Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa
Richly flavoured roasted red pepper and tomato salsa recipe that is fantastic on more than just nachos.
The rich flavour of roasted vegetables makes this salsa one of the most delicious and versatile versions of salsa to make. It's wonderful on nacho chips and other Tex-Mex dishes, of course, but why stop there? Enjoy it on toasts for a quick snack, as a quick bruschetta topping, or as a light marinara on your favourite pasta.
This salsa has just the right amount of heat and sweet, as well as a tiny bit of smokiness courtesy of the roasting process and the touch of smoked paprika.
Like most salsas, it is entirely vegan and gluten-free, so most family and friends will be fine digging in. In fact, you might want to consider making a second batch, because this delicious salsa will be gone in a flash.
Ingredients
(Makes 8 servings)
1 tablespoon avocado oil (or canola oil)
~100 cherry tomatoes (roughly 2lb), washed, stems removed
1 large red bell pepper, deseeded, cut into lobes
1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
4 whole cloves garlic, still in skins
1 red chili pepper, deseeded, roughly chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
Directions
Preheat oven to broil setting, top element. Raise top oven rack as high as possible and place a casserole dish upside-down on the top rack. This will help raise the sheet pan close enough to the element to induce charring of the vegetables. Select a casserole dish that will raise the sheet pan to within 6-inches of the top element, but no closer than 4-inches.
Prepare a sheet pan covered with foil and brush on the avocado oil. Onto the sheet pan place the whole cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper lobes (skin side up), onion, garlic cloves (still in their skins), red chili pepper, and the jalapeños. Place sheet pan in the oven on top of the casserole dish, and broil vegetables until they are well charred. Check progress every 5 minutes or so, and rotate sheet pan every 10 minutes. Vegetables are done when the skins have been charred.
Remove from the oven and allow the vegetables too cool. If you wish to deskin the bell pepper, place the lobes into a bowl, cover with cling wrap and steam for 10 to 15 minutes. The skins should then be easy to remove. Once the vegetables are cool, retrieve the garlic cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins (discard skins).
Transfer all vegetables, and any juices, from the sheet pan into a high-powered blender. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and spices, then pulse several times before blending on high. Stop to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Once the salsa is puréed, transfer it into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 79 | total fat = 2.29g | saturated fat = 0.26g | cholesterol = 0mg | sodium = 91.69mg | net carbohydrates = 10.5g | dietary fibre = 3.51g | sugars = 8.86g | protein = 2.65g
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