Salsa Recipe With Canned Tomatoes

Why does Mexican restaurant salsa taste so good? Try this Salsa Recipe With Canned Tomatoes, fresh jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, and green onions. Your salsa will taste just as good as most restaurants.

Why did no one tell me how easy making salsa can be? Thank goodness my friend, Sara, did. She had just bought a nice blender at Costco. We were hanging out with our young families, and she served this red chunky salsa in a big white bowl. It was so bright and fresh.

She told me this word-of-mouth recipe was from her friend's mother, who used to own a Mexican restaurant in Liberal, KS. This salsa is what they served at the table with chips to snack on while you waited for your meal to arrive. It was simply a variety of drained canned tomatoes lightly blended with additional freshly chopped jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, and green onions. It's a little chunky. Super fresh. So good.

There is nothing quite like blending your own salsa at home. You have more control over the ingredients, spiciness, and texture. This salsa won’t last long, and it’s not designed to be canned, but it’s worth the 10 minutes to prep it for your friends and family.

Perfect if you're hosting a game day gathering, planning a Mexican-inspired dinner along with this Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa, topping this Taco Casserole With Tortilla Chips, or just craving a fresh snack.

🔥 Why This Recipe Rocks

• You control the spice.
• It's just a little chunky. Where you can still feel and taste the texture of the ingredients.
• It takes 10 minutes to make!
• The 1-2-3 combination of 3 styles of canned tomatoes. It's not the same flavor when one of them is omitted.
• You don’t have to own an expensive blender to make this. I make this salsa with a vintage 1980s Oster blender from my mom’s basement.

Common Mistakes When Making Salsa

1. Salt is important: Even though your canned tomatoes might have added salt, salsa needs salt. Taste for salt. If you aren't sure, sprinkle a pinch of salt on a spoonful of salsa to see if it improves. If you oversalted, the only way to correct this is to add more salsa without salt.
2. You must use limes: Lime juice is the additional acid needed to lighten and brighten the flavor of the tomatoes.
3. Know your chilis: It's easy to add more heat, but a pain to reduce it. Make sure you know how much heat you can take before adding additional jalapeños or substituting with serranos for more spice. The only way to tone down the heat is to make more salsa without chilis.
4. Drain your canned tomatoes: Use a colander to drain those tomatoes and reduce excess water. Even after they are canned, tomatoes just continue to extract their water, which will rise to the top of the salsa over time.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients needed to make this salsa.

• Canned whole peeled tomatoes: To help build brightness and body for the salsa. If there are used herb sprigs like basil in the can, throw them away.
• Rotel brand diced tomatoes with green chilis: There is a touch of heat and a little bit of cilantro in this variety of canned tomatoes. In a pinch, I've omitted this ingredient but found that the salsa is so much better with it.
• Canned diced tomatoes with garlic and onion: The roasted onion and garlic in this variety of tomatoes complement the fresh ingredients that you will add to this salsa.
• Lime juice: To add brightness and acidity to the tomatoes.
• Fresh cilantro: This is a leafy, green herb that will produce coriander seeds when it bolts to seed. It's essential in salsas and sold by the bunch in the produce section next to parsley.
• Using fresh green onions, garlic cloves, and jalapeño rather than dried versions helps build a bright, complex flavor.

See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.

Variations

Salsas are as individual as you are!

• Spicy - Add an extra jalapeño or include their seeds for an extra kick, or a serrano pepper can be substituted for a higher level of heat.
• Smoother consistency - Run the blender longer if you prefer a smoother salsa.
• Smokey - Some prefer to buy fire-roasted diced tomatoes rather than diced tomatoes with onion and garlic for a smoky flavor.

Equipment

I choose to use a blender over a food processor because it seems to do a better job of finely chopping the garlic and jalapeño when added first to the pitcher.

If your only option is a food processor, I suggest pureeing the jalapeño and garlic first. Then add the tomatoes to the bowl, then watch carefully as you pulse to prevent overdoing it into a smooth, pureed salsa rather than a slightly chunky salsa.

I use this Vitamix 5200 Blender and even this Oster Blender, which appears to be the most similar to my 80's vintage one when making this salsa.

How To Make Salsa With Canned Tomatoes

Step 1: Roughly chop the garlic cloves and jalapeños. Add them to the blender.

It's important to add them first to the blender and give the blender blades the best opportunity to finely chop them.

Step 2: Add all of the drained tomatoes, lime juice, and kosher salt to the blender.

Blend lightly by pulsing the blender on and off for one-second pulses 6-9 times.

Stir and taste for seasoning. Add more lime juice or salt, if needed.

Step 3: Finely chop the cilantro leaves. Thinly slice the green onions and dispose of their roots.

Step 4: Stir them into the salsa with a spoon and serve with tortilla chips.

Storage Information

Store leftover salsa in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you notice water pooling on top of the salsa after a couple of days, spoon it off before serving. The sooner you eat it, the better.

This salsa does not stand up to freezing.

This salsa is not safe for canning.

FAQ