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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I’ve made this aboooutttt 100 times, usually when we have guests over. It seriously blows everyone away and I’ve given out the recipe each time we’ve served it. I always double it, and then ladle the leftovers onto whatever I’m eating the rest of the week. My only edit to the recipe is that I remove one of the serranoes for more of a medium spice.
My daughter told us about Jen’s website. It’s now my go to for everything! This salsa is so tasty. I love the easy preparation and texture. I use jalapeños because I am a wimp. Thanks, Jen!
I don’t have good processor, would it be the same if I use blender?
I think it should work, though the texture may be slightly different. Just make sure not to over-process it. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was so quick, easy and tasty. I’ve tried other recipes in the past and they turned out too runny. I was so pleased at how thick and chunky this one was. It will definitely be my go-to salsa recipe from now on.
This was really good and love it warm….I will always warm it from the frig. I did add several tomatillos along with everything else and it was very good that way.
Thanks Jenn….I love your recipes. Wish you lived next door to me. Would yall consider moving to Boerne, Tx?
💕
Just tried this and there is way too much cumin and lime. Next time I’m going to try an eighth of cumin and no lime.
Could I use green tomatoes in this recipe?
Sure, I think that should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Good Afternoon, Jenn!
Quick question: instead of serrano peppers, could I use jalapeños? It’s what I have the fridge at the moment. If so, how many would I need to use to achieve a similar level of heat? Thanks for all the great recipes 🙂
Glad you like the recipes! I’d recommend 1 or 2 jalapenos depending upon how much heat you want in the salsa.
I made your salsa today doubled everything. I should have added salt carefully and not just 4 teaspoons. It was way to salty. As well 12 cloves of Garlic was way to much. It is hard to taste anything but garlic. It tried to save it by broiling another 6 tomatoes as well as 4 more and added it to the mix. I think salt is okay now, but hard tell tell because of the garlic.
I still wonder why the garlic is so dominant. I poured all the juice from the rack into the blender, maybe I should not have done so? Dou you think I can still save it by adding more tomatoes tomorrow.
Hi J, I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy the doubled version of this! I don’t think you did anything wrong though by doubling all the ingredients. You could certainly try to tone down the garlic by adding more tomatoes though. Hope it helps!
Wowza…I only used one Serrano pepper and it was soooo hot. Was I supposed to de-seed the pepper?! I don’t think I read that. Love the consistency and the flavor other than the extreme heat.
Hi Sam, sorry you found it to be too spicy! No, you weren’t supposed to remove the seeds from the pepper but if you’d like to make this again, you can reduce the heat by deseeding the peppers. Hope that helps!
Looks amazing! Can this recipe be canned using the water bath method?
Hi Katarina, I didn’t develop this recipe with canning in mind, so I’m not certain it would be safe – sorry!
Excellent salsa! Consistency and taste were both a hit.
This is the best salsa I’ve ever made. Perfectly written recipe. I stirred in some chopped red onion after it cooled for a little added crunch. Just so good. I gave some to my neighbors.