Published December 11, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Learn how to make Espagnole Sauce, the rich, velvety foundation of countless French dishes. This classic sauce, made with caramelized vegetables, tomato paste, stock, and a dark roux, puts a gourmet twist on everything from roast beef to braised lamb.
This espagnole sauce recipe is one of the five French mother sauces, along with béchamel, velouté, hollandaise, and sauce tomate. As a chef, each of these sauces holds a special place in my heart and kitchen, as they open the doors to a world of comforting, gourmet dishes.
What is Espagnole Sauce?
Espagnole sauce is a rich and intensely flavorful basic brown sauce made with mirepoix vegetables (onions, carrots, and celery), tomato paste, and high-quality stock—usually veal or beef. In French, espagnole translates to “Spanish,” but to be clear, Espagnole sauce is very much a cornerstone of classic French cooking.
Its signature rich and savory, slightly sweet flavor profile is achieved by carefully caramelizing mirepoix veggies and tomato paste for depth and a slight tang. High-quality veal or beef stock contributes to the luxurious, velvety texture, while a brown roux gives it an alluring dark color and hearty feel.
I’ll admit, making espagnole is a labor of love, but the patience and effort you put into making it is well worth it. Ultimately, you’ll be rewarded with a savory foundation for many derivatives, including demi-glace, sauce bordelaise, sauce chasseur, and so much more.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Mirepoix — A mix of onions, celery, garlic, and carrots is caramelized in butter for a deep, rich, and slightly sweet baseline of flavor. Other vegetables you can include are leeks, parsnips, or fennel.
- Tomato paste — When tomato paste is caramelized (a process known as pince), it develops a rust-like color and rich flavor, which adds depth and umami to the sauce.
- Stock – Use high-quality store-bought or homemade veal or beef stock. The higher the quality, the better your espagnole sauce will taste.
- Herbs – Fresh thyme sprigs and parsley stems infuse the sauce with an earthy freshness. Fresh rosemary and a few bay leaves can also be added.
- Spices – I also used whole peppercorns to season the sauce.
- Butter—preferably Unsalted butter. You’ll need some to sauté the mirepoix and two sticks for the roux.
- Flour – All-purpose flour or bread flour thickens the roux. A 1:1 gluten-free flour bend should also work.
How to Make Espagnole Sauce
Melt the butter in a large 2-gallon pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and sauté for 25 to 30 minutes, frequently stirring, until caramelized.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it becomes dark and rust-like in color (8 to 10 minutes).
Pour in the stock.
Assemble your bouquet garni in a piece of cheesecloth and drop it in the pot.
Heat the sauce to a simmer over low to medium heat and cook for 2 hours, returning every 30 minutes to skim off the impurities or fat that rise to the surface.
With about 30 minutes left in the simmering process, melt the sticks of butter in a large pan over low to medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined, then continue whisking frequently for the next 20 to 25 minutes.
Gradually pour the dark roux into the pot with the simmering stock and vegetables. Whisk until incorporated, then cook for another 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain the sauce through a chinois, fine mesh strainer, or cheesecloth.
You can store the sauce for later or use it right away as a base for other classic gourmet sauces, such as demi-glaze, bordelaise, chasseur, beef gravy, or mushroom sauce.
Ways to Use Espagnole Sauce
Traditional espagnole sauce is often used as the base for a hearty beef stew or the braising liquid for dishes like osso buco, braised lamb shanks, and braised beef short ribs.
It also makes a luxurious serving sauce. Try drizzling it over:
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Making this sauce 1 or 2 days before serving will give the flavors more time to meld and intensify. If you need to keep it warm before serving, pour the sauce into a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s time to eat.
How to Store: Once the leftover espagnole has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing, leave a little room at the top of the container for expansion.
How to Reheat: Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of water or stock to loosen the consistency.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Be patient when sautéing the vegetables. Giving them time to caramelize will build the savory base of the sauce. The more golden the vegetables are (without burning), the more decadent your sauce will be.
- When making the brown roux, keep a close eye on the heat and whisk it frequently to prevent burning. It takes time to achieve the desired deep golden brown color, but it’s worth it since it lends significant richness and body to the sauce.
- To make a bouquet garni, place the herbs, peppercorns, and garlic in the center of a square of cheesecloth. Fold the corners and tie it securely with butcher’s twine.
- You can also skip wrapping the bouquet garni in cheesecloth if you plan on straining the sauce through a chinois or cheesecloth.
- Stir the sauce often during the last 20 to 25 minutes of cooking to prevent it from scorching (burning at the bottom of the pot).
- Skim the impurities and fat at the top of the sauce every 30 minutes to ensure a velvety consistency.
- If the espagnole sauce is too thick, stir in a splash of stock or water.
- If it’s too thin, simmer it longer until it reduces and reaches your desired consistency
More Sauce Recipes
- Beef Au Jus Recipe
- Mornay Sauce Recipe
- Easy Homemade Gravy Recipe
- Balsamic Vinaigrette Reduction
- Homemade Cocktail Sauce Recipe
Espagnole Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 roughly chopped yellow onions, weighing a total of 8 ounces
- 2 roughly chopped ribs of celery, weighing a total of 4 ounces
- 2 peeled or unpeeled roughly chopped carrots, weight a total of 4 ounces
- 4 ounces tomato paste
- 6 quarts veal stock or beef stock
- 4 to 6 sprigs of thyme
- 4 to 6 parsley stems
- 15 to 18 peppercorns
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, or 8 ounces
- 8 ounces all-purpose or bread flour, or 1 ½ cups
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large 2-gallon pot over medium heat. Once it’s melted add in the onions, celery, and carrots, and sauté for 25 to 30 minutes while frequently stirring with a spoon or until well caramelized.
- Next, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 8 to 10 minutes to deepen the flavor and becomes a rust-like color. This is process is known as pince.
- Pour in the veal stock.
- On a 1 x 1 square foot piece of cheesecloth, place to the center the thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and garlic. Fold up the corners and securely tie a double knot around it using butcher’s twine to ensure nothing is coming out. As a note, if you plan on using a chinois to drain everything, you can just place everything in the cheesecloth into the pot.
- Simmer over low to medium heat for 2 hours and be sure to come back every 30 minutes to skim and discard any impurities or fat that collects at the top.
- With about 30 minutes left in the simmering process melt the 2 sticks of butter in a large sauté pan over low to medium heat.
- Once melted whisk in the flour until combined. Whisk frequently for the next 20 to 25 minutes to create a dark roux.
- At this time slowly pour the roux in the stock pot of stock and veggies while continually whisking until it is incorporated. The stock will immediately thicken.
- Cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes.
- Strain the stock completely through a chinois, fine mesh strainer, or cheesecloth. Use, or store in the fridge or freezer.
Espagnole Sauce Recipe