Saucy: 50 Recipes for Drizzly, Dunk-able, Go-To Sauces to Elevate Everyday Meals

by Ashley Boyd, Maren Caruso (Photographer)

“Home cooks can add ‘a little oomph’ to weeknight meals through sauces, glazes, dressings, and dips, promises Pink Owl Kitchen blogger Boyd in her handy debut.”—Publishers Weekly

Epicurious Most Exciting New Spring Cookbook 2024

Elevate everyday cooking with 50 easy-peasy recipes for delicious, drizzly, dunk-able sauces.

Saucy is an accessible collection of 50 sauce recipes organized by flavor profile (herby, sweet, spicy, savory, and more). This go-to kitchen companion, irresistibly designed with bold graphics and full-color photography, includes simple, super-tasty sauces that transform basics from ordinary to sensational:
Dress up a piece of grilled chicken with Orange Chimichurri
Drizzle Thai Peanut Sauce over steamed veggies to up the flavor factor
Add Coconut Chile Crisp to spice up morning eggs
Fancify a bowl of ice cream with Blackberry Basil Coulis
How-to instructions for ten homemade dishes, like sautéed shrimp, juicy burgers, and fluffy pancakes, and a handy list of recommended sauce pairings for a range of proteins, vegetables, pasta, beans, grains, and greens, help you get your saucy party started.

Amateur cooks, busy parents, and healthy eaters will appreciate these painless ways to upgrade everyday meals. Paired with kitchen basics, first-apartment supplies, or registry items, Saucy also makes a fun and practical graduation, housewarming, or newlywed gift.

ACCESSIBLE SAUCE RECIPE BOOK: Home cooks will appreciate this super-practical cookbook filled with recipes that provide a lot of flavor with minimal effort. Anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to cook but still wants to eat well, and those who want to eat healthily but don't want to sacrifice flavor, will love these easy-to-make sauces that help simple meals shine.

SAUCE IS HOT: Whether you're addicted to The Hot Ones on YouTube or have taken advantage of the explosion of specialty crafted hot sauces, bbq sauces, and dipping sauces hitting supermarket shelves these days, it's a tasty fact that sauces are forever! Saucy, with a playful design and close-up shots of drippy sauces, is a fun, fresh, and distinctive cookbook. Its trove of simple recipes will make meal prep and mealtimes tastier, easier, and more enjoyable for years to come.

DELIGHTFUL, PRACTICAL COOKING GIFT: Bright, engaging, and easy-to-use, Saucy makes a fun and useful present for recent graduates, new homeowners, and newlyweds. Wrap it up with a serving spoon, a saucepan, dish towels, or a set of spices to help stock a first apartment kitchen or make a new house feel like home.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food

152 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small, slim volume, with a fun take on a "cookbook", focusing on sauces, dressings, and dips that you can use to jazz up your standard protein/carb/veggie meal. The sauces are categorized by "type" -- sweet, tomato-based, creamy, spicy, etc -- and largely vegetarian with a good amount of GF, DF, and vegan sauces, which I thought was great. Pictures of all the sauces (not always the most photogenic tbh), lay-flat binding, and I appreciated the variety of flavor profiles and that the sauces were largely low-ingredient, low-effort. There are a handful of recipes at the end for basics you can pair the sauces with -- perfect roasted vegetables, flaky baked fish, etc. While I love a sauce, it's not generally how I cook at home, so TBD on how much utility I get from the recipes, but I certainly bookmarked several!

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honey Garlic Buffalo Sauce...Sweet Ginger Sesame Sauce...Garlic Mushroom Sauce...Roasted Red Pepper Tzatziki... Apricot Miso Glaze...just some of the incrediblely easy sauces you can make to put on your favorite dishes! The sauces are also paired with suggestions (chicken, beef, pork...) so you will have an idea what goes best with with what.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saucy is set up as a book for intermediate home chefs looking to expand their skills with leveled up sauces that are intended to elevate standard everyday meals.

This book has a great guide at the beginning that covers a reference chart of different types of proteins / vegetables to use with specific recipes. I found this to be a very useful tool to navigate and use these recipes in my kitchen!

