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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This really tastes great. I even use it as a kind of sandwich spread on my toast, topped with a few slices of fresh tomato and/or avocado. Can it get any healthier?
Made this for a get together and had 4 people ask me for the recipe! The roasted nature gives the best flavor to all of the veggies used in this salsa. I love it!!
What’s the best way to roast them without a broiler? Would baking work? Sounds delicious!
Hi Ashley, I would roast them at 450°F/230ºC on the center rack in your oven 30 to 35 minutes until the onions are browned on top and the tomatoes are golden and caramelized on the bottom. Hope you enjoy!
I have made this recipe twice, and it is a big hit. I make a good salsa, but love this one.
Since it is just the two of us, I let it sit a day to blend flavors and then put half in a glass jar with lid and freeze, it does not change the flavor or texture at all. GREAT RECIPE, thank you for sharing.
This salsa has changed my life. Really. I spent about fifteen years experimenting with salsa recipes, but never produced anything that met my approval. Jenn Segal’s recipe changed all that.
The most important aspect of her recipe is the method. I have tried many variants so far as the ingredients are concerned, and even now have several quarts of salsa in my freezer labeled “Kitchen sink salsa” because I harvested ALL the peppers and tomatoes and tomatillos in my garden (just before the freeze) and made a couple of gallons of salsa.
Being originally from Texas, I find Jenn’s approach shockingly mild. So I use probably ten times more peppers (mainly jalapenos, some serranos) than tomatoes. Subsitute tomatillos to make salsa verde. My salsa is NOT for the faint of tongue!
I make large batches and freeze them. If you’re going to freeze, it may be a good idea not to add the cilantro; because it remains uncooked, there’s the possibility of its going a bit bad. (I don’t KNOW that, it’s just a guess. Alas, since my wife is a “taster,” I can’t add cilantro.)
I’ve found through long practice that the salsa can be thawed and refrozen with little problem. I freeze it in 8-ounce yogurt containers, taking one out when I’m having Mexican fare. If there’s very much left over, I just put it back into the freezer. I haven’t noticed any serious degradation of taste after even three cycles of freezing–although it usually disappears much more quickly than that.
Delicious! My favourite salsa recipe!
This came out good. I had problems with my food processor, so I had to use my old Black & Decker chopper. Pain in the neck, but it did the job. Everyone loved it! Will make it often. Thanks.
This salsa is fantastic! I have been looking for the perfect recipe for some time now and this is it. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you Jenn!
This is very good. I’m a bit confused by the claimed yield, though: four tomatoes alone is a lot more than two and a half cups, unless they’re REALLY tiny tomatoes. When I made this with four decent-sized but not huge tomatoes, it made six cups.
It was also on the spicy side, despite only putting in one jalapeno (milder than a Serrano, right?) with the seeds and membranes removed. We wound up adding a couple more tomatoes.
Oh, and I’m always conservative with salt: half the recommended salt was about right (until I added more tomatoes, at which point it needed a bit more, though not a whole teaspoon).
Hi Phil, I’m baffled how you ended up with so much salsa! I just made this last week for my new Stacked Beef Enchiladas and I measured the amount to be about 2-3/4 cups.
Love this salsa.
Agree it only needs 1 tsp Of salt! Delicious! Going to try freezing it per the other reviews.
Fantastic served warm or cold. Another outstanding recipe, Jenn. This is a real crowd pleaser!!