The Best Cooked Salsa
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 8 to 10 pints
Ingredients
  • 10 cups peeled, finely chopped tomatoes (about 5 pounds raw)
  • 3 cups chopped onions (about 2 large onions)
  • 3 cups finely chopped peppers (about 1½ pounds) - see Notes
  • 10 small jalapeños, minced (about ⅔ cup)
  • 8 large garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
  • ¼ cup chipotle paste (see this recipe), optional
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1¼ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 12 ounces tomato paste
Instructions
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large nonreactive pot and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  2. While the salsa is cooking, sterilize 10 pints jars and their lids and rings. Fill the jars to within ½ inch of the top, wipe the rim clean, and close with the lids and rings.
  3. If you have a small amount of salsa left that doesn't fill a jar, simply refrigerate that and enjoy it with chips.
  4. Process the jars in a water bath for at least 15 minutes (for my altitude in Denver, I processed the jars for 25 minutes). Remove the jars and let cool on the counter, making sure that the lids have all sealed properly. If any do not fully seal, place in the refrigerator and use within a couple of weeks. The properly sealed jars are shelf stable.
Notes
I use my food processor to mince everything, working with one ingredient at a time, to get a consistent level of coarseness for all of the vegetables.

You can use a mix of sweet or spicy peppers as desired. I like a mix of sweet red peppers and roasted peppers like poblanos.
Recipe by Cooking With Michele® at https://cookingwithmichele.com/2020/10/the-best-cooked-salsa/