This roasted tomato salsa is simple to make and completely customizable to your preferences. This better-than-store-bought salsa will be a winner at any party, whether it’s thin or chunky, mild or spicy.
What Kind of Tomatoes Do You Use For Salsa?
Paste tomatoes are the best tomatoes for salsa. Roma or plum tomatoes are the most common paste tomatoes found in supermarkets.
Paste tomatoes have more flesh and less juice, resulting in a thicker, less watery salsa.
The tomatoes are roasted first in this recipe to enhance their flavor, bring out their sweetness, and evaporate some of their juice, which helps to thicken the salsa.
How To Roast Tomatoes For Salsa?
To begin, cut the tomatoes in half. At the same time, I like to chop away the core. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatoes in a roasting pan. Toss the tomatoes in the oil with your hands, then put them skin side up on the baking pan.
Place the baking pan under the broiler in the oven and cook until the skins are blackened. That took 15 minutes in my oven, but yours may cook faster than mine, so keep an eye on them.
It is not required to peel the tomatoes when making roasted tomato salsa. The char on the skin adds a smokiness, and the skins are easy to break down in the food processor.
How Do You Make Roasted Salsa From Scratch?
You can roast the onion, garlic, and spicy peppers in addition to the tomatoes for extra flavor and to soften the onion and garlic.
So, along with the tomatoes, add a sliced medium onion, 4 (or more) unpeeled garlic cloves, and as many hot peppers as you desire to your baking pan.
Depending on how spicy the peppers are, I usually add 1 to 2 jalapeos. If you like a lesser heat, you can remove the seeds from the peppers.
Toss everything together with a drizzle of olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes and jalapeos skin side up, as previously stated.
Broil until black spots appear on the tomatoes, the garlic is tender, and the onion is golden brown and faintly toasted.
I like to let them cool for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven before putting them in a food processor with a handful of cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Pulse until you reach the desired consistency. I prefer my salsa chunky, so I only pulse it a couple of times. You can purée the salsa if you prefer it thinner.
Working in batches and completely pureeing half of the salsa while leaving the other half chunky, then combining both batches in a bowl, you may achieve a variety of textures.
Allow the roasted tomato salsa to chill for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. I like to put it in the fridge for at least an hour.
After chilling it’s important to taste it again before serving. You might find that it needs a bit more salt or lime juice. Simply stir it in to taste then serve!
Serve your fresh roasted tomato salsa with nachos, in a vegan burrito, dolloped on tacos, a vegan breakfast sandwich or tofu scramble.
Roasted Tomato Salsa Full Recipe
Ingredients of Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
- 1.5 pounds (680 gr.) Roma or plum tomatoes (about 9 medium)
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic unpeeled
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 0.5 oz (15 gr.) fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
- Juice of 1 lime or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions of Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
- Slice the tomatoes in half from top to bottom and cut out the cores. Cut the stem off the jalapeños and slice them open from top to bottom. You can remove the seeds if you want a milder heat.
- Place the tomatoes, jalapeños, sliced onion and garlic cloves on a baking pan and drizzle over the oil. Use your hands to toss the veggies in the oil until they are well covered. Arrange the tomatoes and jalapeños skin side up on the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven under the broiler on high and roast until the tomatoes have black spots on their skin and the garlic and onion is tender. In my oven it takes 15 minutes, yours may be faster so keep an eye on it.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the veggies to cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove the peel from the garlic and transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor along with the cilantro, lime juice and salt. If you’re not sure about the spiciness, start with just 1 jalapeño, you can always add the other after if desired.
- Pulse until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine a bit chunky so that’s just a few pulses. If you like it thinner and more homogeneous you can puree it.
- Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or until cool. Taste and make any adjustments if you think it needs more salt or lime juice.
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