I finally had enough tomatoes between my garden and my friends’ to make some salsa this year. It was a terrible year for my tomatoes, but everything else seems to be doing great in the garden. Better luck next year I hope.
Anyway, I couldn’t wait to make some yummy salsa to put away in my pantry for my last minute canning before harvest season is over. This recipe does not require you to boil, peel, and core your tomatoes. That’s why I’m calling it easy! Does it alter the taste of your salsa? Not in the slightest way (in my opinion)! It’s delicious and is also a fantastic way to throw in those cherry tomatoes from your garden! They have such a delicious flavor and add just the right amount of sweetness. If you don’t have them, don’t worry; just use whatever tomatoes you’ve got on hand.
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon of washed tomatoes chopped in half or in quarters to go into your food processor (if using cherry tomatoes, just leave them whole)
- 3 medium sweet onions
- 5 bell peppers any color
- 4-5 jalapeño peppers with seeds (or without if you don’t like salsa with a kick)
- 3 tablespoons salt (I love to use pickling salt when preserving food)
- 1/2 c bottled lemon juice & 1/2 c bottled lime juice (you MUST use bottled juice and not fresh when canning)
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic
1. How in the heck do you measure a gallon of tomatoes? My favorite way is to throw them into my gallon size Tupperware that clearly has a “1 G” printed on it. Don’t have one? Maybe you have a quart size Tupperware or measuring cup laying around. Remember, four quarts in a gallon 😊 Wash your tomatoes and process them in batches in your food processor. I found 5 pulses worked for me on the cherry tomatoes, and 6 pulses for the regular tomatoes.
2. Here is where you’re going to drain each batch of tomatoes through your strainer before putting into your pot. I used a silicone spatchula to press the juice out of the tomatoes. You can see how much juice is in there in the beginning vs the end after the spatchula/strainer.
3. Continue to run your peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro through the food processor and add to your tomatoes. There’s no need to drain any of them, and you should pulse to the consistency you like. Personally, I like my salsa chunky.
4. Now add your salt and bottled lemon and lime juice. These babies are exactly 1/2 a cup each. You can choose to do all lemon or all lime if you like. I just like the flavor the mix gives them. ***IMPORTANT: You must never alter the amount of acidity in a recipe for tomatoes. They do not contain the acid they once did, and canning with incorrect acidity leads to botulism. You cannot smell or detect botulism on your own, so do not risk it. Also, the acidity of lemons and limes can change daily and are not reliable, so that is why it’s important to use canned juice only. It is cooked and maintains a certain ph that is safe for preserving food.***
5. Bring to a boil and then summer for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking on the bottom.
6. Pour into your prepared jars. This recipe makes about 10 pint sized jars.
7. Wipe your rims before sealing and give them a 15 minute water bath (or more depending on your elevation). Voila! You have delicious salsa that is shelf stable and ready to eat all through the winter months 🙌🏻
Blonde Bitchin' West Texas Kitchen 
Delicious! Your recipe was so easy..thank the universe for “no peeling of the tomatoes” (never understood the reason for doing that craziness)
Thank you!
Jonni in Tennessee
Sure thing! Glad you enjoyed it!
Can you pressure can this recipe? 5lbs for 10 minutes?
I have never pressure canned so I can’t say, I’m sorry.
This WAS EASY!! And tasty. It does aste a touch salty. Does that dissipate over time? Can you modify the amount of salt?
Yes, it’s the acidity that’s the most important. Glad you enjoyed it!
Mine doesnt look as fresh as yours! Looks more like tomato sauce…..i am wondering what i did wrong!
May have cooked it too long. Tomatoes will break down eventually if cooked too long/too high temps. Hopefully it still tastes good!
I have a power quick pot (kinda like an instapot). It has pressure canning instructions. Any reason your recipe would not work? Thanks
I wouldn’t think so, but I’ve never tried it. Best of luck!
Hi bbiwtk,
Made this yesterday, fast and delish! Only difference, I got 10-1/2 pint jars, so a cup is a 1/2 pint, 2 cups is a pint, and so on! Saved your coleslaw recipe to try soon, thanks👍
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe! This is the 2nd year we’ve used your recipe and I’m so happy to skip peeling! I’ve had people say it’s the best salsa they’ve ever eaten.
Wow, thank you so much! I appreciate that!
i don’t want to throw out all of the juice from the tomatoes.
Is there something I can do with it?
When I’m making chow chow I always do a separate jar for juice and use it for pouring like a pepper sauce over greens and beans. I’m sure you could do the same or you can always freeze it.
I save the juice from the tomatoes and make a creamy tomato sauce for pasta, omelets, chips, rice, beans (rice & beans), over vegetables, fish…….anything that I want to add a sauce to……I use homemade oatmeal flour & powdered non fat milk to thicken it up……sometimes I throw in some grated cheese or Boursin…..if I’m in a cheesy mood…….
Thanks Rachel, this recipe is no joke. . . last year I made at least 8 quarts and 16 pints of this mouthwatering salsa!
Gotta note for anyone reading, definitely let the tomatoes drain well! My first batch was a little watery.
Thanks for the tip! I’m so glad you liked it!
The cilantro is very overpowering. How do I alleviate the taste of the cilantro?
Feel free to take it out completely 😃
How much is “ a bunch” of cilantro?
The cilantro you buy at the store is in a bunch when you buy it. The bundle it comes in 😉
That’s what I thought. But was worried too much cilantro. I only used about 2/3 of the store bought bunch. My kids will be the judge to see if I should adjust for next batch. Btw I used immersion blender to make consistency a little more like a spaghetti sauce. I still left chunks. My fam likes this way & I like to use that fun blender.
Hi, thank you for this tasty recipe.
I did have a question on the measurement of the tomatoes. I quartered them and had 16 cups = to 4 quarts. After draining and cooking I only ended up with 5 jars in the first batch and 6 in the second. Should I have measured them after straining them? Will my ph level be to high now?
Just wondering because I don’t want to make anyone sick:( ??
You can buy a pH meter from Amazon for about $12 or you can get pH strips from Walgreens and test at home to be sure. I don’t strain my tomatoes completely so it’s hard for me to say what yours will be or accurately guess how many jars you’ll get. Let me know what the test says once you test and see 😊
This is the best dang salsa EVERRRR! I am deleting all other recipes. This is the one!! I drained my tomatoes like you had suggested. HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!! Damn good little lady! Thank ya kindly!
Thank you very much 🥰
Rachel, I want to freeze rather than can, will your recipe work?
Yes, just know that freezing tomatoes can give them a watery texture when they thaw out, but it’s perfectly fine to freeze!
Excellent salsa! I had tons of cherry tomatoes this year, and now I have lots of jars of fabulous salsa to share! Thank you!