Romesco Sauce with Rigatoni

5 from 7 votes

Our bright and robust Romesco Sauce Rigatoni is topped with buttered parmesan and herb breadcrumbs for the perfect pasta dish!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: spanish

Servings:

Calories: 642kcal

Fill a pot with water, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Add a small handful of salt and rigatoni and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 6 to 7 minutes.
Drain pasta into a colander, reserving 2/3 cup pasta water. Set aside.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and add breadcrumbs. Stir and toast breadcrumbs for 3 to 4 minute, and remove from heat. Once mixture has cooled, stir in Parmesan. Set aside.

Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into skillet and place over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved pasta water and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add pasta into sauce and toss together until pasta is fully coated. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour coated pasta onto a serving platter, top with buttered, Parmesan-herb breadcrumbs and serve.

Make Ahead

To make this meal even easier, you can make the romesco sauce ahead of time, so all you have to do the night of is boil your pasta and quickly make your breadcrumbs.
In our opinion, romesco sauce that's sat in the refrigerator for a day or two is even better than fresh sauce, as the flavors become richer and they have time to meld together. Just make the recipe for the sauce as directed, let it cool, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To make the pasta ahead, boil it until slightly al dente, drain, toss with a little olive oil, then let it cool completely. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

Freezing

Romesco sauce is perfect for freezing as the texture and flavor stay the same. This makes it a great sauce to prepare in double or triple batches, freezing the rest for later! Portion the sauce into freezer bags, lay them flat, and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the entire pasta dish (minus the breadcrumb mixture) to reheat and enjoy at a later date. Make the sauce and the pasta and combine as directed. Once cooled, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. Do not freeze with the breadcrumb topping, as this will become soggy as they thaw.

Reheating

To reheat refrigerated romesco sauce, add it to a pot over the stove on low heat. Stir gently until warmed through.

To reheat refrigerated pasta, add it to a pot over the stove on low heat. Stir gently until warmed through, adding a little water if needed.

To reheat frozen romesco and rigatoni, let the pasta thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then add it to a pot over low to medium heat. Warm through, adding a small amount of water if the sauce and pasta seem dry.