Roasted Tomato Salsa
What do you make when your garden is overflowing with tomatoes? This Roasted Salsa! I promise you’ll never want to open another jar of salsa again after making this easy recipe.
Are you sick and tired of tomatoes yet? Me neither. Ask me again in another few weeks though. When I’m starting to turn orange from all of the beta carotene …
Even though I didn’t grow my own tomatoes this year, I’ve been eating them nonstop for at least a month now, because they’re EVERYWHERE! And such great prices, I can’t resist. I have baskets of them in the kitchen, and even a few in the refrigerator (don’t tell the tomato police), so they don’t spoil before I get to them. I especially love the beautiful colors and shapes of the heirlooms for a Roasted Tomato Tart, or just a pretty salad, but any will do when they’re as fresh as they are in August.
Late in the summer, I tend to start cooking or roasting tomatoes more, as opposed to eating them raw, and one of my favorite cooked tomato recipes is this Roasted Tomato Salsa.
I am kind of picky about my salsa – I can taste the jarred stuff a mile away and even most of the fresh salsas from the grocery store don’t do it for me. Fresh salsa (or pico de gallo) is easy to make, so I whip it up often during the summer. But as soon as the weather starts to cool off just a little, and I start turning on my oven again, I prefer this roasted salsa. It has a rich, smokey flavor, and it tastes best when it’s just a little bit warm.
I love it with homemade chips which are easy enough to make on the grill or in the oven. People always ask me if salsa counts as a vegetable. HELLO…
There is an entire tray of veggies in this recipe (and all salsa recipes), so I will give that a big YES!
I love making my own salsa because it’s so easy to tailor it to your taste. Don’t like cilantro? Skip it. Love it spicy? Add another jalapeño. Want it smokier? Add some chipotle chilli powder. Don’t like tomatoes? WHAT?? Try my fruit salsa.
By the way, did you know that cooking tomatoes with a bit of oil makes it easier for your body to absorb the lycopene? It’s the major antioxidant in tomatoes that gives them their red color.
Roasted Tomato Salsa and Homemade Chips
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs tomatoes tough cores removed, and cut into quarters
- 3 cloves of garlic peeled
- 1 medium sweet onion peeled and quartered
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers halved and seeded
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or more to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 Tbs fresh lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven broiler to high.
- Place tomatoes, garlic, onion and peppers in a large mixing bowl, and add olive oil. Toss vegetables until coated with oil.
- Spread vegetables on a baking sheet, in a single layer.
- Broil for 5 to 10 minutes or until the outsides of vegetables are lightly charred. Stir and flip vegetables so they are evenly cooked on all sides. About 15 minutes total.
- Remove pan from oven and let vegetables cool.
- Transfer roasted vegetables and fresh cilantro to a food processor and process to desired consistency.
- Transfer chopped or pureed vegetables to a medium bowl, and add cumin, salt, and lime juice.
- Stir well, cover, and let stand for up to an hour to allow flavors to blend. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Notes
Store in a jar in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
How are you using up your end of summer tomatoes?
Eat well!