This chimichurri is your new go-to sauce for all proteins. This Latin-American, pesto-like sauce is the perfect blend to add fresh flavor to your savory meats.
I just love saying the word “chimichurri”, don’t you? It sounds fun and makes be want to dance, but it tastes even better! This sauce is a blend of fresh herbs, oil, vinegar, and garlic. It reminds me a lot of pesto, but with a different herby taste since it doesn’t contain pesto’s prime ingredient, basil.
My family loves the fresh flavor it adds anytime we serve it along with a savory protein. It’s a regular side whenever we make grilled ribeye steak, cast iron ribeye, or even lamb chops. We love our proteins in the Drozhzhin household, and chimichurri is a must!
How to Make Easy Chimichurri Sauce
You only need two things for chimichurri — the ingredients and a food processor or blender. It’s super quick, so let’s get it done!
- Prep all the chimichurri sauce ingredients: Wash and prep all the ingredients. Use the green parts of the scallions and trim off the hard stems of the parsley.
- Blend everything together: Place all the ingredients into the blender (or food processor) and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chimichurri Tips & Tricks
There’s not much that goes into making chimichurri – it’s that easy. Here’s a couple tips to get the best result the first time around.
- Use the freshest ingredients: Chimichurri is best when made with fresh ingredients. It may be tempting to use dried spices, but resist the temptation! Use fresh parsley and cilantro so your sauce is bright green and tastes like it came straight from the garden.
- Rest the sauce: I’ve found that the sauce tastes the best after it sits a little bit (at least 20 minutes). This gives the flavors time to meld together perfectly.
- Season to taste: If your chimichurri tastes bitter, consider adding a couple more drops of an acidic ingredient like citrus or vinegar. If you want more sweetness, add a little bit of honey or sugar.
What To Enjoy Chimichurri With
Chimichurri is a bit less commonly known than other sauces like pesto, marinara, salsa verde, or tzatziki (these are amazing sauces by the way!). Here are a few of my favorite meat dishes to pair with chimichurri.
- Baked Steak with Vegetables: Add a pop of fresh, herby flavor to baked flank steak and vegetables. While baking, the savory flavors of the beef are absorbed into the mushrooms, asparagus, bell pepper and red onion. Drizzling on chimichurri after it cooks adds the perfect pop of green!
- Perfect Cast Iron Ribeye: Ribeye steaks are full of marbled fat and beefy flavor. Chimichurri elevates the flavors of the fat and takes this dish all the way home.
- Philly Cheesesteak: Upgrade a classic Philly cheesesteak sandwich by spreading chimichurri on your French roll. Yum!
- Lamb Shoulder Chops: Oftentimes, lamb is served with a mint-y version of chimichurri. You can blend in some fresh mint to your sauce, or you can leave it as is and slather it over your chops!
- The Perfect 5-Minute Grilled Chicken: Chicken and chimichurri are wonderful as well. This combination is perfect for those who don’t eat beef!
Hot tip: If you are a vegetarian, chimichurri also works great as a salad dressing! Try spicing up a traditional garden salad with it. Or, drizzle it over eggs (or khachapuri!), baked potatoes, or on top of grilled veggies. Like I said, it has so many uses beyond meat!
Storing Easy Chimichurri Sauce
Unlike many sauces, chimichurri stores really well. That makes it so easy to make a large batch (when the herbs are the freshest!) and store a few containers to be ready whenever you need.
- Refrigerator: Store chimichurri in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge. I like to store it in a mason jar and use it liberally throughout the week.
- Freezer: Freeze chimichurri in an airtight container for up to three months. You can also take an ice cube tray and freeze it in individual cubes! This is great if you are trying to practice portion control, or if you want to prevent defrosting the whole container and not being able to use it all.
Hot tip: Make chimichurri the day before you plan on serving it. Allowing it to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours gives great flavor!
More Delicious Easy Sauces
- Tzatziki: Yogurt and cucumber-based Greek sauce
- 5 Minute Marinara: Great for pasta, bread, and pizza
- Tartar Sauce: Tangy, creamy, and great with any seafood
- Alfredo Sauce: A white sauce perfect for pizza, bread, or pasta
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of Italian parsley
- 4 scallions (just the green parts)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 jalapeno (optional, for extra spice)
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for extra spice)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients for the chimichurri sauce. Trim off the hard stems of the parsley and use only the green parts of the scallions.
- Place all of the ingredients into the blender. Note: you can omit the jalapeño and red pepper flakes for a milder flavor.
- Blend everything together until the sauce becomes smooth in texture.
- Keep it refrigerated until you're ready to serve.
No Comments