The categories include:

Creamy
Herby
Savory
Spicy
Tomato-Based
Umami
Tangy
Dessert

One of my favorite recipes that I'm so excited about is the Creamy Chipotle Lime Sauce. There are a lot of really useful recipes included here. That recipe and others like the Comeback Sauce and the Brown Sugar Peach Sauce will be used regularly from this point on!

I decided to rate 4 stars though, because I think the setup of the recipes could have been better. For example, providing the base recipe first and then how it can be elevated - this would expand the skills of the those who are learning these recipes for the first time. Also, there are circumstances where the instructions seemed incomplete, such as with the Roasted Beet Hummus. The instructions advised to roast it, peel and chop, however it does not provide the complete instructions on how to roast the beet. For those who have not roasted a beet before, they will have to use another resource to figure that out instead of having it right there for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those endlessly useful specialty cookbooks that can turn basic recipes into an interesting meal. It’s a book just about flavor! The directions for all are generally simple, the index is comprehensive, and an appendix includes some basic recipes for dishes to put your sauces on. If I have a critique, it’s that many of these have ingredient lists on the longer side: 10ish ingredients feels like a lot to find in my pantry, especially when making multiple recipes with limited overlap.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

[Jonathan (Jon)]

*not rating*

I’m not a big cookbook fan, but this one sounded so different and unique. This cookbook has recipes for sauces you could use on everyday meals. It’s structured by different types: creamy, herby, tomato-based, tangy, savory, umami, spicy, and dessert. Each sauce had a different section and mentioned where that sauce was influenced. Pasta is my favorite food and there was a section that specifically recommended sauces for it, which I absolutely loved. These sauces were also super simple and easy to follow. Some of the sauces I would definitely be checking out are Guava Barbecue Sauce, Coconut Curry Sauce, Apricot Miso Glaze, Spicy Mango Chutney, and Raspberry Glaze. I looked at these recipes electronically, but I’ll definitely need a physical book to own.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

[Tina Tormey (BucksCountyBookNerd) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saucy has a gorgeous table of contents with colorful photos of the sauces referenced above each themed section. The list of recommended pairings prevents decision fatigue and helps new cooks effectively mix and match flavors with ingredients. The section at the end had solid basic cooking instructions for newer cooks who need a basic plan they can follow for essential ingredients. That said, while Saucy supports new home cooks, it also is effective for more experienced cooks (like me) who need some inspriration and want a way to create simple, fast meals that aren't boring. As a single parent who has two jobs and no nearby family to help out, I really appreciate that this can let me make healthy delicious meals that don't require much time to prepare. In fact, I see myself doing food prep for basic elements (shredded chicken, roasted veggies, cooked grains) on the weekend and using a quick 15 min on weekdays to whip up a fresh sauce for whatever items we have prepared.

The only challenge I see with the book is that most sauce recipes makes a decent quantity yet only lasts 5 days. For a household of a single adult and child, this likely means food waste for me (especially if we do not want to eat the same sauce for days in a row), but most recipes were easily halved. (One exception: I will use that creamy avocado sauce on everything... dip for veggies and crackers, on burrito bowls, in a sandwich, on scrambled eggs and my lunchtime grain and veggie bowl. Amazing.)

I will be buying a copy of this book, and it will be prominently available in my kitchen for dressing up some quick and easy meals. Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle books for the advanced digital copy. All opinions on this book are my own.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Saucy is a collection of 50 well curated recipes for sauces and accompaniments collected by Ashley Boyd. Released 5th March 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 152 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout, highly recommended.

The writing is direct and inviting. Information and recipes are arranged logically and are easy to find (and understand). The chapters include sauces arranged thematically: creamy, herby, tomato-based, tangy, savory, umami, spicy, and dessert sauces. Each recipe includes an introduction and description, ingredients in a bullet list, and step-by-step directions. Recommended uses and pairings are included and the author also gives readers a lot of background info and tips on uses and storage. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units with metric standard in parentheses (yay!). Most ingredients will be easy to source at any moderately well stocked grocer in North America.

The photography, by Maren Caruso, is outstanding. It's very clear and in color throughout. Food is styled attractively and appropriately. Cooks who rely on photographs to see what dishes should look like will really appreciate the detailing in this collection. Some few of the photos were possibly a little too "Insta-perfect" and artsy, but really, the book has excellent descriptions and very clear usable photos.

