• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Flipped-Out Food

Real, good food...really fast.

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Tips
  • Playbook
  • Blog
  • Blogging
  • Shop
  • Contact

Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa

by Michelle | Published: Jun 7, 2019. Modified: Nov 29, 2019 | 741 words. About 4 minutes to read this article. | Post may contain affiliate links

158shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa is ready in 5 minutes. It’s spicy and delicious—AND, because we use canned tomatoes, you can enjoy it any time of year! A close-up of a black and white bowlful of Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsal sitting atop a cutting board. The bowl is surrounded by tortilla chips, the butt-end of a jalapeño, and lime wedges.


We’re addicted to the chips and salsa that appear on our table when we visit our local Mexican restaurant. So I’m amazed that I haven’t posted a recipe for tomato salsa until now. More to the point, I never even tried making it until a few weeks ago. Now I’m convinced that we’ll never get the jarred stuff again! (But I’ll still eat the chips and salsa at the restaurant when we eat out.)

What’s in Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa?

It’s very straightforward: tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, garlic, cilantro (unless you’re a hater: in that case, leave it out!), S & P, ground cumin, and lime juice.

Can I make salsa with canned tomatoes?

If you’ve ever wondered this, you’ll be happy to know that the answer is a resounding YES. Often times (like in the dead of Winter) tinned tomatoes are far better quality than anything you’ll be able to find in the produce section. That means you can enjoy this salsa all year long!

About the spice level…

The first time I made my restaurant-style tomato salsa, I used one jalapeño—seeds and all. That produced a result that was far too mild for us chiliheads. But it might be just about right if you’re heat-averse. If you’re concerned, start with half of a seeded jalapeño. After all, you can always add more later—but you can’t take it out!

If you are a chilihead, I’d suggest substituting 2–3 serrano chiles for the jalapeño. For my first attempt, I added a habañero to the mix and the heat level was just about right.

Making restaurant-style tomato salsa

This might be the easiest recipe on the blog. The hardest part is getting out the food processor! All you do (summarized in the preparation collage below) is add a garlic clove and chunks of onion and jalapeño to your food processor. Close it up and pulse 3 times to coarsely chop. Open and add the cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the canned tomatoes (if you’re using diced, add the juice too). Next, squeeze about 2 tbsp of lime juice into the food processor. Close the processor and pulse 3 more times, or until you’re happy with the consistency. Finally, check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips!

Preparing Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa. 1. The ingredients: jalapeño, sweet onion, a 28 oz can of crushed or diced tomatoes, coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, ground cumin, lime, cilantro (coriander), and garlic. 2. Add a garlic clove and chunks of onion and jalapeño to the food processor. 3. Close and pulse 3 times to coarsely chop. 4. Add the cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. 5. Add the canned tomatoes (if you're using diced, add the juice too). 6. Squeeze about 2 tbsp of lime juice into the food processor. 7. Close and pulse 3 more times, or until you're happy with the consistency. 8. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed.

That’s it! Wasn’t that EASY?! Beyond eating with tortilla chips, salsas are great over rice, over the protein of your choice—even served with your eggs for breakfast!

Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa in a black bowl sitting atop a cutting board. The bowl is surrounded by tortilla chips, the butt-end of a jalapeño, and lime wedges.

I hope you love making restaurant-style tomato salsa right in your own kitchen. If you’re looking for more salsa ideas, be sure to check out my Fiery Mango-Habañero Salsa, Salsa Verde, and Pico de Gallo.

Linkies

I’m sharing my restaurant-style tomato salsa recipe with #CookBlogShare, a fantastic food blogger recipe-share hosted this week at Everyday Healthy Recipes.



Recipe

5 from 6 votes
A close-up of a black and white bowlful of Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsal sitting atop a cutting board. The bowl is surrounded by tortilla chips, the butt-end of a jalapeño, and lime wedges.
Print
Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa
Prep Time
5 mins
 

Restaurant-Style Tomato Salsa is full of spicy, delicious flavor. Done in 5 minutes with the help of your food processor! Plus, because we use canned tomatoes, you can enjoy this salsa any time of year!

Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Latin American/Mexican
Keyword: restaurant-style salsa, tomato salsa
Servings: 12 –14
Ingredients
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes (either crushed or diced with juices)
  • 1 jalapeño pepper (stem removed and cut into a couple of rough chunks; or see Recipe Note #1)
  • 1 garlic clove peeled
  • 1 medium sweet onion peeled and cut into rough chunks
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp coarse salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Instructions
  1. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeño to food processor Close and pulse 3 times to coarsely chop. Open the food processor and add the cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, canned tomatoes, and lime juice. Close the processor and pulse 3 more times, or until you're happy with the consistency. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated up to 5 days. Mix well before serving.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes
  1. If you are heat-averse, seed the chile and remove the membranes. Add half of the chile to start with (you can add more later if the salsa is too mild). If you're a chilihead, consider either adding up to an additional 2 jalapeños or substituting 2–3 serrano chiles for the jalapeño.


