Roasted Salsa Roja is made by roasting tomatoes, onions, garlic, and chilies in your oven and blended into a delicious salsa! We use a combination of canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes for the BEST color and flavor.
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You will feel like you are dining at a Mexican restaurant with this salsa recipe! Use a blender or food processor to achieve a chunky or smooth red salsa.
Wheater, you are making fajitas, tacos, or nachos, this red sauce is a must-have condiment. Check out all of my Cinco De Mayo recipes, where you will find other suggestions like the Food Processor Guacamole.
I have included multiple different ways to roast your salsa ingredients below. Learn how to utilize an air fryer, oven, and cast-iron pan to make this salsa from scratch.
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⭐️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Roasting the vegetables bring out the natural sweetness in the tomatoes removing the acidity. If you want the best salsa recipe, roast your tomatoes!
- Put this red sauce on tacos, burritos, fajitas, nachos, and your morning eggs.
- An easy-to-make recipe, for your taco fiesta! Spend more time making tasty cocktails like our Strawberry Margaritas.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- We use a combination of canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes for color and flavor.
- When choosing cilantro make sure there are no yellow or brown leaves.
- If you like spicy salsa, don't remove the jalapeno seeds.
- Red onions are roasted along with garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes for a sweet flavor!
- Fresh lime juice makes a zesty salsa Roja!
- We garnish our salsa with sliced green onions for a pop of color and flavor.
See the recipe card for full quantities.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
- Salsa Roja without roasting: This salsa Roja recipe is quick and easy to make, and it doesn't require any roasting. Place all of your ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Since you are not roasting the red onions, I would leave them out of the recipe.
- Roasting with a grill: Get your grill ripping hot and place tomatoes, jalapeno, red onions, and garlic down. Transfer roasted veggies to a food processor and blend. Here is a grill pan I like to use when roasting my vegetables.
- Roasting with an air fryer: Preheat to 400°F and place vegetables into a round cake pan. Roast for 10 minutes or until vegetables are nice and charred.
🔪 How to make roasted salsa roja
Follow these step-by-step instructions, and if you have any questions, drop them in the comment section below.
Step 1: Set your oven to broil. Place canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and jalapenos on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
Step 2: Broil vegetables 8 inches under the broiler for 5 minutes or until charred, as seen in this photo.
Step 3: Let the roasted vegetables cool down for 10 minutes. Place vegetables, cilantro, green onions, cumin, lime juice, salt, and pepper in the food processor.
Step 4: Pulse the salsa in 15-second intervals until you reach the desired consistency.
Tip - Spreading vegetables out on a sheet pan allows them to roast evenly, resulting in a better flavor!
💭 Chef Tips
- We use a food processor in this recipe, but for a classic salsa Roja recipe, use a mortar and pestle.
- For the best-tasting salsa, try using canned fire-roasted tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are some of the best-tasting tomatoes since they are packaged right after tomato season.
- Char the vegetables in the oven for a smoky and roasted flavor.
- For a very spicy salsa, don't remove the jalapeno seeds.
- Slice vegetables before roasting them so they cook evenly. Look at the photos in the step-by-step section to see how I cut my veggies.
- Make sure there are roughly 8 inches of space between the broiler and your sheet pan to prevent the parchment paper from burning.
❓ Recipe FAQ's
Salsa Roja can be spicy depending on the chilies that you use. Some recipes use mild chilies like Anaheim or Poblano, and others use hot chilies like Jalapeno, Serrano, or Habanero.
Salsa Roja can be enjoyed in many different ways. I like to make a burrito bowl with my Mexican Tuna Salad with a spoonful of Salsa Roja on top.
The main difference is Salsa Verde uses Tomotillo, and Salsa Roja uses tomatoes. Salsa Roja means red sauce, and Salsa Verde means green sauce.
💡 Storage
Refrigerator: Place leftover salsa into an airtight container and place in the fridge for 1 week. If you start to see the salsa bubble up or ferment, toss it out.
Freezer: Cooked salsa and blended salsa freeze the best. Place into a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
🍽 Related Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Salsa Roja Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
- 2 Roma tomatoes sliced
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ red onion sliced
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 green onion sliced
Instructions
- Set your oven to broil. Place canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and jalapenos on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Broil vegetables 8 inches under the broiler for 5 minutes or until charred.
- Let the roasted vegetables cool down for 10 minutes. Place vegetables, cilantro, green onions, cumin, lime juice, salt, and pepper in the food processor.
- Pulse the salsa in 15-second intervals until you reach the desired consistency.
Notes
- Salsa Roja without roasting: This salsa Roja recipe is quick and easy to make, and it doesn't require any roasting. all of your ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Since you are not roasting the red onions I would leave them out of the recipe.
- Roasting with a grill: Get your grill ripping hot and place tomatoes, jalapeno, red onions, and garlic down. Transfer roasted veggies to a food processor and blend.
- Roasting with an air fryer: Preheat to 400°F and place vegetables into a round cake pan. Roast for 10 minutes or until vegetables are nice and charred.
Nutrition
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Cinda says
This salsa is the best and it rreally is quick and easy! I sometimes use Mexican diced tomatoes for added flavir.