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3 street tacos with mango and a plate of tortilla chips surrounding a small bowl of fresh salsa

5 Easy Recipes for Garden-Fresh Salsa

Spice up your weeknight family meals with salsas made with fresh garden veggies! We’ve rounded up five delicious, flavor-packed recipes to suit everyone’s tastes and heat tolerance. Best of all, each of these recipes either requires no heat, or can be cooked on the grill—no stove or oven required!

tomato corn and black bean salsa summerwinds

Mild Salsa: Fire-Roasted Tomato, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

A fresh and flavorful way to use a variety of garden vegetables!

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups fresh corn or 15 oz. can
  • 1 ½ cups rehydrated black beans or 15 oz. can
  • 3 large tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Chopped cilantro (to taste)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly:

  1. Grill tomatoes on high, watching carefully and turning often—grill only long enough to give the skin a good char. Let cool.
  2. While cooling tomatoes, strain and rinse all canned vegetables (if using) and place in a large bowl.
  3. Add minced garlic, red onion, and cilantro to bowl.
  4. Roughly chop fire-roasted tomatoes and add to bowl.
  5. Add lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
  6. Serve and enjoy with corn tortilla chips!

Simple Pico de Gallo salsa summerwinds

Mild-With-a-Kick: Simple Pico de Gallo

A classic Mexican recipe, perfect for taco nights on the patio!

Ingredients:

  • 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • Chopped cilantro, to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ of a fresh lime

Assembly:

  1. After chopping, assemble all ingredients except salt, pepper, and lime in a bowl.
  2. Squeeze lime directly over mixture.
  3. Toss and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Enjoy with tortilla chips or as a topping with any Mexican entree!

Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa summerwinds

Medium-Heat Salsa: Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa

This sweet-and-spicy salsa can easily be tailored to your tastes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh or grilled pineapple, finely chopped
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped, seeds removed and reserved
  • 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Assembly:

  1. Assemble pineapple, red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a bowl. (Note: Grilling the pineapple before chopping makes for a sweeter, smokier flavor, while leaving the pineapple raw makes the final product lighter and more refreshing.)
  2. Add lime juice and toss, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add jalapeño seeds to increase heat. Add slowly, tossing and tasting until you reach your desired spice level.
  4. Serve with chips, grilled pork, chicken, or on tacos al pastor!

Chipotle Salsa Roja summerwinds

Hot Salsa: Chipotle Salsa Roja

A deeply flavorful hot salsa that takes any south-of-the-border dish to the next level!

Ingredients:

  • 2 large tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • 1 large white onions, cut into quarters
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • Juice of 1 fresh lime
  • 3 tablespoons fresh oregano
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly:

  1. Place fresh vegetables into a grilling basket and grill under tender and slightly charred.
  2. Remove grilled vegetables from heat and allow to cool.
  3. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined and coarsely blended.
  4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve hot with any Mexican or Southwestern entree that could use some punchy flavor!

herbs

Super-Hot Salsa: Mango Habanero

The heat of this fragrant salsa builds in your mouth for a culinary experience that’s not for the faint of heart!

Ingredients:

  • 1 large ripe mango, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 habanero pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 large tomato, halved
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and stems removed
  • 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
  • ½ oz lime juice
  • ½ oz orange juice
  • Cilantro, finely chopped, to taste (if preferred)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Assembly:

  1. Place habanero, mango, tomato, bell pepper, and shallot in a grilling basket and grill under tender and slightly charred.
  2. Remove vegetables from heat and allow to cool in a bowl.
  3. For chunky salsa, remove and finely chop vegetables before returning to the bowl to combine, tossing with lime and orange juices, cilantro (if desired), salt, and pepper.
  4. For a smooth salsa, add cooled vegetables and remaining ingredients to a blender and puree.
  5. Serve with fajitas, tortilla chips, grilled seafood, or fish tacos!

Each one of these salsas brings something a little different to your patio dinners! Don’t have these veggies in your garden? Visit one of our California SummerWinds Nursery locations to browse the edible plants available in-store today.

About SummerWinds Nursery: 

A leading high-end retailer of garden and nursery products. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, SummerWinds Garden Centers, Inc. operates retail nurseries in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, and in Silicon Valley, California, making it one of the largest independent retail nursery companies in the nation. SummerWinds appeals to both the serious and casual gardeners, with a broad selection of premium gardening products and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.