CANNING: Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja
- Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment Needed for Canning Salsa Roja
- How to Can Ancho Salsa Roja with Roasted Tomatoes
- Storing your Salsa Roja
- Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja
This simple ancho salsa roja canning recipe features roasted tomatoes and onions so you’ll get vibrant, concentrated flavors and a sweet and smoky kick from just a few humble ingredients. Best of all, it’s an easy water-bath canning recipe, so you can make a big batch in an afternoon, and stock your pantry with nine half-pints of homemade salsa for easy snacking!
If you want to amp up that oven-roasted flavor even more, you could even grill or smoke your tomatoes and onions instead to add a fire-roasted heat to this salsa. If you try this variation, use foil pans to catch the juices and don’t use any marinades or oil, just a quick char over the coals (and let us know how it came out in the comments below!).
This is a perfect dipping salsa to serve with chips, but it’s also a great wing sauce, enchilada sauce, or flavor base to add to diced tomatoes to make a simmer sauce for chicken or pork. Use it as a starter for a batch of chili, or serve over loaded baked potatoes, nachos, or totchos for an easy dinner. It’s fantastic with grilled steak tacos or steak and eggs, or to top a simple dinner of rice and beans.
Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja Ingredients
Paste tomatoes:
While you can make this salsa with any large tomatoes, you’ll get the best results with paste-type sauce tomatoes like Roma. If you make your salsa with slicing tomatoes, you’ll want to simmer and reduce the chopped tomato mixture somewhat before adding the other ingredients, or you will end up with watery salsa.
Because they’re oven roasted, you don’t have to blanch the tomatoes to remove the peels, and the roasting really concentrates the flavor. I save the roasted tomato peels and add them into my freezer stash bag of trimmings for stock. If you make your own bone broth or veggie stock at home, don’t waste these!
Onion:
You can use white, yellow, or even red onions here. For a very mild, sweet salsa, you can use sweet onions, though the onion flavor is already mellowed by roasting, so you’ll get a better flavor with a more aggressive onion.
Ancho Chiles:
These dark dried chiles are dried poblano peppers. They have a rich, almost sweet and smoky flavor that adds complexity to this salsa, with a deep chocolatey color and medium heat.
Lime Juice:
The original Ball recipe for canning salsa roja was tested with fresh lime juice, so it’s safe to use freshly squeezed juice here if you like.
Good quality bottled lime juice is also fine, and has a standardized acidity which makes it safer for canning unless otherwise specified, so feel free to use that if you prefer!
Garlic:
We’re using fresh garlic cloves here, very lightly roasted. The original recipe roasts them with the other vegetables, wrapping them in a foil packet and removing them from the oven before the others so that they don’t burn.
Add the garlic during the last 10-15 minutes of roasting the other vegetables, or check them often and and pull them out early. It’s very easy to over-do it and end up with bitter, burnt garlic if you aren’t watching it closely.
Seasonings:
Salt, pepper, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Use Mexican oregano if you can get it! The original recipe only calls for salt and black pepper, but I like to add a bit more depth of flavor to my salsas, and this is a safe modification.
Kitchen Equipment Needed for Canning Salsa Roja
sheet pans:
I used a standard half-sheet pan to roast the tomatoes and onion. You can use other baking dishes, just make sure your cookie sheets or pans have a shallow lip to catch the juices from the roasting vegetables, and aren’t so deep that the veggies steam instead of roasting.
blender, food processor, or food mill:
You’ll want to puree the soaked chiles into a paste, and then the roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic. You can do this in batches in a blender, or with a food processor. In a pinch, you can use an immersion blender, though your salsa will probably be chunkier.
You can even use a food mill, which will make a very smooth salsa without any lumps or seeds, but is slower and more labor-intensive. Use what you have or what you prefer!
large sauce pan or stockpot:
You’ll need a 4 quart or larger pot or dutch oven to simmer your salsa mixture before canning. Make sure the pot is non-reactive stainless steel or enameled, since the salsa mixture is acidic. Don’t use an uncoated aluminum or cast-iron pot.
water bath canner or large stockpot:
You’ll need one large or two smaller stockpots or water-bath canning pots that can hold 8 half-pint jars, or you’ll need to process this in batches. You can also can part of this batch, and refrigerate or freeze the rest of your salsa to use right away.
canning jars and lids:
You’ll need 9 half-pint mason jars and new canning lids with bands, or an equivalent combination of smaller jars.
Do not water-bath can this ancho salsa roja in jars larger than a half-pint (8 oz or quarter-liter jars). There is no tested processing time listed for pint or quart jars for this salsa.
You can safely use a combination of half-pint or smaller jars 4 oz jars to can your batch of salsa. The water-bath processing time is the same (25 minutes, adjusted for altitude if needed).