Five stars. It's a niche cookbook, but very versatile and on a cooking niche subject that isn't widely covered. Most cookbooks have a few sauces, very few have many versatile sauces and accompaniments.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Erinn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I accessed a free digital copy of this text through NetGalley for review.*

Saucy would make a lovely addition to any home chef’s collection of cookbooks, and I am honestly planning to gift some copies to the home chefs in my life once it is published.

I really enjoyed the overall organization of the book and how sauces were grouped (Creamy, Herby, Tomato-Based, Tangy, Savory, Umami, Spicy, Dessert). This makes it easy to zero in on the right sauce for any particular recipe you might be looking to enhance. Or, if you are looking to try a sauce recipe from this book but you aren’t sure what to pair it with, the author has included plenty of pairing recommendations, both alongside each sauce and in a separate section at the back. As a novice in the kitchen myself, I found them helpful.

The food photography and overall visuals of the book are really eye-catching and fun. I was surprised to find such variety in the visuals of a cookbook with such a specific scope! I also enjoyed the layout of the recipe pages, which include notes on culinary influences, how to store each sauce, and optional substitutions or additions to each recipe.

As for the recipes themselves, none of them seem overly elaborate and I think most would be useful and feasible for daily cooking. The book includes several familiar staples, like Southwest Ranch and Teriyaki Sauce, but also some options that were new to me, like Sweet Ginger Sesame Sauce or Apricot Miso Glaze. Overall, there was a good variety in culinary influences and types of sauces included.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out! It will be a go-to book for me.

[Karen Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plain chicken, meat, and fish are delicious, but they are, in a word, boring. Most of us want to dress up our main dishes and desserts to make them more palatable. If you are like most of us, you’ll want to pick up Ashley Boyd’s excellent cookbook, Saucy: 50 Recipes for Drizzly, Dunk-able, Go-To Sauces to Elevate Everyday Meals. This cookbook contains almost every sauce you will ever need. Most of the recipes are easy.

Each recipe includes comments letting readers know what the sauce is best on. The ingredients (which are mostly minimal) follow the comments, and then step-by-step instructions that are concise and easy to follow. Since most of the sauces can be made ahead, the author has included the shelf life of each. The author has also cleverly included nice, color photographs of most of the sauces.

This is a “must have” cookbook for anyone who cooks and wants to transform plain foods into mouthwatering meals. There is such a variety of good sauces, most cooks will want to try something new every day over different proteins. Incidentally, at the back of the cookbook Boyd has included basic recipes for pan-fried steak, hamburgers, sautéed shrimp, and other basic proteins that can be topped or cooked in the yummy sauces. This cookbook will be used often and is giftable for anyone who likes to cook. Highly recommended.


Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Saucy" by Ashley Boyd is an extremely fun book with recipes for 50 different sauces. Bursting with colorful macro photographs of each of the recipes, which I found to be very helpful in showcasing the textures of what your finished product should look like.
The sauces are organized by flavor profile such as herby, tangy, umami, and dessert, just to name a few. I really enjoyed the ease in format for listing ingredients and the steps to follow, at times appearing highlighted for a quick glance, all of which seemed like very easy to source items. The country or region of origin that each sauce, came from or was inspired by was a definite highlight as well as the suggested pairings for each sauce and some alternative tweaks you can make to turn them into a multi use item, like a salad dressing for example.
There are also some basic cooking recipes that every cook should learn toward the end of the book, shall we say, vehicles or blank canvases for you to get creative with and sauce-up.
So, how does one review a cookbook? Try some recipes of course! I wont list each one, but I made a few, such as comeback sauce, a smoky mornay and even turning the tonkatsu sauce into a glaze for roasted chicken.
Boyd has given us a very easy to use foundation cookbook that would compliment any kitchen... as sauce does. I'm looking forward to adding it to my collection.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like this cookbook’s one word title, Saucy, I only have one word to describe it, yum! The recipes all look, because each has a photo, and sound delicious. Most include only common pantry ingredients, though you may have to buy a few of the more exotic spices if you don’t have them on hand. The recipes are easy enough for beginners to master—mostly it’s as easy as measuring and mixing together the ingredients.

