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Whether you’re spicing up your tacos, topping off grilled chicken, or simply enjoying it with a bowl of tortilla chips, salsa is a must-have in any kitchen. With just a few fresh ingredients and a little bit of time, you can whip up and customize a delicious homemade salsa that tastes better than anything you’ll find in a jar.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
Our quick salsa recipe uses canned, diced tomatoes combined with fresh-squeezed lime juice, chopped onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro. Those few fresh ingredients are quick to prepare and add so much bright, fresh flavor to the finished salsa that no one will ever suspect you took a shortcut by using canned tomatoes.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- DICED TOMATOES: The base of our salsa is a can of diced tomatoes. We use them because they’re a convenient time saver, the flavor is consistent from batch to batch, and they’re accessible all year round.
- ONION: Any time we put raw onion in a dish, we opt for sweet varieties like Maui, Walla Walla, or Vidalia because they add flavor without being overpowering.
- JALAPEÑO PEPPER: Fresh jalapeño peppers add both freshness and heat to this salsa. They’re also one of the “adjustable” ingredients in this recipe. We’re a bit wimpy when it comes to heat, so we just add one and remove the seeds. If you like more heat, you can add another, leave the seeds, or both.
- LIME JUICE: Fresh-squeezed lime juice adds bright acidity and is a must-have ingredient in this salsa.
How to Make Easy Homemade Salsa
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- To the work bowl of a food processor add; canned diced tomatoes, very well-drained, diced onion (preferably sweet), a jalapeño pepper (seeded and diced), a clove of minced garlic, roughly chopped fresh cilantro (stems and all), freshly-squeezed lime juice, a dash of hot sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Pulse to reach a desired consistency (we like ours a little chunky)
- Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and hot sauce
- Serve with chips
Easy Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 can, 15 ounce diced tomatoes, very well-drained (see notes)
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 3/4 teaspoon)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime, about 1-1/2 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor or chopper and pulse until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and hot sauce as needed.
- Salsa can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to 3 days.
- For best flavor, remove from the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
this does not say what size can of tomatoes?
Hi Debbie,
So sorry for that omission. It’s a 15-ounce can and I’ve updated the recipe. Thank you for pointing out the mistake.
I wasn’t sure I thought this would turn out well using canned tomatoes, but it was just delicious. Definitely will make again, so much fresher tasting than what you buy in the store.