Insanely Quick Restaurant Style Salsa

I’ll just admit it. My stomach jumps a little more than it should when the endless chip basket and the salsa bowl comes to the table at a Mexican restaurant. One scoop of that slightly smooth red sauce dripping off a warm crispy chip and I’m done for. So why haven’t I thought of making restaurant style salsa at home before now? (Head smack!)

There’s lots of salsa recipes on the WWW featuring canned diced tomatoes and blenders. The recipe I’m sharing features canned and fresh ingredients like garlic, lime juice and cilantro. Fresh is generally best IMHO. But in a pinch, you could use bottled lime juice and garlic powder. If you’re not a cilantro fan, just leave it out.

I can’t overstate how easy this salsa is! Just dump everything into a blender and press puree. The heat level of this salsa is easily adjusted as well. Leave the membranes on the jalapeno for extra heat, or remove altogether for a milder version. Go wild with different pepper varieties too.

Just a word of caution though. Be sure to buy an extra bag of taco chips when serving. It’ll go quick. If there are any leftovers, this salsa is delicious in tacos, burritos, or drizzled over breakfast nachos. Munch away!

Restaurant Style Salsa

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Restaurant-style salsa is ready in minutes.  Canned diced tomatoes combine with fresh onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime and cilantro for a quick appetizer.  Expect to refill the taco chip basket often with this tasty dip!

• Author: Erin Thomas
• Total Time: 10 Minutes
• Yield: About 1–1/2 Cups Salsa 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2–14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained*

1 jalapeno, seeded (For a mild salsa, remove the white membrane too.)

1 medium onion, quartered (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp. salt (kosher, table or sea)

1/2 tsp. sugar

3 tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves

1 tsp. ground cumin

Juice from 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp.)

Instructions

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to let flavors blend.  Serve with taco chips.

Notes

*Don’t dump the juice. It makes a tasty Bloody Mary Cocktail!