Bright Red Chunky Salsa

My boyfriend loves salsa. I mean, LOVES it. I think it’s probably his favorite food. When we go out for Mexican food, we always get chips and salsa. And then more because we can’t stop eating it. Brad’s favorite salsa is a classic red chunky salsa. However, he is very picky about it. His favorite salsa is from either Sahuaro’s Taco Shop, or The Original Burrito Co., both in Arizona. To be honest, I have been afraid to make it because I want it to live up to his expectations. Imagine it’s like making a wine for a connoisseur.

Fears behind, I attempted the red chunky salsa. No lie, it took me four shots to get it right. I tried with fresh tomatoes, and with roasted. It either tasted too fresh or too sweet. The secret that I finally discovered: canned tomatoes. Yes, I was disappointed as well. I’m sure there is another way, but I landed on canned tomatoes and they are here to stay. They lend such a perfect saucy consistency, and using petite diced tomatoes still gets you texture and chunks.

Chunky Process

I use a food processor for this recipe because it chops everything just how I want it. I have not used a blender, but I assume it will liquify the ingredients rather than keep them chunky. The pulse feature on the food processor makes it ideal for a chunky salsa. Some blenders have a pulse function, try it out! For this recipe you can add all ingredients at the same time and pulse to your desired consistency. Brad loves big chunks of onion, so I add those in after blending the salsa.  

Mexican Food Cravings

I always try to have all ingredients for this salsa on hand. Fortunately it’s a simple recipe. We live in Arizona, and we love Mexican food. I make everything from breakfast burritos, to taco salads and enchiladas. We eat a fair share of Mexican food, and when Brad gets a craving I can come to the rescue. Who needs to drive across town for salsa when you can make it with simple ingredients?

Want another salsa recipe? Check out these:

Mango Jalapeno Salsa

Avocado Salsa Verde

Chunky Red Salsa

This bright red chunky salsa has fresh flavors of cilantro, jalapeno, and onions, and is brightened with a squeeze of lime. It took me three tries to get this salsa up to Brad’s salsa standards.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Resting Time 1 hr

Servings 2 cups

Equipment

• Food processor or blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ a cup white onion
• ½ a jalapeno*
• ¼ cup cilantro
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 lime juiced

Instructions

 

• Add all ingredients into food processor and pulse or set to low speed until you’ve reached the desired consistency.**
• Let salsa stand covered and refrigerated for 1 hour to let flavors combine.

Notes

*If you don’t like it as spicy, remove the seeds from the jalapeno.
**Brad likes bigger chunks of onion, so I add the onion after I’ve blended the salsa, and pulse it just a few times to keep the chunks bigger.