How to Can Ancho Salsa Roja with Roasted Tomatoes
Prep veggies:
- Preheat the oven to 425 ℉. You can lightly coat your baking sheets with a bit of pan spray or a very thin coating of oil if they are not nonstick, or line them with parchment, for easier cleanup.
- Wash the tomatoes and onions. Peel the garlic and set aside.
- Using a small, sharp paring knife or strawberry huller, core the tomatoes, removing just the stem and any hard white or green fibrous bits. Spread the tomatoes out on a half sheet pan or other shallow baking pan.
- Trim the root end from the onions and cut them into wedges. Spread them out on another baking sheet.
Roast vegetables, toast & soak chiles:
- Roast the tomatoes and onions in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
- Put a kettle of water on to boil for the chiles.
- Check the sheet pans about halfway through, and then periodically, giving them a shake to loosen the vegetables from the pans or turn them with tongs if they’re sticking. You may also want to rotate the pans on your oven racks so that they cook evenly.
- Toast the dried chiles lightly in a heavy pan on a medium flame. Just heat them a few seconds on each side, or until they are fragrant and beginning to puff up. Don’t burn them or they’ll be bitter. Let them cool.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies, tearing them into large pieces. Pour the boiling water over the chiles, stirring them to submerge all the pieces. Let the chilies soak and re-hydrate, reserving the liquid.
- Roast the vegetables until they are beginning to soften. The tomato peels will begin to split and char, and the onions will soften and become translucent.
- Remove the pans from the oven and set the pans aside until they are just cool enough to handle.
Prep jars:
- While the tomatoes are cooling enough to peel, fill your canner with enough water to cover the tops of the jars by at least one inch, cover the pot, and bring up to a boil.
- Wash and sanitize your half-pint or smaller jars, and wash and prepare your lids. Do not boil the lids (unless you are using reusable lids, then follow manufacturer instructions).
Peel, blend, and combine salsa:
- Puree the soaked chiles in a blender or food processor until smooth, using just enough of the reserved soaking liquid to make them easy to blend. Work in batches if necessary.
- Pour this into a large non-reactive pot over medium-low heat.
- Peel the tomatoes and roasted onions and unwrap the roasted garlic cloves from their foil packet.
- Puree these in batches as well, using the rest of the reserved chile liquid to thin the mixture enough to blend easily.
- Pour the roasted vegetable puree into the pureed chile and spice mixture and stir again.
Simmer and season salsa:
- Add the salt, lime juice, oregano, and cumin to the pot of ancho salsa roja, and bring the salsa mixture up to a boil.
- Stir frequently to prevent scorching. Adjust salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. You can also add more lime if you like, but do not use less than the specified amount.
Jar the salsa:
- Using a canning funnel (if possible) fill the jars with the hot salsa mixture, leaving ½” headspace. Work quickly and keep mixture hot while filling jars.
- Using a thin non-metallic spatula, thin wooden spoon, or jar tool, remove air bubbles from the jars and adjust headspace as needed.
- Wipe jar rims. I use a paper towel or clean lint-free towel dipped in hot water, followed with a clean towel dampened with distilled vinegar. Clean jar rims make good seals!
- Place your prepared lids on the jars and secure with rings (check rings for dents and discard any damaged rings).
Canning your salsa roja:
- Using jar tongs or a canning jar rack, transfer the hot jars into the boiling water canner and make sure there is at least an inch of water over the jars with room to boil. Top up from a hot kettle of water if needed.
- Process in your boiling water bath for 25 minutes (increase as needed for elevations above 1000 ft). Make sure the water is boiling hard the whole time. Do not start the processing timer until the pot is boiling vigorously.
- When the time is up, turn off the burner under the pot, wait 5 minutes, and then carefully remove the jars with jar tongs (or remove the jar rack, if you used one).
- Place the jars on a towel-covered or wooden surface or wire rack and leave undisturbed until completely cool. If it’s cold or drafty, you may want to cover the jars with a towel so they cool evenly. Do not tighten the bands (unless you are using reusable lids: if so, follow manufacturer instructions).
Storing your Salsa Roja
- After jars have cooled completely (12-24 hours) remove the bands and check for seals. Make sure that the button on the lid is depressed and the jars have a good vacuum seal.
- Refrigerate any jars that did not seal and use promptly, or reheat and reprocess with new lids within 24 hours.
- Gently wash jars or wipe with a damp cloth, label, and store in a cool, dark pantry. For best quality, enjoy home-canned goods within 12-18 months.
Do I Have to Can this Salsa?
You can also skip the canning and refrigerate your ancho salsa roja. Use it within 7-10 days, and discard if it shows signs of spoilage.
If you are planning to use your salsa fresh without canning it, you can adjust the ratios and seasoning to taste. This makes a big batch of salsa… It’s great for parties or freezer meal prep, or you can scale the quantities back to make a smaller batch.
