This roasted tomato salsa is fresh, delicious, and super easy to make. The ingredients are roasted, which intensifies the flavor and adds a touch of smokiness. This salsa is addictive and makes everything you put it on taste better!
Making your own salsa at home is easy and the results always turn out incredible. This roasted tomato salsa reminds me of salsa you get at Mexican or tex-mex restaurants and it’s just as good, if not better! Once I tasted this I knew I’d never go back to plain tasting store-bought salsas.
Great way to use up abundance of summer tomatoes!
If you are looking for a recipe to use up all your garden tomatoes, this one is perfect! You can make a large batch and share with friends and family. There’s no better time to make this roasted tomato salsa than at the end of summer when fresh tomatoes are in abundance. Therefore, grab all those ripe, juicy tomatoes that are bursting with flavor and make this recipe!
What ingredients are in roasted tomato salsa?
This roasted tomato salsa is made with simple ingredients and for this reason be customized to your preference.
- Tomatoes (roma, campari or your preference)
- Jalapeño
- Onion
- Garlic
- Lime
- Cilantro
- Black pepper
- Salt
Roasting the ingredients
This bright and mild salsa is made with traditional ingredients. In particular, what makes it unique is roasting the tomatoes with the onions, garlic, and jalapeño peppers. Roasting intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes and makes them sweeter, tames the onion and garlic, and also adds a touch of smokiness to the entire dish. Everything is then blended together with fresh lime juice to brighten the flavor. Finally, garnish with cilantro for a crisp citrus finish.
Fresh tomatoes vs canned
This recipe only uses eight simple ingredients, so splurge on the high-quality versions which will bring out the most flavor. Obviously in-season tomatoes are going to be far superior than those out of season. However, in the winter time you can still make this salsa with canned tomatoes.
Canned tomatoes are packed at their peak freshness. Canned tomatoes also make this recipe easy to make any time of the year. I would recommend the fire roasted diced tomatoes because they add more flavor. However, using regular diced tomatoes is fine too.
Is this salsa recipe spicy?
Like I said earlier, the great thing about making your own salsa is you control the ingredients. The seeds and membrane of the jalapeño are where most of the heat is held. If you remove all the seeds and membranes you will have a mild salsa. I like my salsa mild to slightly spicy so I left a quarter of the jalapeño seeds in for a slight bite.
If you are more sensitive to spicy heat I would suggest removing all the seeds and setting them aside. When you go to blend the salsa, start by adding a few seeds in and taste before adding more. If you prefer a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in or try taking the heat up a notch by swapping in a habanero or serrano chili.
A few tips and variations
The best part about this roasted tomato salsa recipe is you get to control the consistency and taste. There is no right or wrong way to make it, it’s whatever you want!
- For a chunky salsa- give it a few quick pulses until it reaches your desired consistency
- If you want a thinner salsa- blend it longer and add more liquid
- Don’t be scared by the blackened char marks on the vegetables- the more marks, the more flavor!
- Want more citrus flavor- add more fresh lime juice
- Love cilantro- add more! Use less if you don’t like a lot
- I add only a pinch of salt but season to your liking. You can even add a pinch of cumin.
- For a more smoky flavor- add chipotle in adobo sauce
- Once the vegetables are charred, allow them to cool completely before putting it into the food processor. The cilantro will stay fresh by adding it to cool ingredients rather than hot.
Let the flavors blend together
Also, this salsa tastes even better on the second day. I would refrigerate at minimum for an hour. The longer it sits the more the flavors will blend together.
This salsa is delicious dipped with chips or veggies, spooned over eggs, pairs well with your favorite Mexican dishes, or any dish you would normally add salsa to. In addition, here are some recipes to pair it with:
- Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos
- Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Stuffed Mexican Sweet Potatoes
- Hearty Healthy Chili
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 12 small-medium tomatoes (roma or campari) quartered
- 2-3 jalapeños halved & stemmed *
- 8 cloves garlic skin on
- 1 large or 2 small vidalia or yellow onions, halved and cut into ¼- ½ inch wedges
- ⅓ cup a little more cilantro
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to your liking
- cumin optional, to your liking
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the tomatoes (skin side up), jalapeños (skin side up), cloves of garlic (with their skin on), and onion on the tray in an even layer. Place the baking sheet in the oven and broil 8-11 minutes until slightly charred and softened.
- Once the vegetables are slightly charred, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the vegetables cool completely. Peel and discard the skin from the garlic cloves.
- Once the vegetables are cooled completely, transfer them to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the cilantro, lime juice, black pepper and salt (add cumin if using as well) to the food processor.
- Pulse a few times, until roughly chopped. Taste and season with extra seasoning or lime juice. Continue to pulse until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Once the salsa is to your liking, transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
Nutrition Facts
You are going to love having this roasted tomato salsa in the fridge for when you need a zesty snack or fresh condiment. It will also become your go-to recipe for entertaining!
Happy salsa dipping!
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