Roasted Green Tomato Salsa

When roasted, green, underripe tomatoes make a fantastic Verde-style salsa perfect for enchiladas or snacking on with tortilla chips. Plus, the recipe is so simple you'll want to make this Roasted Green Tomato Salsa all summer and fall long!

Thanks to the dirty tree rats (aka squirrels) that terrorized my tomatoes this year, nibbling on pretty much every nearly ripe one before I could pick ‘em, I decided to explore using underripe (green) tomatoes in recipes. Because damned if those dirty tree rats are gonna get all my tomatoes! 

While I don’t recommend biting into a green tomato raw, roasting them mellows out their tartness and makes the base for a fantastic salsa. Paired up with onion, jalapeno, and garlic, the result is a slightly tart and acidic salsa verde that’s well balanced by its fellow roasted co-stars. 

What kind of tomatoes should I use in this recipe?

Any kind of medium to large-sized type of green tomato you please, as long as it’s an underripe tomato and not a green when ripe tomato. An underripe tomato is one that hasn’t ripened (turned red) yet, are green in color, are very hard, and has a tart flavor. While you won’t want to bite into an underripe tomato, their tart flavor is reminiscent of that of tomatillos and is what makes this salsa so fantastic. Think of this recipe as a green tomato salsa verde. 

How do you make Roasted Green Tomato Salsa?

To make this green tomato salsa verde you will need the following ingredients.

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 pounds green tomatoes (green = unripe) (I used a mix of Celebrity and Goliath)
• 1 medium yellow or white onion 
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (or to taste)
• ½ teaspoon paprika (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

You can roast the ingredients in the oven or on a gas grill; I've tried both preparations with fantastic results. This recipe makes around 3 cups of salsa. 

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternatively, preheat your propane grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (on my propane grill, this is turning all three burners to medium heat).
2. Cut the green tomatoes in half and remove the interior section around the stem. Then cut each half in half again to make quarters. Set the tomatoes, skin side down, on a baking sheet. 
3. Cut the onion in half, then roughly cut into large pieces. Halve the jalapenos and remove the seeds. Remove the stem from each garlic clove and leave them whole.
4. Add the green tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapenos to the baking sheet. 
5. Drizzle the vegetables with one tablespoon of oil and stir to coat. 
6. Roast on the top shelf of your oven for 18-20 minutes. You should start to see some browning on the undersides before removing them from the oven. Alternatively, roast in your propane grill for 15-18 minutes. You should start to see some browning on the undersides of your veggies before they come off the grill. 
7. Add the roasted vegetables, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and ½ teaspoon of salt to your food processor and process for 30 seconds. Stop, remove the lid, and stir. Continue processing until you reach desired consistency. I like to pulse a few more times until it’s smoother in consistency but still has some texture to it. 
8. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or lime juice, if desired. 
9. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to let the flavors meld.

Green Tomato Salsa Verde Suggestions

This recipe is pretty straightforward on purpose. You can easily make this salsa your own by adding or subbing in a few ingredients. When making this I like to be heavy-handed with the heat and toss in several fresh jalapenos (or other hot peppers like serrano). If I don't have any fresh hot peppers on hand, I add cayenne pepper and/or ancho chili powder.

You could also add in some cumin, paprika, and/or fresh/dried herbs like oregano. If you try something that turns out amaze-balls, please comment below so I can give it a try :).

Storage

Store Roasted Green Tomato Salsa in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. For best results, use within 5 days.

If you like this, you should also try:

• Cucumber Pico de Gallo
• Roasted Garlic Guacamole
• Citrus Jalapeno Salsa
• Ground Venison Tacos
• Instant Pot Spanish Rice
• Quick Sauteed Tex-Mex Beef

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