This Roasted Tomato Salsa is easy to make and it’s loaded with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, bell pepper and cilantro. Roasting tomatoes in the oven brings out their best flavor and the little bit of charring on the roasted veggies adds a fire-roasted layer of flavor. P.S. Roasted salsa is also freezer-friendly!
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Roasted Salsa Recipe
When tomatoes are plentiful, we’re all about tomato recipes, from classic Tomato Caprese to Panzanella and Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad. It’s also great to be able to preserve those sweet summer tomatoes. That’s why we are obsessed with this Roasted Tomato Salsa. It’s been on our regular rotation for years.
We make batch after batch of roasted salsa and stash it away in the freezer so we can enjoy it year-round. It keeps really well and when you thaw, it’s just as good as a batch of freshly prepared salsa.
Roasted Tomato Salsa Ingredients
- Tomatoes – you can use Roma tomatoes or whatever you have on hand.
- Jalapeno peppers – you can add these to taste or use serrano peppers if you want a spicier salsa.
- Bell pepper – use red or green. The bell pepper is optional and we add it if we have one on hand.
- Onions – yellow onions work great, but white onion is a great substitute as well.
- Garlic – use the cloves from one full head of garlic which is about 10 peeled cloves.
- Cilantro – use 1 medium bunch of cilantro, rinsed and chopped.
- Salt – add the salt to taste. We add about 1 Tbsp of fine sea salt.
How to Make Roasted Salsa
- Arrange cut tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic cloves on rimmed baking sheets.
- Bake at 375˚F for 25 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
- Broil – move the baking sheet to the highest position in the oven and broil for 5 minutes until veggies are slightly charred (check periodically to make sure they don’t burn).
- Cool and Process – let the veggies cool for about 20 minutes then transfer in batches to the food processor along with the cilantro and salt. Using a 13-cup food processor, we are able to process in 2 batches, adding half of the ingredients, cilantro, and salt with each batch. Blend to your desired consistency (we like to make sure the onions are finely chopped). Combine both batches in a bowl and season to taste with salt if needed.
- Store – Once cooled to room temperature, you can refrigerate or freeze (see make-ahead tips below)
Common Questions
You get to control the spice level here. It depends on how many jalapenos you add and how spicy they are. We love a spicy roasted salsa that has a nice kick to it.
The bell pepper is optional. You can omit it if you don’t have one on hand or prefer not to use it.
We don’t peel tomatoes and since you are blending the salsa, it isn’t really necessary. You can if you want to and it will come off easier once the tomatoes are roasted.
We use whatever we have on hand, but Roma tomatoes are a good bet. Sometimes we use a variety. Keep in mind the type of tomato can affect the sweetness and color of your salsa.
To Serve
There are so many great ways to serve roasted salsa. Here are some of our favorites:
- Appetizer – serve as a starter or snack with tortilla chips for dipping.
- Topping – on burritos, Chicken Fajitas, tacos, Nachos, or Tostadas.
- Breakfast – roasted salsa pairs so well with Scrambled Eggs or any egg-based breakfast such as Breakfast Burritos, on a Breakfast Sandwich or with Breakfast Quesadillas.
Make-Ahead
We have tons of garden tomatoes every year and they’re growing faster than we can eat them, this freezer-friendly salsa is our favorite way to preserve tomatoes.
- Refrigerator – Once the salsa is at room temperature, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag or freezer container (do not overfill, leave a little room for expansion), and squeeze out any excess air which can cause freezer burn. Lay flat and freeze for up to 3 months or longer in a deep freezer.
- To Thaw – You can thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To speed thaw: set freezer bag in a bowl of cool water for about 2 hours. If you replace the water a couple of times, it will thaw faster.
More Salsa Recipes
If you love homemade salsa, you will find many new favorites here. Salsa is big in our home. Sometimes my husband and I just make a big batch of Cowboy Caviar or this Roasted Tomato Salsa and munch on that instead of dinner.
- Pico De Gallo
- Fresh Homemade Salsa (Restaurant-Style)
- Mango Salsa
- Spicy Guacamole
- Ceviche (shrimp salsa)
Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 15-20 medium tomatoes, or 6 to 7 lbs, halved
- 5-10 jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers*, halved and seeded
- 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into quarters and seeded, optional
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 head of garlic, about 10 cloves, peeled
- 1 medium bunch of cilantro
- 1 Tbsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange your tomatoes cut-side-up on a rimmed baking sheet and arrange the jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, and garlic on a second rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 375˚F or until tomatoes and onions are soft.
- Move the rack to the highest position in the oven, set the oven to broil and broil each baking sheet for an additional 3-5 minutes. The tops of the serrano peppers should start to look charred (check on the veggies a couple of times to make sure they don't burn). Remove the baking sheets from the oven being careful not to spill any of the tomato juices that have accumulated.
