Roasted Tomato Salsa
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The vegetables in this salsa recipe are roasted, intensifying the flavor of the tomatoes, mellowing the onions and garlic, and adding a touch of smokiness.
This bright and spicy roasted tomato salsa recipe is a longtime favorite of mine. It is very different from most salsa recipes, which are typically made using raw or canned tomatoes. Roasting the vegetables in a high-heat oven intensifies the flavor of the tomatoes, mellows the onions and garlic, and adds a touch of smokiness. (I use the same roasting method to make my favorite salsa verde, replacing the tomatoes with tomatillos.) The recipe is easy to make and, if you’re having a party, you can prepare it a few days ahead of time.
What You’ll Need To Make Roasted Tomato Salsa
As you can see, this salsa recipe calls for three serrano peppers. Serrano peppers are similar to jalapeño peppers in taste and appearance but they are smaller and hotter. Feel free to substitute jalapeño peppers, if you like, but keep in mind that you’ll only need one or two, depending on how spicy you like your salsa.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by tossing the quartered tomatoes (I don’t even bother coring them), onion wedges, garlic and whole peppers with the vegetable oil directly on a baking sheet. Broil the vegetables until blistered and slightly charred, 10-15 minutes.
Transfer the vegetables to a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and add the salt and cumin. (Note: This is a spicy salsa — you may want to start with one pepper in the food processor, and then blend the other(s) in if you want more heat.)
Process until slightly chunky. Taste and add the remaining chili pepper(s), if desired.
Add the cilantro leaves and lime juice and pulse a few times until the cilantro is finely chopped.
Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Salsa goes with so many recipes! Try pairing it with:
- Fajitas
- Guacamole
- Salsa (Restaurant-Style)
- Chili Con Queso
- Carne Asada
- Southwestern Burgers
- 14 Cinco de Mayo Recipes For A Fiesta To Remember
Roasted Tomato Salsa
The vegetables in this salsa recipe are roasted, intensifying the flavor of the tomatoes, mellowing the onions and garlic, and adding a touch of smokiness.
Ingredients
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small yellow onions, cut into wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 serrano chili peppers, stemmed (use less for a milder salsa)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack about 5 inches beneath the heating element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, whole serrano chile peppers and vegetable oil directly on the prepared baking sheet and toss with your hands. Broil until softened and charred, 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables and juices to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. (Note: This is a spicy salsa recipe. If you are concerned about the level of heat, add only one Serrano pepper at this point. You can always blend the others in to taste.) Add the salt and cumin and pulse until just slightly chunky. (If you left out some of the chili peppers, now's the time to taste and add more.) Add the cilantro and fresh lime juice, and pulse until the cilantro is chopped. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and more lime juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm, at room temperature, or slightly chilled.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The salsa will last nicely for up to a week; store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
- Note: This recipe is not meant for canning.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 69
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 173 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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A very tasty salsa that really needs to be doubled or tripled! I can’t wait to try the recipe with homegrown tomatoes. Because of the saltiness of the chip I would recommend starting with 1 tsp. salt and add more if desired.
This is very tasty! I would make it again.
Jenn, would leaving the seeds of the peppers out work and if so, should I still start with one pepper? Thanks, Carol
Hi Carol, If you’re really sensitive to heat, you may want to cut back on the peppers in addition to removing the seeds. It may take a bit of trial and error, but you can always make it a bit spicier next time if you want more of a kick.
This was simple and easy to make. I used a jalapeño pepper as that is what I had on hand. It was tasty warm with the chips slightly warmed also. A big hit as I have made this not just once!
Another delicious recipe! I just used one jalapeño that I had on hand because I didn’t want to leave the house. It was spicy enough for me, but next time I will follow the recipe exactly since I like Serrano peppers for salsa.
My fiance and I LOVE this salsa recipe! I make it exactly as-is except that I only use 1-2 Serranos because I’m a bit of a spice-wuss. We love this salsa both warm and cold. I have made a bunch of times and it always comes out great!
Hi Jenn,
I am sitting here with a ton of lemons and no limes. What do you think….will lemon juice work in place of the lime juice?
Thanks.
Yes Sue, I think you could definitely get away with that.
Delicious – I can’t stop eating it! It was plenty hot with one serrano pepper; thanks for the tip about trying it with one first. I cut down on the salt because I am sensitive to it, and because we had salty chips. So, so tasty – better than the one at our favorite restaurant. Another winner!
This was fantastic! I used yellow cherry tomatoes from my garden and two jalapenos since that’s what I had on hand. I also had two tomatillos in the fridge so I tossed those in as well. It created a wonderful flavor, and I liked that it was the more liquidy kind of salsa (seen it called cantina style in stores). I never knew salsa could be so easy!
Made this today and it came out fantastic. Can it be frozen? Thanks.
Glad you like it! I haven’t frozen it myself but I think it should freeze very well for up to a couple of months. Some of the liquid may separate out when it’s defrosted, or it might get a bit watery, but you can correct that by reheating it.