Three Easy Salsa Recipes

For the Salsa Roja: Add quartered Roma tomatoes, chunks of onion, and garlic cloves to a hot, dry skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until charred and softened.

Add the dried chiles de árbol to the pan and sauté quickly for about 30 seconds until fragrant and slightly softened. Be careful not to burn them.

Transfer all the charred ingredients from the skillet to a blender. Add a generous pinch of salt.

Blend until you reach your desired consistency. Pour into a container and set aside.

For the Salsa Verde: Add whole tomatillos, serrano peppers, and garlic to a hot, dry skillet.

Cover the skillet and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatillos are softened and have changed from bright green to a dull, olive green color.

Transfer the cooked ingredients to a blender, add salt, and blend until smooth.

Let the blended salsa cool for a few minutes. Then, add fresh cilantro and a chunk of raw white onion.

Pulse the blender a few times just until the cilantro and onion are roughly chopped and combined. Do not over-blend. Pour into a container.

For the Salsa Ranchera: Add quartered Roma tomatoes, whole tomatillos, chunks of onion, garlic cloves, and serrano peppers to a hot, dry skillet.

Cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally. Once the tomatillos have softened and changed color, remove them from the pan and set them aside in a bowl.

Continue to cook the remaining vegetables in the skillet until they are well-charred and softened.

Add the dried chiles de árbol to the pan and sauté quickly for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Transfer everything from the skillet (tomatoes, onion, garlic, serranos, chiles de árbol) to the blender, leaving the cooked tomatillos aside for now.

Blend the mixture until smooth. Add salt and blend again to combine.

Add the reserved cooked tomatillos to the blender and pulse a few times just to incorporate them. Pour into a container.