Doesn’t salsa just scream warm weather, outdoor dining, and all the things we love about summer? And of course, tortilla chips and tacos! Nothing beats homemade salsa, and our recipe for Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa will make you never buy store-bought salsa again. This salsa incorporates roasting of all the main ingredients, including tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, peppers, and garlic! It has the perfect amount of heat that you can adjust based on your preference, but the deep flavors that come from roasting the ingredients really make this salsa special.
We love Mexican food and Mexican inspired flavors! With Angela growing up in California, and me (Mark) in Texas, we have so many amazing Mexican food inspirations. Also, we are a short flight from our favorite Mexican vacation spots (Cabo San Lucas and Cancun/Riviera Maya), and we have an immense appreciation for the flavors coming out of Mexican cuisine. So when we created this recipe for Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa, we knew exactly what we were looking for as far as flavors, spices and of course heat! You gotta have some good heat in your salsa, right?
How do you make homemade salsa from scratch?
Making salsa from scratch is actually quite easy! We like to use our blender to make our homemade salsa, but a food processor works well if you have one of those too. Besides that, you just need to chop everything up, roast on a sheet pan, then add it all to your blender and voila!
The Great Salsa debate: Warm, Cold or Room Temp?
Angela and I don’t agree on how to serve salsa. Angela likes her salsa straight from the fridge to room temp. I feel that salsa should be warm, never cold, and room temp is acceptable. But, you can have it your way. This salsa is pretty smooth overall, but you can blend it less and make it chunky. If you want it warm, throw it in the microwave for a bit. If you are like Angela and want it cold, straight from the fridge is perfect. Also, put this on everything and anything! From tacos to salads, from loaded nachos to a side of chips. Also, this roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa makes a great game-day combo with our TexMex Queso, as well as our recent Itali-Mex fusion recipe for Mexican Street Corn Pasta. Oh, and don’t forget to serve this with your favorite cocktail or margarita, like our Sweet & Spicy Jalapeño Pineapple Cocktail.
We hope you enjoy this recipe, and tag us on Instagram @cooking_with_wine if you make it!
Roasted Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa
Course: AppetizersCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy3
cups10
minutes25
minutes35
minutesIngredients
1 onion
4 roma tomatoes
3 tomatillos
3 -4 serrano peppers (or jalapeños for a more mild salsa)
1 poblano
1 clove garlic
⅓ cup cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Chop onion and place ½ on a baking tray. Put the other half in a blender.
- Cut tomatoes and tomatillos in half. Place 3 of the tomatoes and all the tomatillos on the baking tray next to the onions. Put the other raw tomato in the blender.
- Cut the poblanos and serranos in half. Remove seeds and veins and place peppers skin side up on the baking tray. Use a glove when handling the peppers so that the oils won’t get on your hands. For a spicier salsa, don’t remove the serrano seeds.
- Peel the garlic, and crush it lightly with the side of the knife. Cut the lime in half and place the garlic and lime on the baking tray.
- Roast onions, lime and garlic for 15 min. Remove and set aside. Continue to roast tomatoes, tomatillos, and serranos for another 5 min (20 min total). Remove and set aside.
- Continue to roast poblanos for 5 more minutes (25 min total).
- Once you finish roasting, add these to the blender. Squeeze the roasted lime into the blender. Add the cilantro and blend until desired consistency.
- Taste the salsa at this point and squeeze as much of the other half of the lime in to taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately or keep refrigerated for up to a week.
Notes
- For more heat, add an extra raw serrano pepper to the blender. Alternatively, for a more mild salsa use jalapeños instead of serranos.
