My new obsession is Sauce Verde. It’s not a pesto or tomatillo salsa, this flavor packed treat comes from Italy and is loaded with fresh herbs and spinach. You’re gonna want to make this again and again!
Sauce Verde
For today’s recipe I’d like to share with you a wonderful sauce. Sauce Verde is not a tomatillo green sauce or salsa, not a chimichurri, and it’s definitely not a pesto sauce. It’s an amazing Italian green sauce that has an incredible flavor punch.
Excellent as a dipping sauce or drizzled over grilled meat, Sauce Verde is one versatile Italian sauce.
With my recent move from San Diego, California up to the Portland, Oregon area, this easy to make sauce is great because all you need is a blender or food processor and some cooked pasta for a quick meal!
Add some Costco rotisserie chicken and you are good to feed the family.
Half my kitchen is still in boxes, so I’m pulling out all of my easy to make recipes this week. Also, the move is another reason I haven’t been able to share a new video.
Just wait though, new and improved videos are coming your way from the new kitchen soon!
What is in Sauce Verde?
Sauce Verde uses pureed fresh parsley, capers, lemon juice, olive oil and anchovies. Seasoned with kosher salt and red pepper flakes, too. I add spinach to the mix, that’s not traditional, but highly recommended. Get the greens in where you can! 🙂
It’s a little bit of everything really. Herbal flavor coming from the parsley, salty from the anchovies, bright and fresh flavors from the lemon with that perfect hit of acid to a hint of brine coming from the capers and richness from the olive oil.
What do you use sauce verde on?
- grilled steaks
- chicken
- fish
- lamb
- pasta
Like I said, this is one versatile sauce.
Now as soon as I find the propane tank I can fire up the BBQ and grill us up some steaks to drizzle this sauce on as well. Enjoy!
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Sauce Verde
Ingredients
- 4 cups spinach leaves 1 bunch
- 2 cups parsley leaves 1 bunch
- 1/4 cup capers
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp anchovy paste (or 3 anchovy fillets)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 8 oz penne pasta
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except olive oil to a blender or food processor and purée. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a smooth sauce develops. Season to taste.
- Cook pasta per package directions and drain, reserving a 1/4 cup pasta water.
- In a large bowl toss the cooked pasta, entire batch of sauce verde and the pasta water. Season to taste and serve. Add shredded rotisserie chicken if desired.
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Hi Kevin, I’m a foodie, new to your website! I’m also a self-employed tax accountant, and therefore a “freezer queen”. I was wondering, have you ever frozen your sauce verde? I make homemade pesto and it freezes wonderfully, would I treat this the same, and would there be any degradation of flavor?
I have and it is fine, and like you said, quite similar to pesto Julie. Thanks!
This was dinner tonight! Great way to celebrate that we still have summer weather even though our days are shorter….just light another candle and enjoy this great summer pasta dish!
Thanks for another “keeper”.
Thanks so much Suzanne, glad you enjoyed this one!
Such a versatile, yummy sauce, Kevin!! Hope your unpacking is going well and that you’re loving your new digs!
Thanks Marissa. We are finally all done and relaxing today. Well, running errands anyways! 🙂
This sounds yummy, and I just happen to have half a bag of spinach and some parsley, plus the rest. Since I just made my worst pasta ever (GF which I dislike, but need) I need to buy some zucchini to spiralize for this.
Karey Spirit here.
Cathy, have you tried Trader Joe’s Brown Rice, Quinoa Gluten Free Spaghetti Pasta? It’s my favorite. Although I also like zoodles (zuchini spiralized).
I rated the recipe 3 stars because of the amount of oil in it. I haven’t made it yet. But it sounds interesting.
I find it funny you rated this prior to tasting it as written. It’s a wonderful sauce, similar to a pesto, hence the olive oil addition. Feel free to use more or less olive oil to your liking Karey.
I found this quote from Herbert Spencer quite perfect: “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all argument, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance. This principle is, contempt prior to examination“.
This sauce is so good on many things Cathy!
How long will this hold in the fridge? Looks like a fun one to have around and a great change from pesto.
I’d say a couple of days, not too sure. Refrigerated and with the oil it should be fine for 5 days?