Easy Chimichurri Sauce
Easy chimichurri sauce is a fresh sauce chock full of parsley, garlic, and tangy vinegar. This sauce is delicious spooned over steak or as a marinade for any meat or seafood.
One of the quickest ways to make any meal taste a million times better is to add a homemade sauce or marinade.
Fresh sauces like Homemade Basil Pesto and this easy chimichurri sauce are just a million times better than anything you could buy premade in the store.
With fresh herbs and garlic shining through in the flavor profile, you’ll be glad that you’ve taken the time to put this easy sauce together.
What is chimichurri sauce?
Chimichurri sauce is a raw sauce found in many South American cuisines.
Think of it as similar to pesto but with a Latin American flair!
It’s often used as a marinade or as a condiment for grilled meats.
What’s chimichurri sauce made of?
Most chimichurri sauce recipes are full of fresh parsley, garlic, onions or shallots, olive oil, and vinegar for tang.
You’ll often see some spices and seasonings added.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Parsley– Chopped flat leaf parsley with the stems discarded
- Garlic– Fresh cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- Shallot– Peeled and roughly chopped
- Seasoning– Dried oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smoked paprika
- Vinegar– Red wine vinegar. You could substitute white wine vinegar if needed.
- Extra virgin olive oil– Because you’re using it for flavor, you want to use a good quality olive oil.
How to Make
This easy chimichurri sauce is simple if you have a good food processor!
Just add the parsley, garlic, shallot, oregano, pepper flakes, vinegar, salt and pepper to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Pulse everything just until finely minced.
Transfer the herb mixture to a small bowl and add the oil along with the paprika, if using.
Stir just until combined.
Let the mixture rest for 15-20 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Serve chimichurri over any smoked or grilled meat or seafood.
It’s delicious over tri tip, steak, chicken, and grilled shrimp.
Storing
Chimichurri is really best fresh but you can store chimichurri in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or so.
You can also freeze homemade chimichurri by portioning it out into ice cube trays.
Just pop out what you need and let it thaw before use.
Tips and Tricks
- Be careful not too over process the chimichurri in the food processor over it will go from finely minced and uniform to a sludgey paste consistency. This is why I suggest pulsing instead of just processing it.
- Smoked paprika is a delicious in this recipe, but it is a totally optional addition.
- Don’t have red wine vinegar? You can substitute white wine vinegar but it will have a milder flavor. However; do NOT substitute with distilled white vinegar as it’s too tart and overpowering.
- Fresh bunches of herbs, like parsley, are often filled with dirt so make sure to wash them well then give a gentle shake to dry before using as instructed.
Recipes to Use with Chimichurri
This easy chimichurri sauce adds so much flavor to anything you put it on.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for a recipe to serve with chimichurri sauce?
Try these:
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Easy Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley leaves be sure to discard any stems and only use the leaves
- 4 large cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 shallot peeled & roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil be sure it's a quality variety
- pinch smoked paprika optional
Instructions
- To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment add the parsley, garlic, shallot, oregano, pepper flakes, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix just until finely minced.1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, 4 large cloves garlic, 1 shallot, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp red pepper flakes, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/2- 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Transfer the herb mixture to a small bowl and add the oil (along with the paprika, if using). Stir just until combined.2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, pinch smoked paprika
- Let the mixture rest for 15-20 minutes, then serve & enjoy!
Nutrition
