Blend on medium speed until totally smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet set over medium heat, add the diced chorizo and cook until the fat is rendered and the edges are browned and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the reserved grease in the pan. You should have about 1 tablespoon.
- To the remaining grease, add the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and toasty, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Add the cooled pasta and romesco sauce to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Add the grape tomatoes, olives, manchego cheese, crispy chorizo, parsley, and about 1/2 of the breadcrumb mixture and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
- Garnish with the remaining breadcrumbs and more parsley. Serve cold or room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