You can freeze your ancho salsa roja in freezer-safe containers. It will have the best flavor if used within 6 months from frozen. Note that the salsa may stain plastic containers.
If you are freezing the salsa in glass jars, use straight-sided or wide mouth jars, and leave plenty of room at the top for the salsa to expand as it freezes.
Roasted Tomato & Ancho Salsa Roja
Ingredients
- 3 ¾ lbs roma or other paste tomatoes
- 2 medium onions (white, yellow, or red), halved & cut in wedges (or three small onions)
- 18 medium dried ancho chiles
- 6 cups boiling water
- 18 large garlic cloves
- ¾ cup lime juice bottled or fresh squeezed
- 1 tbsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano leaves (substitute regular oregano)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Prep veggies:
- Preheat the oven to 425 ℉. You can lightly coat your baking sheets with a bit of pan spray or a very thin coating of oil if they are not nonstick, or line them with parchment, for easier cleanup.
- Wash the tomatoes and onions. Peel the garlic and set aside.
- Using a small, sharp paring knife or strawberry huller, core the tomatoes, removing just the stem and any hard white or green fibrous bits. Spread the tomatoes out on a half sheet pan or other shallow baking pan.
- Trim the root end from the onions and cut them into wedges. Spread them out on another baking sheet.
Roast vegetables, toast, & soak chiles:
- Roast the tomatoes and onions in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
- Put a kettle of water on to boil for the chiles.
- Check the sheet pans about halfway through, and then periodically, giving them a shake to loosen the vegetables from the pans or turn them with tongs if they’re sticking. You may also want to rotate the pans on your oven racks so that they cook evenly.
- Toast the dried chiles lightly in a heavy pan on a medium flame. Just heat them a few seconds on each side, or until they are fragrant and beginning to puff up. Don’t burn them or they’ll be bitter. Let them cool.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies, tearing them into large pieces. Pour the boiling water over the chiles, stirring them to submerge all the pieces. Let the chilies soak and rehydrate, reserving the liquid.
- Roast the vegetables until they are beginning to soften. The tomato peels will begin to split and char, and the onions will soften and become translucent.
- Remove the pans from the oven and set the pans aside until they are just cool enough to handle.
Prep jars:
- While the tomatoes are cooling enough to peel, fill your canner with enough water to cover the tops of the jars by at least one inch, cover the pot, and bring up to a boil.
- Wash and sanitize your half-pint or smaller jars, and wash and prepare your lids. Do not boil the lids (unless you are using reusable lids, then follow manufacturer instructions).
Peel, blend, and combine salsa:
- Puree the soaked chiles in a blender or food processor until smooth, using just enough of the reserved soaking liquid to make them easy to blend. Work in batches if necessary.
- Pour this into a large non-reactive pot over medium-low heat.
- Peel the tomatoes and roasted onions and unwrap the roasted garlic cloves from their foil packet.
- Puree these in batches as well, using the rest of the reserved chile liquid to thin the mixture enough to blend easily.
- Pour the roasted vegetable puree into the pureed chile and spice mixture and stir again.
Simmer and season salsa:
- Add the salt, lime juice, oregano, and cumin to the pot of salsa roja, and bring the salsa mixture up to a boil.
- Stir frequently to prevent scorching. Adjust salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. You can also add more lime if you like, but do not use less than the specified amount.
Jar the salsa:
- Using a canning funnel (if possible) fill the jars with the hot salsa mixture, leaving ½” headspace. Work quickly and keep mixture hot while filling jars.
- Using a thin non-metallic spatula, thin wooden spoon, or jar tool, remove air bubbles from the jars and adjust headspace as needed.
- Wipe jar rims. I use a paper towel or clean lint-free towel dipped in hot water, followed with a clean towel dampened with distilled vinegar. Clean jar rims make good seals!
- Place your prepared lids on the jars and secure with rings (check rings for dents and discard any damaged rings).
Canning your salsa roja:
- Using jar tongs or a canning jar rack, transfer the hot jars into the boiling water canner and make sure there is at least an inch of water over the jars with room to boil. Top up from a hot kettle of water if needed.
- Process in your boiling water bath for 25 minutes (increase as needed for elevations above 1000 ft). Make sure the water is boiling hard the whole time. Do not start the processing timer until the pot is boiling vigorously.
- When the time is up, turn off the burner under the pot, wait 5 minutes, and then carefully remove the jars with jar tongs (or remove the jar rack, if you used one).
- Place the jars on a towel-covered or wooden surface or wire rack and leave undisturbed until completely cool. If it’s cold or drafty, you may want to cover the jars with a towel so they cool evenly. Do not tighten the bands (unless you are using reusable lids: if so, follow manufacturer instructions).
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