Fresh Herby Sauce, aka Chimichurri is a versatile sauce that can be made ahead and then tossed on anything to really boost the flavor. Veggies, Pasta and any protein. Works great as a dipping sauce for breads too!
We used to go to a restaurant in LA that would serve the best dipping sauce. They called it a chimichurri. It was full of parsley, garlic, olive oil and some red pepper flakes. They served it as a dip to slices of bread. It was scrumptious.
Seriously, the herby sauce, was served when you sat down and you would inhale it. Then your meal would come and you would be full because you couldn’t stop eating it.
I have been craving this herby sauce because it’s freshness and flavorful taste sensations. Every time I went to eat at that restaurant I always thought this sauce would be amazing on all sorts of things. A simple pasta toss, a marinade for kebobs or anything you want to grill, over vegetables…… I have so many great options for things to toss it since so many vegetables are in the peak of their season.
While the chimichurri sauce’s exact history is unknown it is generally accepted that it came from Argentina. Some swear it is all parsley based while others say it is cilantro based. In Argentina, they use it on all of the grilled meats they are famous for.
It’s so easy to make, you just toss everything in a Food Processor and blend for a few minutes. Then you let it ruminate in your fridge for the flavors to meld into tangy, herby, garlicky goodness.
I especially like that this recipe makes enough for a couple of different meals or appetizers. I love recipes that you can spend time on once, but are able to use them in completely different ways. (One night I serve it as a marinade for grilled shrimp, then when company comes the next day I serve it as a dipping sauce for bread as an appetizer.)
Try this recipe with whatever you’re grilling tonight!
Points of Interest with Herby Sauce – Chimichurri:
Easy/Hard: The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the flavors to meld before eating it. It does require some special equipment (food processor preferably, although a blender will work too.).
Flexibility: This recipe for Herby Sauce is crazy versatile. It works both as an appetizer or for sauces with a main course. You can serve it as a dipping sauce with bread, or toss it with any seasonal vegetable, as a sauce for pasta or a marinade for beef, chicken or shellfish. It works great for potlucks in a potato salad (no mayo, no spoiling in the heat, hows that for a win?!?!)
Serving Suggestions: I have used it as a dipping sauce for my gruyere risotto balls, as a marinade for grilled shrimp like I have pictured here in the post.
Herby Sauce, Aka the easiest Chimichurri Sauce
Fresh Herb Sauce, aka Chimichurri is a versatile sauce that can be made ahead and then tossed on anything to really boost the flavor. Veggies, Pasta and any protein. Works great as a dipping sauce for breads too!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 sweet onion, outer layer peeled away and ends removed
- 2 bunches cilantro, most stems removed
- 2 bunches flat leaf italian parsley, most stems removed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons water, optional
Instructions
- Place the vinegar, salt, garlic and onion in the cuisinart. Pulse until garlic and onion are finely minced.
- Let sit for about 15 minutes to let all those flavors meld together.
- While they vinegar mixture is resting, rinse the cilantro and parsley and pull the leaves off of each bunch. A few stems are fine, but cutting off the bottoms and pulling most of the leaves will get the best results.
- Add cilantro and parsley to cuisinart and mix for 2 minutes until fine.
- Add lemon juice, lemon rind and red pepper flakes and pulse for another minute.
- Slowly add olive oil, running cuisinart until well combined.
- If sauce is a little thicker than you like it, add water one tablespoon at a time, whirling food processor to blend well and check the consistency.
- Transfer to a container to store in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Season with salt as needed.
- Let come to room temperature before serving.
- Can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Or frozen in ice cube trays for use at a later time. (see notes for suggestions on how to do this)
Notes
This recipe makes a lot of sauce. You can use an ice cube tray and freeze for a later use. Fill the ice cube tray 3/4 the way full, then freeze completely (2-3 hours). Once frozen, then remove from tray and store all of them in an ziplock bag when ready to use. (this will save you a lot of space in your freezer)
The caloric info for this recipe was calculated using my fitness pal using the specific brands/products that I purchased to make this. If you are following a strict regimen, please calculate the info using your purchases for accuracy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
3 tbsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 134Carbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
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Sunday 10th of April 2022
[…] The Easiest Chimichurri Sauce […]
Matthew Cetta
Saturday 1st of April 2017
It's true! You can really put chimichurri sauce on everything! I'm kind of intrigued about the fact that you dipped gruyere risotto balls in it.
Michele
Monday 3rd of April 2017
Matt~. Its called using what you have in the house and being really happy it worked out well! It added a burst of flavor to the arancini!~m
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
Saturday 1st of April 2017
Such a versatile sauce! This looks fantastic!
Michele
Monday 3rd of April 2017
;) ~m
Amanda
Wednesday 29th of March 2017
I am such a fan of chimichurri sauce, but amazingly, I haven't made it in a while! Your beautiful post is just in time for the shrimp i purchased at the market today. We'll be grilling them up with your sauce tomorrow. And, I'm totally with you on the bread for dipping. There's a fresh loaf of ciabatta on my counter and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to control myself once the chimichurri is on the scene too, haha.
Michele
Monday 3rd of April 2017
I can so relate to trying to control not eating it all in one sitting! :). ~m
Julia
Monday 27th of March 2017
This sauce sounds awesome - I like how versatile it is both with herbs and with what it could be used for. Oh, and those shrimp look so yummy!
Michele
Tuesday 28th of March 2017
I am always amazed at the different uses for it.... last night we used it combined with a little orange juice for a dressing on a salad! ~m