Related tools on Sur La Table



Don’t miss a thing!

Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. PLUS, get easy dinner ideas and cooking hacks delivered straight to your inbox when you subscribe to the Flipped-Out Food Newsletter!



Cook Blog Share

Filed Under: Recipe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says

    July 17, 2019 at 5:39 am

    This is one of the best salsa recipes I’ve ever seen. Now, give me that! 😛 Thanks for sharing, Michelle. x

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      July 17, 2019 at 9:38 am

      Whoa, thank you so much Jhuls!! 😀

      Reply
  2. Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says

    June 18, 2019 at 8:16 am

    I love a good salsa with tortilla chips and a cold beer when the mood strikes 🙂 It’s great to see that the salsa made with tinned tomatoes can be as good as using fresh ones! Will definitely be giving it a go!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 19, 2019 at 8:05 am

      Yaaaaaas to salsa, chips, and beer! I hope you love my version!

      Reply
  3. Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says

    June 18, 2019 at 5:41 am

    Ooooh yes please! I love a good salsa roja 😀 Someone pass me the nachos! Eb x

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 18, 2019 at 7:49 am

      Thank you, Eb! We’re addicted too! 😛

      Reply
  4. Rebecca - Glutarama says

    June 15, 2019 at 4:58 am

    Genius! I can’t believe I’ve never thought to use tinned tomatoes before. I love salsa and my son adores chilli and fajita’s with salsa…so I’ll be making this from now on – thank you.

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 15, 2019 at 6:42 am

      Thank you, Rebecca! We’re year-round salsa eaters in this house, and we can’t deal with those mealy winter tomatoes! I hope you enjoy the salsa! Yum…fajitas…

      Reply
  5. Donna says

    June 15, 2019 at 4:09 am

    Oh yum, chips and dip has to be one of my favourite movie night snacks! #CookBlogShare

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 15, 2019 at 6:42 am

      Thanks, Donna! Ours too! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kat (The Baking Explorer) says

    June 14, 2019 at 2:36 am

    I love salsa but I always keep the heat level low as I’m such a wuss so it’s great you’ve given options for different tastes!

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 14, 2019 at 5:33 am

      Thanks, Kat! If I’m having guests over, I’ll sometimes divide the salsa in half after blending in half a pepper and then blitz more jalapeño into the “spicy half”.

      Reply
  7. Monika Dabrowski says

    June 13, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    I must say I’ve never tried using canned tomatoes in a salsa but you’ve convinced me, i’ll give it a go. Thank you for bringing your lovely recipe to #CookBlogShare

    Reply
    • Michelle says

      June 14, 2019 at 5:34 am

      Thanks, Monika! There are some times of year when you really can’t get good tomatoes, so tinned ‘maters are a must. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Connect with me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Michelle

Hi there! I'm Michelle, a former scientist turned food blogger and consultant. Throughout my career, I have run up against the challenge of cooking food in as little time as possible during stressful times. I have learned strategies that help me cook good food without the stress, and I'd like to share them with you! Plus, I draw upon my science background (PhD in Physiology, with lots of lab-rat work in biochemistry and microbiology) to inject my writing with nutritional/ biochemical geekery. Read More…

For a Low-Stress Holiday Dinner:

A collage of turkey dinner favorites: clockwise from upper left, Ultimate Classic Roast Turkey, Easy Sausage Stuffing, Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce, and Make-Ahead Green Bean Casserole.

Your Guide to Mastering Easy One-Pot Dinner Recipes

Mastering Easy One-Pot Meal Recipes: a collage of several of the most popular one-pot recipes on Flipped-Out Food. Clockwise from top left: Arroz con Pollo, Cornish Game Hens with Mushroom-Barley Pilaf, Ground Beef Stroganoff, Dorm Room Microwave Queso Spaghetti, Creamy One-Pot Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese, Healthy Dorm Room Microwave Pasta, Leftover Vegetable Fried Rice, and Kielbasa-Cabbage-Fennel Skillet..

How I manage social media:

Tailwind Visual Marketing Suite
my foodgawker gallery

Copyright © 2019 · Design, Michelle Frank ·Genesis Framework & Foodie Pro child theme from StudioPress · Privacy & Disclosure· Copyrighted.com Registered & Protected 
UWH8-GDAS-2GCH-FP7P

F-OF uses cookies to ensure that you get the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site, we will assume that you're A-OK with this.OkNoPrivacy policy
Revoke cookies