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Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

July 20, 2015 By Kalli 14 Comments

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
This Roasted Green Tomato Salsa recipe is perfect for days when you crave restaurant style salsa but would rather make fresh salsa in your own kitchen. We always prefer homemade salsa over store-bought and typically make a traditional red salsa. However, we recently created this roasted green tomato salsa recipe because of the unexpected abundance of green tomatoes that came into our lives.

SUMMER GARDEN TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

I’ll quickly recap how we ended up with so many green tomatoes this summer.  This is only our second year to have a summer garden. Last year we got several rounds of gorgeous red tomatoes before the neighborhood squirrels realized how great our tomatoes taste straight from the vine.  When we found the first tomato on the ground with squirrel bites all over it we hoped it was just an isolated incident, but we just kept finding more each day.

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
At that point, we started to do some research about what would possibly keep the squirrels out of our garden without having to build a giant cage around our garden bed. Because let’s be honest, a giant chicken wire cage is not the most attractive yard decor.  We tried sprinkling ground cayenne pepper to make the garden too spicy. No luck.  Then we added tiny, prickly pine cones to make the garden too uncomfortable for them to walk around. They just kept coming.  We became too frustrated to keep fighting. We decided to be grateful for the several gorgeous rounds of tomatoes we did get and pull up the plants.

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
Flash forward to this summer when we were so naive to believe we could cross our fingers and hope that the squirrels would be dumber and less hungry this year.  We didn’t build a cage, so we didn’t get a single red tomato before the squirrels found them.  Obviously, we are the ones to blame for not learning our lesson. But boy was it disappointing. So again we are trying to win by not fighting back but instead embracing our green tomatoes and making them into something worth blogging about.

GREEN TOMATOES TO THE RESCUE

Josh made some tasty fried green tomatoes and we were pretty pleased with the results. But we were so into this fresh roasted green tomato salsa that we had to share it with you first.  And it’s just so easy to make. The first step is to cut up the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and pop them in the oven to roast.  Because we roast them at such a high temperature, the roasting process doesn’t take very long. Just 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your veggie pieces.  What you gain from roasting is a smoother, darker flavor instead of the sharpness that some fresh salsas have from the flavors of the raw onion, garlic and green tomatoes.

I should mention that you can definitely use tomatillos instead of green tomatoes if you are looking to make this recipe with store-bought tomatoes.

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
Once the veggies are tender and have started to blister slightly, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down a bit.  I will warn you that the aroma is going to be pretty overwhelming (in a good way) and your house might smell like your favorite Mexican restaurant. You are welcome!

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa
Then the veggies get thrown in the food processor with the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and add more salt or pepper if needed. I always find myself adding more salt and maybe even a little extra cilantro because it’s my weakness.  Then you can store the salsa in sealed container for several days, if it even lasts that long. Salsa has a magical way of disappearing quickly. Try it and see for yourself.

Oh, and please share any tricks you’ve learned for keeping pests out of your garden. Obviously, we’re still working on that issue.

OakhurstKitchen.com // Green Tomato Salsa

5.0 from 3 reviews
Roasted Green Tomato Salsa
 
Print
Author: Oakhurst Kitchen
Yield: 3 cups
Ingredients
  • 5 medium green tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 jalapenos, halved and seeds removed
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • salt
  • pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven at 475 degrees and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, and onion on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and slightly blistered.
  3. Allow the veggies to cool slightly. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the roasted veggies with the juice of 2 limes, cilantro, sugar and generous amount of salt and pepper. Blend until mixture is smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed (we definitely did!).
3.4.3177

 

Filed Under: Appetizers Tagged With: salsa, tomatoes

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Comments

  1. Rhonda Gandee says

    August 21, 2018 at 9:28 am

    I found putting plastic forks around plants and threw out garden helped us.

    Reply
    • Josh says

      August 21, 2018 at 9:48 am

      SO smart! Actually I’ve been putting plastic forks in potted plants for a few years with a lot of success. Haven’t tried it on the ground though… I will try it if we ever venture back into the planted garden business, which we totally want to at some point. Thanks for the idea, Rhonda!

      Reply
      • Sulli says

        September 3, 2018 at 11:48 am

        Scatter mothballs around the plants. Squirrels hate the smell and go elsewhere. Most effective to deter digging, but I haven’t had chewed tomatoes so long as the mothballs get refreshed once they melt away.

        Reply
        • Josh says

          September 4, 2018 at 9:27 am

          Guess who else hates the smell of mothballs….hahaha. Not sure I can live with that option but I don’t doubt that it works! Thanks for the suggestion.

          Reply
          • Sulli says

            September 8, 2018 at 6:25 pm

            Oh, made this salsa recipe today. It’s great. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Emisha J Sill says

    September 24, 2018 at 3:38 pm

    Do you think you can canning them up? I have LOT of green tomatoes and I want to be able to can up this salsa!

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Josh says

      September 24, 2018 at 3:44 pm

      I can’t see why you wouldn’t be able to can them. But I’ll admit we don’t know really much of anything about the specifics of canning.

      Reply
  3. Diana Jackson says

    October 4, 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Has anybod found out how to can this?

    Reply
    • Susan Parsons says

      October 11, 2019 at 3:45 am

      I had to pick all of my green cherry tomatoes today since the overnight low temperature is predicted to be 36°F. I plan on following this recipe for a tasty salsa because I’ve already canned pickles, okra and even several jars of tobassco peppers that I’ll pour over my greens in months to come
      When canning always remember jars and lids have to be sterilized before using them. I keep my lids simmering on the stovetop and my jars will be warm when I add the salsa to them. Leave 1/2″ head space when filling jars. Wipe jar rim dry, add lid and ring finger tight. I’ll place them in a water bath for 20 minutes, remove jars and place them on the counter and won’t disturb them for 24 hrs. Then off to the pantry for storage. I hope this helps you out.

      Reply
      • katy says

        October 22, 2020 at 11:29 am

        No pressure cooker for canning? When you say a water bath, is it boiling water? Cold water? Warm water?

        Reply
  4. Lu Cooper says

    August 14, 2020 at 3:41 pm

    We have the same story with squirrels, and I’m glad it led me to this recipe!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Pawtuxet Village Farmer’s Market – October 1st says:
    September 30, 2016 at 10:12 am

    […] Roasted Green Tomato Salsa […]

    Reply
  2. Pawtuxet Village Farmer’s Market – October 1st Copy says:
    October 6, 2016 at 5:58 pm

    […] Roasted Green Tomato Salsa […]

    Reply
  3. Easy Tomato Canning Recipes | Backyard Garden Lover says:
    August 31, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    […] Of course, don’t miss making some green tomato salsa too. […]

    Reply

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Welcome To Oakhurst Kitchen!

Hi! I’m Kalli. My husband Josh and I hope this can be place where we can share the fabulous foods and drinks we’ve come to love. We're calling it a gastroblog! Learn more...

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