Most of the sauces are vegan and gluten free, or easily adapted to be so. Each of the sauce recipes include ideas for what to serve them with that are both meat and non-meat based. They also include a few alternate ingredients for a slightly different taste or in case you are missing one. Storage instructions are also included.

All of the recipes use healthy natural ingredients. Making your own sauces instead of purchasing the bottles and packets from the store will save you money but also avoid all the chemicals, and other mystery additives, in the grocery store versions.

I’ve tried a few of these recipes. They were delicious and really elevated the plain chicken or vegetables they were served with. Saucy is a 5 star cookbook and a favorite! In fact, I’ve already preordered my own copy.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As soon as I received this book, I read this cover to cover and I felt so impatient to buy a physical copy and use it in my kitchen. Just reading it made me feel excited! My very favorite things to make are sauces (and soups). This cookbook seems like a great guide for people who 1) are new-ish to making and pairing homemade sauces or 2) enjoy inspiration and a base with which to experiment and expand upon. Sometimes I plan my entire meal around a sauce I want to make and I cannot wait to cook thru this entire book!! The pictures are so helpful and I love the lists and details included.

As far as the physical copy goes, it's smaller than my other cookbooks-I love the small size! The recipes in here are easy and accessible, the pictures are bright and beautiful, and I love the suggestions on what foods to pair the sauces with: chicken, steak, tacos, dessert, etc. My favorites so far are the Romesco and Mojo Rojo sauces, which are red pepper-based. If I could offer any suggestions, it would be cool to see pictures of the sauces in meals and paired with food instead of just a picture of the liquid.

I initially received this book as a digital review book from Chronicle Books via NetGalley a few months ago and loved it so much that I bought myself a physical copy. Many thanks to the publisher for bringing this cookbook to my attention. I love using it.

[Kristie Burch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good sauce is a game changer, and Ashley Boyd's new cookbook, Saucy, is arguably one of my favorite cookbooks now! The photography is gorgeous, the recipes are delicious and easy to follow, and the recommended food pairings are so helpful when deciding what type of sauce to make for your favorite dishes.

Fancy sauces can sound intimidating, but Boyd makes it approachable and easy to create a fabulous sauce that adds so much flavor to dishes. I don't think I would have ever made a remoulade if not for this cookbook, but I whipped up a batch to use on wraps for lunch during the week, and it took less than 5 minutes! (It's so good on a roast beef sandwich.)

This cookbook isn't just for when you feel fancy, either. These sauce recipes can jazz up your weekly meal prep or add a big boost of flavor to budget-friendly pantry meals. It would make a great gift too!

[Susan Hamann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully photographed, this book is meant to provide recipes for simple sauces with flavors from around the world. The chapters include sauces that are Creamy such as Creamy Avocado Sauce; Herby, such as Orange Chimichurri; Tomato-Based, such as Tomato Ginger Sauce; Umami, such as Thai Peanut Sauce; Tangy, such as Lebanese Garlic Sauce; Spicy, such as Spicy Mango Chutney; and Dessert, such as Brown Butter Peach Sauce.

The author provides a guide for the protein-based or other meal that you plan to serve and the suggested sauce pairing. This is a really nice feature for a home cook like me.

The ingredient list for each recipe contains common ingredients, found in a typical North American household, or easily found in the grocery story. The instructions are clearly written and simple.

This is a great book to have on the shelf to jazz up almost anything you may want to eat.

[Melissa Nuttall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook would make a fantastic stocking stuffer! I was surprised to hear on the Today show this morning that people are already shopping for the holidays. That’s amazing and not happening in my household!
 
Yesterday, I took some time to organize my cookbooks and set aside “Saucy, 50 recipes for drizzly, dunk-able, go-to sauces to elevate everyday meals” by Ashley Boyd. My son, who has just graduated from college, glanced through it and said, "This is a great book." I agree with him—he's the ideal audience for it.
 
What makes this cookbook great? It’s a compact collection of essential sauces, including remoulade, chimichurri, mole, teriyaki, ranch, and much more. The book straightforwardly presents these recipes with simple instructions, making them perfect for enhancing a basic meal of protein and veggies (which is so easy to cook in the air fryers that everyone loves).

