This recipe uses roasted carrots in place of the classic bell pepper romesco. We’re using it as a chunky dip or spread served with pita chips or baguette and crudite (raw veggies for dipping). It’s sweet, salty, smoky, creamy, tangy, and crunchy. It’s the perfect addition to your Holiday appetizer list!
P.S. It pairs really well with this week’s yogurt dip 🙂 See “leftovers and repurposing” section.
Ingredient Highlight
Carrots! These sweet, bright orange root vegetables are super high in beta-carotene, which gets converted into vitamin A – an essential nutrient for immune function. They’re also rich in bone-building vitamin K, vitamin B6, and potassium (to name a few!).
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots , peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds or smaller if the carrot is very thick* (about 5)
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Fresh parsley chopped (for topping, optional)
- *The smaller you cut the carrot, the quicker it will roast.
Serve with:
- Pita chips/baguette
- Crudite: celery, endives, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add carrots to the baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through and charred in spots.
- In a high speed blender, add carrots, remaining ¼ cup oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, nuts, lemon, paprika, garlic, and pepper. Blend until well combined but slightly chunky, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with parsley and some black pepper.
- Serve alongside pita chips, toasted baguette, and/or an assortment of raw veggies.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Roast 1 lb carrots
- Toast ½ cup walnuts
- Chop 1 garlic clove
- Make the romesco (easily prep this ahead, but be sure to let it come to room temp before serving, see note below).
Substitutions:
- You could use a jar of roasted red bell peppers in place of carrots for a more traditional romesco.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This dip tastes best at room temperature. Don’t recommend eating it cold out of the fridge, so just pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so and give it a stir. This should just take the chill off so it’s closer to room temperature.
- This week’s dips and recipes all go really well together. I ended up eating a leftover plate of salmon topped with leftover yogurt dip and chimichurri together with a side of toasted baguette topped with romesco (and a dollop of yogurt) + the radicchio salad!
- Use leftovers on top of bowls.
- Stir yogurt into leftovers for a cooling yogurt romesco dip!
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