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Restaurant-Style Easy Salsa

Name: Restaurant-Style Easy Salsa
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 Roma tomatoes ((approx 1.5 lb)); ¼ medium red onion (or white onion); 1 jalapeño pepper; 1-2 cloves garlic; 1 TBSP white vinegar (or fresh squeezed lime juice); ½-1 tsp salt; fresh chopped cilantro (to taste)

Published: June 27, 2011Updated: March 28, 2022Author: Jenn Laughlin

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This wicked easy salsa is quick, easy, and beyond delicious! You’ll never again rush to a restaurant or resort to a jar to get your fix now that you have this tasty recipe in your arsenal!

I won’t eat jarred salsa.

No way. No how.

#salsasnob

It not only pales in comparison to the fresh stuff, but fresh salsa is so stinkin’ easy to make it would be a sin to waste my money on that sub par jar of meh.

If you’re debating whether or not to finally make your own at home… allow me to convince you!

Easy Restaurant-Style Salsa with Cilantro and Jalapeño

Wicked Easy Salsa

So how does this salsa situation go down? It’s easy!

You’ll want to either pick some tomatoes from your little backyard garden or pick some up at the grocery store/farmers market. This time of year we have loads of them awaiting all sorts of recipes.

You’ll also want to snag some red or white onion, a jalapeño pepper, fresh garlic, white vinegar and/or lime juice, and fresh cilantro. You’ll also need some salt for seasoning.

Wash tomatoes and place on a baking sheet.

Toss them in the oven

Set timer.

Remove from oven and toss in a food processor or blender w/ the rest of your goodies.

…and last but certainly not least…

Grab some crispy tortilla ships and get ready to shovel this deliciously easy salsa into your face!

Homemade Salsa Tips and Tricks

This spectacular homemade salsa can be made mild, medium, spicy, and just about everything in between!

To make it medium (a little bit of spice but not too fiery), add a whole jalapeño and further fine tune the spice level by leaving out the seeds initially and then adding back in as many as you’d like as you taste test. Easy peasy!

Want to make it mild?

To make a mild salsa without heat, remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno before blending.

Want it SUPER mild? White onion has less flavor than red/purple and is a little blander for kids and sensitive taste-buds.

Want your salsa super spicy?

You know what to do! Add an extra jalapeño pepper or grab a habanero or serrano pepper even!

When it comes to choosing amounts of cilantro, onion, and pepper to add, start with a little of each and then taste and add as you go. The ratio in this recipe, to me, tastes exactly like the salsa my favorite Mexican restaurants serve.

It’s so good I’ve been making a fresh batch every week!

For thicker salsa, add the onion, pepper, garlic and cilantro to the food processor first, blend, then add the cooked tomatoes and pulse just a few times.

Here are the detailed instructions for those of you ready to get your salsa on:

Restaurant-Style Easy Salsa

This wicked easy salsa is quick, easy, and beyond delicious! You'll never again rush to a restaurant or resort to a jar to get your fix now that you have this tasty recipe in your arsenal!

5 from 61 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: easy salsa, Homemade Salsa, Restaurant-Style Salsa

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: servings

Author: Jenn Laughlin – Peas and Crayons

Ingredients

6 Roma tomatoes (approx 1.5 lb)
¼ medium red onion or white onion
1 jalapeño pepper
1-2 cloves garlic
1 TBSP white vinegar or fresh squeezed lime juice
½-1 tsp salt
fresh chopped cilantro to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to broil on high.
Line a baking sheet with foil and roast tomatoes, halved or whole, for 10-15 minutes on the center rack of the oven.
Don't be alarmed when the skin of the tomatoes peels back a bit during cooking; some will bubble, some may turn inside out, but its totally normal!
Once they're nice and toasty, remove from oven and allow your tomatoes to cool a bit.
Decide if you want mild, medium, or spicy salsa. For mild, use a spoon to scoop out the insides from the jalapenos (ribs + seeds) entirley. For medium, leave some of the seeds in tact. For spicy – leave all the goodies in your jalapenos (minus the stem of course) and feel free to add extra if you'd like!
Roughly chop your onion and jalapeño. Smash, peel, then mince garlic. Start with one clove as extra can always be added after.
Toss everything but the cilantro in the food processor and pulse a few times and blend to your favorite level of smoothness or chunkiness.
Once blended, add some finely chopped cilantro to taste.
Allow to cool to room temperature and dig in face first with some chips or veggies!

Notes

Feel free to serve with a side of fresh lime wedges to add burst of citrus to your salsa!

Recipe yields 1 heaping cup of salsa or approx. 4 quarter-cup servings.

Nutrition facts below are an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed! xo

Nutrition

Calories: 22kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 230mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 815IU, Vitamin C: 17.7mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Did you make this recipe?I want to see! Tag @peasandcrayons on Instagram and Facebook!

Wicked Easy Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa

Favorite uses for homemade salsa

As if you’ve ever doubted it, this it’s absolutely awesome on anything and everything!

Since the oven was already hot, I topped some chips with organic cheddar and some of my DIY fridge pickled jalapeño peppers and made some impromptu nachos to go with it.

It’s also amazing drizzled on top of my famous Sheet Pan Nachos!

The next morning this restaurant style deliciousness went on my eggs and, as soon as I finish this post, the remainder is getting mixed into an avocado to make some loaded guacamole. Sometimes I make it pretty basic and other times I load it up with salsa, jalapeño, cilantro, and a little red onion along with my go-to guacamole seasoning blend.

There’s no right or wrong way to make salsa, and with tomatoes so deliciously in season right now, there’s no reason not to make at least one bowl this summer!

Or two.

Make two.

Three even.

Restaurant-Style Salsa with Cheesy Nachos

More Sensational Salsa and Dip Recipes

Can you tell I have a thing for dips? These are just a few as I probably have no less than 30 dip recipes on this little blog of mine. If you’re ever looking for something in particular, use the little search widget at the top of the page.

With vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, low carb, t-rex, and pescatarian options there is literally something for everyone!

Taco Night Favorites

If you get a chance to try this tasty recipe, let me know!

You can leave me a comment here (I absolutely LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!

Peas and Crayons is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites at no cost to readers.

About The Author:

Jenn Laughlin

Hi! I’m Jenn and I’m here to help you eat your veggies! It'll be fun, painless, and pretty darn delicious as I teach you to plan your meals around fresh, seasonal produce with a little help from healthy freezer and pantry staples.

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