Roasted Tomato Salsa
- By Natasha Kravchuk
- Updated
- (81)
- 185 comments
Easy Roasted Tomato Salsa is packed with roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeños, bell pepper, and fresh cilantro. Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness while a little charring gives the salsa that irresistible fire-roasted flavor. It’s fresh, flavorful, and so much better than store-bought. It’s also freezer-friendly.
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Helpful Reader Review
“The best way to use up tomatoes from my garden! Roasting them really took the flavor to a whole other level! So yummy!“ – Jamie ★★★★★
Roasted Tomat​o Salsa Video
Watch my video to see just how easy it is to blend up a batch of homemade roasted salsa. The prep is quick – you don’t eve​n have to peel the tomatoes – and it blends into the perfect scoopable texture. Grab a bag of crunchy tortilla chips and enjoy.
Easy 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 preserve those sweet summer tomatoes.
We make batch after batch of roasted salsa to use up our garden veggies and stash it away in the freezer. When you thaw it, it’s just as good as​ a batch of freshly prepared salsa. That’s why we are obsessed with this Roasted Tomato Salsa. It’s been on our regular rotation for years.
Roasted Tomato S​alsa Ingredients
Fresh ingredients make for the best salsa, so ​double the recipe and freeze for long winters.
- Tomatoes – use Roma tomatoes or whatever you have on hand (the sweetness and color of your tomatoes will affect the taste and color). No need to peel the tomatoes, but if you prefer to, the skins come off easier once roasted.
- Jalapeño peppers – add to taste to control the spiciness or use serrano peppers if you want more heat.
- Bell pepper – red or green bell pepper adds natural sweetness and body to the salsa, but you can leave it out if you don’t have one on hand.
- Onions – yellow or white onions work great.
- Fresh Garlic – you’ll need a full head of garlic, or about 10 peeled cloves.
- Cilantro – I use a full bunch of fresh cilantro.
- Salt – add to taste depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes.
How to Make Roas​ted Tomato Salsa
Roasted tomato salsa is easy to make, and the extr​a roasting step makes so much difference in flavor!
- Arrange cut onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic cloves on a rimmed baking sheet, and then cut and place tomatoes on a second baking sheet (I prefer using an extra-large baking sheet for tomatoes).
- Bake at 375˚F for 25 minutes or until tomatoes and onions start to soften. Don’t overbake.
- Broil the pans for 2-5 minutes until veggies are slightly charred (check periodically to make sure they don’t burn).
- Cool and Process – Cool for 20 minutes, and then transfer in 2 batches to the food processor along with the cilantro and salt, and then blend to your desired consistency (we like finely chopped onions). Combine both batches in a bowl and season to taste with more salt, if needed.
- Store – Once cooled to room temperature, you can refrigerate or freeze (see tips below)
Natasha’s Tips for ​Best Roasted Tomato Salsa
Use these tips to make this easy roasted tomato salsa even easier!
- Broil the veggie sheet first so it doesn’t burn, and take it out while broiling the tomatoes.
- Don’t overbake the tomatoes, as they can become too sweet and concentrate the flavor, rather than a bright, roasted salsa.
- Use the serving size adjuster in the recipe card to scale the ingredients down for a smaller batch. If you cut the recipe in half, you can fit everything on one baking sheet.
Ways To Serve Roasted Salsa
There are so many great ways to serve roasted tomato salsa, so here are some of our favorites:
- Appetizer – serve as a snack with tortilla chips or Pita Chips.
- Topping – on Beef Burritos, Chicken Fajitas, Ground Beef Tacos, Baked Chicken Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, Nachos, or Tostadas.
- Breakfast – roasted salsa pairs so well with Scrambled Eggs or any egg-based breakfast, such as Breakfast Tacos, Breakfast Burritos, Tortilla Breakfast Wraps, on a Breakfast Sandwich or Breakfast Quesadillas.
How to Store Roasted Salsa
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 has cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – Transfer to a freezer-safe, zip-top bag or freezer container (leave a little room for expansion), and squeeze out any excess air, which can cause freezer burn. Lay the freezer bag flat and freeze for up to 4 months for best texture.
- To thaw – You can thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To speed thaw: set the sealed freezer bag in a bowl of cool water for about 2 hours, rotating the bag a couple times for faster thawing.
This roasted tomato salsa is packed with char-roasted flavor and a deep red color. Roasting the veggies makes all the difference in the salsa, giving it a deeper flavor than fresh salsa. Make a batch now and freeze to enjoy peak-season tomatoes all year long.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 6 lbs medium tomatoes, about 15-18 count, halved
- 5-10 jalapeño 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 whole cloves, peeled
- 1 medium bunch of cilantro
- 1 Tbsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Prep – 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 (I prefer an extra-large baking sheet for the tomatoes).
- Bake Vegetables – Bake at 375˚F for 25 minutes, or until tomatoes and onions start to soften.
- Broil – Move the rack to the highest position in the oven, set the oven to broil, and broil each baking sheet for an additional 2-5 minutes. I start broiling the onion baking sheet first, and then take it out while broiling the tomatoes so that they don't burn. The tops of the 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 accumulated tomato juices.
- Cool and Blend – Let vegetables cool slightly. For the full recipe, I process the salsa in 2 batches in a 14-cup food processor. Add half of the roasted vegetables, cilantro, salt, and some of the pan juices. Pulse until the salsa is mostly smooth with a little texture remaining, stopping before it becomes completely pureed. It should be thick and scoopable, not watery. Add more pan juices as needed to reach your desired consistency, then repeat with the second batch. Add more salt to taste if needed.
Notes
Storage Tips
- To Refrigerate – let salsa cool to room temperature, then pour it into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze – Pack the salsa into a freezer-safe zip-top bag (for faster thawing) or container, leaving room for expansion. Squeeze out excess air from the bag to prevent freezer burn, and then lay flat and freeze for up to 4 months.
- To thaw – Place in the refrigerator to thaw overnight, or to thaw faster, set in a bowl of cool water for about 2 hours, flipping the bag a couple times.
Nutrition Per Serving
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