- Let vegetables cool down a bit then use a food processor to blend everything together along with one bunch of cilantro, 1 Tbsp of salt, and any tomato juice left in the baking dish (feel free to discard tomato juice for a thicker salsa). We were able to blend in 2 batches in a 13-cup food processor. Combine both batches and season to taste with more salt if needed. Let cool to room temp, then cover and refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
This recipe was updated with new photos Sept 2022. Here are the previous photos (we used lighter-colored homegrown tomatoes which gave the salsa a lighter color).
This is the only salsa recipe I use! Just whipped up another batch of it for dinners in the week. I absolutely love the smell of the roasting onions and garlic – just so yummy!!!!
Great salsa! I did add some lime and cumin to mine.
Can I use jalapeño peppers instead of serrena peppers? If so how many
Hi Charlene, we have used both. This year we are using jalapeños because that is what we have growing in our garden. Last year it was serranos (which we accidentally planted thinking it was jalapenos), but both options work great.
OMG! Absolutely delicious salsa! I almost can’t believe I made this yummy salsa myself! Simple recipe and you must use fresh tomatoes and peppers. Thank you, Natasha! This will be a keeper recipe when I have summer vegetables 😊
Once that this is made, can it be canned?
Hi Becky! I haven’t tried canning this for longer shelf life so Im not sure if it has enough acidity to be preserved. It does however freeze really well.
Super recipe! As my garden is overflowing with the ingredients in this salsa….I just made my second batch and sent it to the freezer! I appreciate how fresh this stayed, with my first batch, and the flavors got better each day. A classic recipe for me. Thank you.
Loved this recipe! Only thing I did was add some lime juice.
Awesome……I only had 8 tomatoes so cut back the recipe. I used 1/2 of one Serrano pepper and WOWSA it was spicy. Delicious
Thanks for another great recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Came out very well. Thank you for this amazing recipe
You’re very welcome!
Hi, Natasha. Love the recipe: 1. it looks awesome. 2. It is a HUGE batch. My question is whether this can be canned, and if so, hot-water canned or pressure canned? I am very new to canning, so I want to be certain about it.
Hi David, I haven’t tried canning this for longer shelf life so Im not sure if it has enough acidity to be preserved. It does however freeze really well.
No lime juice? Guessing it’s an accidental omission. I’d hit each batch with juice from two medium limes, to taste.
Hi Scott, we haven’t tried since it doesn’t seem to miss it being a roasted salsa. Give it a whirl and if you add lime, let me know how you like it!
I just mad it and it tastes very sweet to me. I’ve added more salt, and garlic and onion powder to try to make it less sweet. Do you think it’s because I used Vidalia onions? I can’t seem to reduce the sweetness. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Susan, the vidalia onions could make it sweeter. Also, the variety of tomatoes will affect the sweetness. Also, if you possibly reduced the peppers, it might seem more sweet since there isn’t as much contrasting spiciness.
Question- why use two baking sheets- one for tomatoes, another for jalapeños, onions and garlic?
Hi Mary! You can reference my images above to see how I have them laid out on the baking sheets. One was not enough. If you are using a larger sheet that can fit them all, that will work too.
I only cook Natasha’s kitchen recipes!!!! Question on this salsa recipe: what if I am not a cilantro lover….I really despise cilantro, should I substitute it with something else? Many thanks and keep up the good work!
Hi Anita, I have not tried any substitution but one of our readers shared this “I made this salsa today. It was pretty good. We didn’t have any cilantro or the little hot peppers so I added parsley and dried hot peppers. Tastes similar to the salsa at the Mexican restaurant. I will try to leave some tomatoes a little more chunky next time.” I hope that helps.
Can you put the roasted salsa in sealing jars and process them instead of freezing?
Hi Joanie! This recipe is not designed for canning.
The best recipe with full flavor. I have made it several time. I love the recipe as written. Really highlights the tomatoes. The second time i seeded the tomatoes. What a difference! Took out the bitterness. The third time I replaced the cilantro for the cilantro sensitive husband, with a nice Italian Parsley. Would make again and again
Thank you for the wonderful review, Cheryl! I’m glad you loved it.
Wanted something to do with excess tomatoes and peppers from the garden. Cut the veges up as you suggested adding 2 courgettes. I then smoked the veges in a portable fish smoker for 15 mins. Didn’t have fresh garlic or chilli so after smoking added fried garlic and crushed chilli and the cumin and put in oven at 200degrees until veges were near soft. Blitzed and frozen but kept some out for drinkies tonite
Excellent and easy recipe. My go to salsa from now on. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Tracie!
So simple & so yummy!! Loved this salsa with our favorite chips!
I’m glad you loved this recipe. 🙂