Super Easy Salsa Roja

It's the middle of summer, too hot to cook, and you're hungry for something fresh and good. What do you make? This Super Easy Salsa Roja!

The name may sound fancy, but it just means Red Salsa, and with all the tomatoes ripening on the vine right now, it's a perfect time to make some!

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Ingredients

Tomatoes
White Onion
Jalapeno and/or Serrano Chile Peppers
Cilantro

Since all red salsas are tomato based, you'll need some fresh tomatoes. I'm using Roma tomatoes as they are a 'meatier' tomato with less juice and seeds.

As far as chiles and spice level - you can add as few or as many as you want. I went with a combination of jalapeno, serrano, and chipotle and even my spice-hating wife loved it!

Instructions

This recipe couldn't be easier. Simply rough chop your tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, and onion and pulse in a food processor or blender.

Rough chop your tomatoes

Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles if you do not like spicy salsa

Add salt, lime juice, and pulse!

A cookie cutter makes perfectly round, oil-free tortilla chips

Hint: Use the pulse setting on your blender, and try not to blend or puree. You'll get chunkier, thicker salsa.

And remember: all chile peppers have an oil called capsaicin and it WILL burn, especially your EYES, so wash your hands frequently or better yet - wear gloves to protect yourself.

Substitutions

Tomatoes - any variety will work, especially straight from your garden, but Roma Tomatoes have fewer seeds and juice and will give you chunkier salsa
Onion - I like white, but use whatever you have on hand
Cilantro - Not a fan? Leave it out! Personally, I love the flavor of fresh cilantro in my salsa.
Chiles - Any chile will work, from green bell peppers to habaneros, it just depends on the spice level you want. Jalapenos are not very consistent when it comes to heat, whereas Serranos are. And remember, most of the heat is in those white veins and seeds, so remove them to keep it mild.
Chips - You can certainly use your favorite tortilla chips for dipping. However, if you are on an oil-free diet, most store-bought corn tortillas ARE oil-free.
They can be heated in an oven, toaster oven, or an air fryer until they are crisp.
I use the toaster oven setting on my air fryer and set it to a "darkness" of 4 and use the "1-2 slices" setting (about 2 minutes), flip, and repeat until golden brown and crispy.

Variations

Roasting - some people roast their onions, chiles, and tomatoes before blending, which adds a whole new level of flavor.
Chipotle Peppers - add a smokiness to the salsa (with a little more heat)
Hatch Green Chiles - these chiles really add some flavor, especially right off the grill.

See my Green Chile Sauce Recipe to see how to peel and clean them.

Equipment

Although a blender or food processor will make this super easy, you can just hand-chop everything and mix them together. I would pay special attention to really mincing the peppers fine if you do.

I used my Vitamix this time to make this recipe, and as careful as I was it still came out kind of thin and runny. Normally I use my food chopper and it works great. Below are my affiliate links if you are interested and I do earn a little commission if you buy one.

Storage

This salsa freezes well and can be stored in your refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Top tip

Really pay attention to how much you blend this salsa - because it is easy to overblend and then you'll end up with a thin, watery salsa.

And once again, if you are new to handling chile peppers, please protect your hands or wash your hands very well after handling them. Speaking from experience, you won't even know you have anything on your fingers until you rub your eyes and then it is too late. And that burns.....bad.

I love potatoes, and if you have never tried having a baked potato with salsa on it you are missing a treat!

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Super Easy Salsa Roja
Mexican Tofu Scramble
Mexican Tofu Sofritas
Vegan Mexican Pasta Salad (oil free & gf)