Shrimp Romesco Sauce ( Whole 30)

Whole 30 Shrimp Romesco

Roasted pepper and tomato, Whole 30 approved Shrimp Romesco Sauce has got to be one of my new favorite healthy meals!  I developed this Whole 30 recipe when I was doing the program a couple of years ago, and I have had it in the regular rotation ever since.  The flavor of this healthy pasta, or zoodle sauce speaks to my soul. 🙂  Don’t let the sound of roasting peppers in your oven or on the grill scare you away, because it really is very simple.  I also go over the process my Roasted Poblano Hummus that you can check out.  I know you can’t have hummus while doing the Whole 30, but you can save it for when you are done. 😉  Everyone needs hummus in their life!

Let’s dive in.  Start out by roasting your peppers.  Turn the oven on high broil and make sure the rack is in the middle position.  Get out a piece of tin foil big enough to fit both peppers on it laying on their sides.   You can put it on a roasting pan if you want, but I usually just put the piece of foil right on the racks and the peppers on top without a problem.  

Set the timer to 6 minutes and then rotate both peppers one quarter turn.  Set for another 6 minutes, rotate one quarter turn, and so on until you have roasted all four sides of the peppers and the skin is blistered and blackened.  They should look about like this:

As soon as you pull them out of the oven place them both into a bowl and cover them tightly with the foil that you roasted them with and set aside to cool.  At least 20 minutes or so.  This will make it easier to peel the skin off while they “sweat” in the bowl, and also, you won’t burn your hands. 🙂

While you are waiting, get your shrimp ready to cook by making sure that it is peeled, deveined, and have the tails pulled off.  Then heat a saucepan or large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil.  Saute the onion, garlic, and parsley with a little salt and pepper for a few minutes until the onion is tender.  Take off heat and set aside for a minute so the garlic won’t burn.

Now it’s time to peel the peppers.  Cut off the tops and pull out the insides (all the seeds and stuff).  Peel off all the skins of both peppers.  They should look about like this:

Place the peppers, can of tomatoes, almond butter, salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder in a blender and briefly blend until everything is just blended.  You don’t want to necessarily puree it.  It’s best with a little texture to it still.  

Put your skillet back on medium heat and add in the shrimp.  Cook for a few minutes until they become pink all over.

Pour all the red sauce into the pan and bring it to a quick simmer to make sure everything is heated through.  

You guys, this is the best sauce!  It has such a different and unique flavor than regular red sauce and will leave you wanting more! I have made it with just chicken and it’s equally as yummy.  I have also done shrimp and chicken just because I couldn’t decide! 🙂  If you are doing the Whole 30, serve over zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.  If not, go for the gold and pour this yumminess over some whole wheat pasta and top with parmesan cheese!  Either way, Whole 30 Shrimp Romesco Sauce is amazing.