Chimichurri Rojo Sauce

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This Chimichurri Rojo Sauce is an incredibly vibrant, flavorful blend of red bell pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, and oregano. It’s a delicious sauce for steaks and roasted veggies or as a dipping sauce for chips, crackers, and…a spoon. It’s also great with paleo breakfast recipes, including eggs, bacon, and sausages! The options are endless! {Paleo + Vegan}

When you make one green chimichurri sauce recipe, it’s only a matter of…hours before you make another. This time, red. Chimichurri Rojo Sauce is as much my favorite as the green sauce is. Will I alternate them in my kitchen? Yes. Will I layer them on the same meal? Exactly how much will you judge me if I do? Because, yes, I will.

Friends, if you haven’t put chimichurri in your life lately, then THE TIME IS NOW. We are blending the reds (tomato and bell pepper) with the greens (parsley and cilantro). And we’re savoring our best lives while we do it. When I made Spicy Chimichurri Verde Sauce, I researched chimichurri’s history. The history of this Argentinian and Uruguayan recipe is rich and complicated. For those spicy details, see Spicy Chimichurri Verde Sauce. 

I was captivated. 

So then I researched the history of the red sauce, too. Its history aligns with its green counterpart. But, according to tasteatlas in the site’s entry for Chimichurri rojo, you can change this sauce’s color from reddish brown to bright red, depending on the ingredients used. Ours is the bright red version, and we are all over it. Like, we were finding things in the fridge to try with it. Basically, all I can say is we were zero percent disappointed on all fronts. This red sauce is the little black dress of sauces. It goes with everything.

So let’s grab a blender, and start brainstorming all the delicious ways we can enjoy our very own Chimichurri Rojo Sauce. 

Chimichurri Rojo Sauce ingredients

Below are the ingredients to make your very own Chimichurri Rojo Sauce! 

• The reds: bell pepper, tomato, onion.
• The greens: parsley, cilantro, onion.
• All the seasonings: dried oregano, sea salt, and black pepper.
• And the liquids, too: olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice.

NOTE: Paprika and red pepper flakes are excellent add-ins. Additionally, the absence of paprika contributes to this recipe’s bright red color, according to tasteatlas. If your tomatoes aren’t a deep red, then your chimichurri sauce may look pink. This will also be true if you use a tomato that is larger and lighter in color than your red bell pepper.

Tips make Chimichurri Rojo Sauce

• Use a high speed blender. The blades will break down the skin of the tomato and the roughage of the parsley and cilantro.
• Keep the blender on the lowest setting possible while still mixing the ingredients. We want the ingredients to break down into a chunky consistency instead of turning into a salmon pink puree.
• Stop the blender, if necessary, to loosen ingredients that may get stuck to the bottom of the container or underneath the blades.
• Serve your chimichurri sauce with breakfast fare such as eggs, hash browns, and sausages, or with snack foods like chips and crackers. Pair it, too, with grilling goods including beef, pork, poultry, and vegetables.

Troubleshooting your Chimichurri sauce

• Some blenders require liquid at the bottom to prevent the blades from overworking or overheating. The red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and natural juices from the tomato and red bell pepper may be enough to begin blending the ingredients prior to adding the olive oil. If you notice the blades aren’t working properly, and you think more liquid is needed, then drizzle in a little extra olive oil.
• Use Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine. These varieties offer the right flavor without being too watery.
• Stream in only as much olive oil is needed to bring the ingredients together. I like to have about 1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil available. But I find streaming the olive oil slowly about 1-2 tablespoons at a time is ideal. Then I have more control over the Chimichurri consistency and texture.
• For best results, consume this delicious sauce within about 1-2 days.

Spicy complements to main dishes, snacks, and appetizers!

If you are feeling the pull for BIG FLAVOR recipes, then you’ll also enjoy these bad boys!

• Spicy Chimichurri Verde Sauce
• Spicy Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
• Hot ’n Spicy Pico de Gallo

Recipe inspiration!

This recipe was inspired by Chili Pepper Madness’s Easy Chimichurri Rojo (Red Chimichurri Recipe) recipe. If you haven’t checked out Mike’s website, then you really need too! He has all sorts of spicy, vibrant recipes that look so delicious. I peaked at a few and was HOOKED immediately.

Spiriteds, enjoy these spicy flavors! As always, stay wild and know how glad I am you’re here! 🩷

Chimichurri Rojo Sauce

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This Chimichurri Rojo Sauce is a vibrant blend of red bell pepper, tomato, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and onion! Pair this recipe with steak, eggs, chicken, roasted veggies, chips, or crackers. The options are endless! {Paleo}

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
• Category: Sauces and Spreads
• Method: Blender
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (See Notes)
• 1 tomato, diced (See Notes)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup green onion, sliced
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4–1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

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Instructions

1. In a high speed blender or food processor, combine the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tomato, red bell pepper, red onion, green onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, oregano, and sea salt. Mix on a LOW speed for several seconds until the ingredients blend together. 
2. Keep the speed on LOW, and gradually drizzle or stream in the olive oil. If the ingredients clog the blades, then increase the speed just slightly and stream more olive oil. The key is to mix the ingredients together without puréeing them.
3. Garnish with coarse black pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container for about 1-2 days.

Notes

• How much red wine vinegar you use in this recipe will depend larger on how potent you want the chimichurri sauce to be. I err on the side of adding less at first and then add more as desired.
• Roma tomatoes and tomatoes on the vine work well in this recipe. 
• For a chunkier chimichurri sauce, stream in the olive oil about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. I like to have 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup olive oil on hand, but I don’t always use it all. How much I use depends not only on the blender but also the size and juiciness of the tomato and the consistency of the other fresh ingredients.
• Additional mix-ins include paprika, red pepper flakes, and coarse black pepper