Salsa Ranchera

5 from 3 votes

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A wonderfully smoky salsa made from roasted tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, and garlic, with a touch of lime and cumin.

Salsa Ranchera in a glass bowl.

Salsa Ranchera is one of the most common and beloved salsas of Mexico. It is usually made of roasted tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions, often with garlic. The vegetables are then pureed into a somewhat liquidy sauce, which can be fairly smooth or have a bit of texture, depending on how you like it. It can be quite hot, or just mild, or anywhere in the middle. This salsa ranchera recipe is flexible, allowing you to decide how hot you’d like it to be and what kind of texture you are looking for.

Many of us, especially us non-Southwesterners, say salsa, and we think we are all talking about the same thing: the slightly chunky stuff that usually comes in a jar, sometimes in a plastic tub from the refrigerated section of the supermarket if we’re going for the good stuff. This is what is technically known as salsa fresca, a tomato-based salsa made with mostly uncooked ingredients.

If you hail from a salsa-loving state or country, however, you know that the Spanish word salsa translates to “sauce,” and as such, it can mean any number of things. There are dozens and dozens of kinds of salsa. And each type has as many interpretations as there are cooks. Pico de Gallo, Salsa Verde, Mojo, Salsa Roja, and loads more fall into the category of salsa.

Bowl of Salsa Ranchera on a table with tomatoes and pepper.

Of course, you can and should serve ranchera salsa with tortilla chips, preferably paired up with some homemade (or store-bought!) guacamole. It is also the perfect accompaniment to Breakfast Quesadillas, Steak Fajitas, Huevos Rancheros, Migas, or Beef, Black Bean, and Jalapeno Chili. Not to mention all kinds of tacos and burritos.

A wonderfully smoky salsa made from roasted tomatoes, hot peppers, onions and garlic.

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes – I like to use Roma tomatoes because they are a meatier and less watery variety.
  • Jalapeño peppers – You can also use serrano peppers or Hatch chiles when they are in season.
  • Onion and garlic – For a sharp depth of flavor.
  • Ground cumin – For a subtle earthy flavor.
  • Fresh cilantro leaves – Offers a fresh flavor aspect.
  • Fresh oregano leaves – Optional, but will provide slight peppery and earthy flavors.
  • Fresh lime juice – Be sure to use fresh lime juice in this recipe for a zesty and bright pop.
  • Salt and pepper – To taste.

Mild, Medium, or Hot Salsa

You can adjust the amount of heat in the salsa by choosing peppers with varying heat levels, adjusting the amount of hot peppers you use, and deciding the amount of hot pepper seeds you include. Most of the heat in a hot pepper resides in the seeds and the veins (the strings inside that hold the seeds together).

How to Make Salsa Ranchera

  1. Prepare the vegetables: Cut the stems and white core out of the tomatoes and slice the tops from the jalapeño peppers.
Tomatoes and peppers in a foil-lined pan.
  1. Cook the vegetables: You can either grill the vegetables on a piece of foil for about 30 minutes at medium heat or roast the vegetables in an oven at 375 degrees F for about 1 hour.
Roasted tomatoes and jalapeno peppers in foil-lined pan on stove.
  1. Blend into a salsa: Transfer the vegetables and any juices that have accumulated in the foil to a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, oregano (if using), lime juice, salt, and pepper (if using). Pulse or puree, depending on how chunky or smooth you want the salsa to be. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Salsa Ranchera on a table with tomatoes, limes, and bread.

Variations

Try adding some tomatillos to the roasted veggie mix. Remove the papery husks, and then roast a few tomatillos with the tomatoes for a layer of slightly tart acidic flavor in the salsa.

Hatch Salsa Ranchera

During Hatch Chile season, I get very excited to make a version of this salsa with those peppers. Since Hatch chiles come in mild, medium, hot, and very hot, you can play around with the heat level with a Hatch Salsa Ranchera as well.

In one version I made (for these photos), I used fewer tomatoes and left the seeds in one of the jalapeños, as well as including a mildly spicy pepper I picked from a friend’s garden. The end result was pretty spicy, hitting you moments after you swallowed and said, “This isn’t so spi…oh, wait,” and needed to be used judiciously, but I loved it.

Storage

Store your leftover salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

What to Serve With Salsa Ranchera

Spoon scooping salsa ranchera onto a Grilled Pork Taco.
Grilled Pork Tacos with Salsa Ranchera

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5 from 3 votes

Salsa Ranchera

A wonderfully smoky salsa made from roasted tomatoes, hot peppers, onions, and garlic, with a touch of lime and cumin.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 2 People
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Ingredients 

  • 4 large tomatoes
  • 3 jalapeños (or 2 serrano chiles)
  • 1 onion (peeled and quartered)
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper (to taste; optional)

Instructions 

  • Cut the stems out of the tomatoes, using your knife to remove most of the white core. Slice the tops from the jalapeños or serrano chiles. If you want a milder salsa, you can slice the chiles in half and remove the seeds and ribs. For a medium level of heat, remove just some of the seeds and ribs.
  • If you want to grill the vegetables, preheat a grill to medium and place the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic on a large piece of foil, pull up the edges of the foil to prevent them from spilling off the sides, and grill for about 30 minutes, turning the vegetables as needed so that they get browned in spots on all sides.
  • If you want to roast the vegetables in an oven, preheat the oven to 375 F. Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet, place the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic on the foil, and loosely close the foil over the top. Bake for about 1 hour until the vegetables are soft and a bit browned.
  • Transfer the vegetables and any juices that have accumulated in the foil to a food processor or blender. Add the cilantro, oregano (if using), lime juice, salt, and pepper (if using). Pulse or puree, depending on how chunky you want the salsa to be. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Notes

  • You can adjust the amount of heat in the salsa by choosing peppers with varying heat levels, adjusting the amount of hot peppers you use, and deciding the amount of hot pepper seeds you include. Most of the heat in a hot pepper resides in the seeds and the veins (the strings inside that hold the seeds together).
  • Try adding some tomatillos to the roasted veggie mix. Remove the papery husks, and then roast a few tomatillos with the tomatoes for a layer of slightly tart acidic flavor in the salsa.
  • Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 98.95kcal, Carbohydrates: 21.99g, Protein: 4.05g, Fat: 1.02g, Saturated Fat: 0.18g, Sodium: 602.33mg, Potassium: 821.71mg, Fiber: 5.73g, Sugar: 10.04g, Vitamin A: 2588.01IU, Vitamin C: 68.81mg, Calcium: 102.78mg, Iron: 2.52mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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1 Comment

  1. Annie says:

    What a hit! I made this with my roasted garden tomatoes and finally have a homemade salsa I love.