Our family has a new favorite Mexican restaurant. We’ve been there twice in the past two weeks, and we plan to make it a regular stop. While we were there last week, we were all commenting about how we liked the salsa. My oldest son mentioned that he is very excited to make salsa when our tomatoes, onions and peppers are ready in the garden. Typically we make several batches of fresh spicy salsa late in the summertime.

This reminded me that I saw something on social media recently where someone was making restaurant style salsa with canned tomatoes. I told my son that we were going to try a couple of recipes this week to see if we can find a good one for making our own salsa similar to the one at the restaurant.

I found a couple of recipes to try, and I was surprised at how quickly they came together. Each had similar ingredients, but in differing amounts. I blended the ingredients with an immersion blender, but a food processor, or even a standard blender would work.

I was surprised by how much salsa I produced in such a short amount of time. Both recipes I used noted that the salsa would benefit from time in the refrigerator to meld the flavors. I put each one in the fridge and gave them some time.

We conducted a family taste test after some time, and there was a unanimous winner. I am sharing that recipe below in hopes that you can enjoy your own homemade salsa for Cinco de Mayo.

From our kitchen to yours – enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo Restaurant-Style Salsa

Makes approximately 4 Cups

2-14 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 white onion, chopped
1 handful cilantro leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped (leave seeds in for more spice)
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
juice of 1 lime

Add all ingredients to a food processor or bowl (if using an immersion blender). Pulse or blend until desired consistency is reached.

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Taste and add additional salt, if needed.