8 Sauces to Spruce Up Your Dinner Routine

Photo: Shutterstock / MaraZe

I don’t know about you, but I often get bored with my weeknight cooking routine. I try to keep things simple and easy—grilled steaks, cast-iron pork chops, roasted chicken, or a huge batch of sheet pan vegetables—but after making them a few times, I need to switch things up a bit. These meals need something simple to spice things up and make life exciting again. Luckily, we have a few sauce recipes that do just the trick! They’re a sure-fire way to spruce up dinner without adding much extra time to your night.

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Chimichurri

We love this super fresh recipe for the famous South American condiment. Fresh cilantro and parsley give this sauce a herbaceous backbone, while red pepper flakes and raw garlic give it some spice and pungency. Finish it off with acidic lime juice and vinegar and you have yourself a winner! Chimichurri is the perfect way to complete grilled steak or chicken.

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Pesto

You really can’t go wrong with a classic pesto sauce. It’s amazing on everything from pasta to sandwiches. You can even use it as a pizza base instead of marinara! Traditional pesto is made with basil and pine nuts, but feel free to have some fun with the ingredients. Check out our easy step-by-step guide to pesto.

Barbecue Sauce

When it comes to barbecue sauce, we honestly can’t pick our favorite! So we collected our top 15 homemade barbecue sauce recipes instead. From tangy, mustard-forward Carolina style sauce to Texas-true Dr. Pepper sauce, you’ll find the perfect recipe to sauce up slow cooker pulled pork or slow-cooked ribs.

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Hollandaise Sauce

This sauce is best known for smothering eggs Benedict at breakfast, but we love using this hollandaise recipe to fancy up dinner entrees. Made from creamy egg yolks and rich butter, hollandaise is a perfect way to add flavor to an inexpensive steak, a lean chicken breast, or blanched vegetables.

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Tzatziki Sauce

You may know tzatziki sauce from your favorite Greek dishes, but you don’t have to save it for gyros or falafel. This tzatziki recipe is my favorite way to spice up grilled or roasted vegetables. It’s also the perfect way to cool down a spicy fried chicken.

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Spicy Plum Sauce

Who needs applesauce? This flavorful fruit sauce can do everything applesauce can do, plus a couple things it can’t. It’s super savory, thanks to the onion and garlic, but it still has a sweet and tangy flavor. Whip up this spicy plum sauce and serve it alongside your favorite pork dishes (like these ribs) or on top of a roasted chicken.

Avocado Sauce

We paired this tasty avocado sauce with cornmeal-crusted catfish, but it’s so versatile you could really serve it with anything! Serve it as a dipping sauce for grilled skewers or drizzle it on top of roasted veggies. You could even roll it up inside your favorite burrito instead of guacamole!

Garlic Caper Sauce

How could you resist a sauce that combines salty capers, pungent garlic and savory sun-dried tomatoes? Swirl in a little white wine and finish it off with some cream and you’ll have a sauce that will add a burst of flavor to your dinner.