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is just something about sauces that really make a dish, taking it from boring to bombtastic. That's what Ashley Boy'd new book is all about. This book is pretty. The photography is excellent. Having the sauces arranged by type helps the cook decide what profile they want to use in a dish. The recommended uses and pairings helps for those newer to cooking or those looking to up their game. The herby sauces were my favorite followed closely by the tangy and creamy sauces. The layout and instructions are easy to follow and the links in the table of contents make finding what you are looking for a breeze.

Thank you to the publisher and author for letting me review this early copy. It will stay in my arsenal for a long time.

[Emily Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say not to judge a book by it's cover, but in this case, do it! This really is a gorgeous book of sauces as the cover shows. There are so many delicious sauces in this book. This is a great book for any home cook, even an amateur looking to level up their cooking with a simple sauce.

This is going to be a great book to gift. Graphically it's lovely, easy to read, follow and well organized. There is a great variety of sauces in the book and really something for everyone.

If you love sauces you need this book!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes are really diverse and I think a lot of people could find a recipe they would like to try. I'm excited to try the Garlic Mushroom Sauce, Chunky Marinara, Brown Sugar Peach Sauce and the Salted Caramel Glaze. The photos are wonderful and showcase the recipes well. The recipe instructions are easy to follow. This is a fantastic cookbook I would recommend! Special Thank You to Ashley Boyd, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my goals for the new year was to be more flexible in the kitchen. I want to be able to easily punch up the weekly rotation of roasted vegetables and everyday proteins, and these sauces are the perfect solution. I am especially excited for the sauces in the tomato based and tangy categories. The book also does a great job communicating what sauces work well with what dishes, which will help with no-brainer meal prep in the future.

[Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes cookbooks can be WAY too much to handle. Especially when it has you buying 20 items to make a dish at minimum. But this one I absolutely loved because it’s here to elevate already made dishes in the most simplistic yet flavorful way possible. Because you can make your favorite thing and try something new just to have on the side or drizzled on top. I love the concept behind this book! The pictures were gorgeous as well.

Thank you NetGalley!

[Jennifer T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic idea for a cookbook! Sauces absolutely can turn the ho-hum into something phenomenal and this cookbook is filled with some delicious sauce recipes. I truly believe hollandaise sauce can turn anything into a masterpiece. I can’t wait to try the peanut sauce, comeback sauce, and hot honey sauce, among others. I’d buy this cookbook.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a nice little book. I am a fan of condiments as my weekday cooking is frequently sprucing up the grains, beans, and veggies that I made over the weekend. This book offered many options that were easy to make.
I liked the formatting of one recipe per two-pages with a photo on one side and the recipe on the other. Helpful tips on what the sauce is best pared with, storage info, and origins. Handy!

[Sally Wilsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to cook from scratch and am always looking for new recipes to support this. This book is full of sauces from basic to fancy. I especially like the teriyaki sauce, jerk sauce, and roasted beet hummus. I like how the book is separated into sections for all of your sauce needs. This would be a great book for the home cook or to save money by making your own. This book will definitely go into my cookbook library.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful book includes a lot of great sauce recipes, which is something, I've found, you can always have more of. Creamy, Herby, Savory, Spicy, Tomato-Based, Umami, Tangy, and Dessert. It seems like a great resource to have on hand, especially when you need a sauce to tie a dish together. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Joni Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved! I make a lot of base meals that will really benefit from these sauces! The recipes are super simple and well written. The most surprising was the non-sauce recipes at the back of the book.

The only thing I didn’t find appealing was the font on the chapter page. It was hard to read and esthetically unappealing.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! So many delicious, EASY sauce recipes. I am a sauce person and can’t have a meal without a good sauce. This book is going to be very well loved in my house! I love that there is sweet, savory and everything in between added.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW these sauces are amazing! They all are pretty healthy, delicious, and relatively easy to make. I’ll always judge a recipe book based on how many recipes I can make out of my own pantry and these are an overwhelming 11/10. I’m excited to dive in and taste these delicious sauces.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing cookbook with detailed sauce recipes to elevate your meals. From sauces to dip your chicken to sauces to spice up your sandwiches, this covers sauces and condiments for all meals, including dessert.

[booksandcakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipe book! So versatile. Great pairing options. Easy to follow recipes. I am looking forward to making so many of these ASAP.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book of easy sauces to make. There are pictures of most recipes and I really like that. I will reach for this again and again when making dinners.