Mexican · Appetizers & snacks

Roasted tomato salsa

Name: Roasted tomato salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 3 cups
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise; 1 medium white onion, peeled and cut in 8 wedges; 2 jalapeños, stemmed and halved lengthwise; 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste

A smoky red table salsa of blistered Roma tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, and garlic pulsed with cilantro and lime.

About 40 minTotal

About 30 minActive

$Cost

EasyDifficulty

Makes 3 cups

Equipment

Rimmed sheet pan
Chop by hand and stop at a coarse texture; keep all flavorful pan juices.
Best durable full-size pick
Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor · DFP-14BCNY
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Chop by hand and stop at a coarse texture; keep all flavorful pan juices.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched bowl capacity and pulse control to the recipe, then checked exact model identity, included blades, motor specifications, warranty, cleanup, and storage burden. Kwilt has not cooked with this processor.
Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor · DFP-14BCNY: The large work bowl and straightforward pulse control handle salsa and other household prep without forcing food into a small chopper in repeated batches. Trade-off: It is heavy, expensive, and needs meaningful cabinet or counter space; the fixed slicing disc is less flexible than newer systems.
Another workable path: Chop the ingredients by hand with a chef’s knife, keeping the pan juices and stopping at the recipe’s intended coarse texture.
Sources
Cuisinart DFP-14BCNY specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 3 cups

2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 medium white onion, peeled and cut in 8 wedges
2 jalapeños, stemmed and halved lengthwise
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon neutral oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste

Instructions

Position a rack 5 inches below the broiler and heat it to high. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil. Arrange tomatoes cut-side down with onion, jalapeños, and unpeeled garlic; rub everything with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Broil 6 minutes. Remove garlic once softened and spotted, turn onion and jalapeños, and continue broiling 4 to 6 minutes until the tomatoes blister black in patches and release some juice. Watch continuously because garlic and chile darken first.
Cool 10 minutes, then peel the garlic. For moderate heat, remove the jalapeño seeds; for a hotter salsa, retain them. Transfer vegetables and all pan juices to a .
Add cilantro and lime. Pulse 8 to 12 times, scraping once, until scoopable but visibly textured; do not run the machine continuously into tomato foam. Taste and adjust salt, lime, and chile.
Serve at room temperature or chill in a covered container. Refrigerate within two hours and use within 5 days; stir before serving because a freshly blended salsa may release a little tomato liquid.

MexicoMexico · roasted table-salsa tradition

From the table

About this recipe

Salsa is a broad family of Mexican sauces rather than one recipe. Tomato, chile, allium, herbs, salt, and acid can be raw, simmered, toasted, or roasted, with regional and household choices determining both ingredients and texture. A careful history therefore avoids naming this modern Roma-tomato formula as an ancient fixed dish.

Roasting or charring tomatoes, chiles, onion, and garlic builds a deeper table salsa while keeping the familiar fresh balance of chile, cilantro, lime, and salt. This version uses a household broiler and pulsed processor texture, stopping before the tomatoes become foamy so it remains a scoopable salsa rather than a smooth sauce.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe