This post, featuring Roasted Salsa Verde, is sponsored by Ball® Fresh Preserving.
It’s time for my next partner post with Ball Canning. I’m working with them this season to share recipes, new products, and canning tips. So far this year, I’ve tackled a pantry makeover, shared my cheater shrub recipe, made a batch of strawberry rhubarb jam, and cooked up some bread and butter pickles.
This time, I’ve made a batch of their Roasted Salsa Verde. This recipe speaks to me on a number of levels. First off, I love having a stash of tomatillo salsa in my pantry. Sure, it’s great with chips. But it can also do double duty as a simmer or green enchilada sauce. Anything that versatile has a place in my kitchen.
Second is that you can easily break the prep for the Roasted Salsa Verde up into multiple stages, which is a massive plus these days. My twins are now 13 months old and are into everything. I rarely get more than five minutes in a row at a time to focus on anything and I still managed to get this salsa made in relatively short order.
The final reason to love this salsa is that a single batch makes three pints for the shelf and another cup or so for the fridge that you can immediately eat with tortilla chips for lunch, or use as a braising sauce for chicken. Are you convinced yet?
So here’s how it breaks down. You dehusk and wash four pounds of tomatillos. Cut the truly huge ones in half and arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet with wedges from two onions, some garlic cloves, and two hot peppers.
Once the vegetables are tender and have a bit of char, you remove the pan from the oven and let them cool a bit. Carefully stem and deseed your hot peppers once they’re cool enough to handle. I recommend disposal gloves for this step, so that you don’t burn your fingers with the pepper oil.
This is the one place where I parted ways with the recipe. I used my blender to mix the ingredients instead of the recommended food processor. My processor is a bit leaky and so I was afraid of having warm tomatillo juice all over my counters. Happily, the blender worked beautifully and I was saved extra clean-up.
Once your roasted vegetables are smooth, you tip them into a saucepan and add freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper. Then you bring it to a simmer.
At some point in this process (perhaps while the roasted veg was cooling), you want to set up a boiling water bath canner with three pint jars. Get it going so that it is ready when your salsa is hot.
Then, remove one jar from the hot canner and fill it with the hot salsa, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rim, apply a new, clean lid, tighten the ring to fingertip tight and return it to the canning pot. Repeat this process with the remaining jars. If you have any salsa remaining when all the jars are filled, put it into a container for the fridge.
To get the recipe for Roasted Salsa Verde, click here. Make sure to visit Ball® Fresh Preserving for more seasonal recipes, as well as to find new promotional offers throughout the summer!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with Ball Canning. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
This recipe is a favorite of mine and I make it almost every year. In fact, my husband just walked out the door to pick up tomatillos for me and it’ll be cooling on my counter in about 4 hours!
The recipe link goes to Bread & Butter Pickles?!
Whoops! Fixing it now.
I have made this but never roasted / canned it, but you bet I am going to now! Thank you. Little dip trick that I do, is blend in 1/2 a ripe Avocado into the salsa, it makes it creamy and nice to use as a sauce on grilled meat.
Hey– growing tomatillos for the first time and excited to can the harvest! The recipe calls for fresh lime juice. Can I use bottled? Is the juice for flavor? Please advise!
The juice is for both flavor and safety. Typically we use bottled lemon/lime juice, but as this is a tested Ball recipe and it called for fresh, that’s what I used. However, there’s no reason why you couldn’t use bottled.
This looks so good! I’m new to canning but love salsa verde… I will need to make this very soon.
I have a random question! What jars are pictured? The recipe says to use (3) 16 oz (pint) jars, but the shape of your jars seems like they are smaller to me. Perhaps that’s an assumption on my part?
Thanks very much for posting this!
Those are the Collection Elite jars. They do hold 16 ounces, it’s just a different shape.
I have made this recipe about 8 times–it’s such a keeper. It’s fabulous as enchilada sauce too.
Thank you for the reply!
And I’m going to make this salsa verde this weekend… Can’t wait!
Hello! I’m a new working mom so having to break my canning projects into smaller segments to do over a few days time. For this recipe would you recommend adding the lime juice and reheating just before processing or adding everything the day before and just reheating prior to processing? Does it matter? Thank you!
I’d combine everything one day and then reheat the next day and can.
Am I supposed to put all the juices that roast out into the food processor as well?
yes.
Just made this last weekend. A great recipe. it made a little more than I planned, but that is not a bad thing! I used smoked salt and the flavor was incredible.
Could you sub Hatch chilies for the Jalapeno? We’ve got them everywhere right now!
Yes, as long as you don’t exceed the volume the recipe calls for.
Can half pint jars be used instead of pint jars, and is the water bath processing time the same if so? Thanks!
Yes. It’s find to use half pint jars. The processing time stays the same.
Would love to put this into quart jars for bigger meals. Any suggestion for the processing time.
Typically you increase the processing time by 5-10 minutes when you increase jar size.
Salsa verde blended with an avocado and a giant handful of fresh cilantro is my favorite all-purpose Mexican-ish topping!
Sounds delicious!
I know the receipt call for certain amount of chiles, but if you like your salsa hotter, can we increase the amount of chiles
You don’t want to increase the amount of chiles too much, as that could alter the acidity.
We planted some of these tomatoes. We are not sure how big they get. When should we pick them?
I can’t wait to make the sause.
You pick tomatillos when the fruit grows to fill the husk.
This looks great, but finding or growing tomatillos in my area are both out of the question. Could I swap in green tomatoes in place of the tomatillos?
Tomatillos are typically more acidic than tomatoes, so I would add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid per pint of salsa, just to be safe.
The link you have to this recipe is broken. Was the recipe updated, do you know?
I have updated the links in this post. Here’s the recipe: https://www.freshpreserving.com/blog?cid=roasted-salsa-verde
Can I add avocados to the recipe. Looking for a tomatillo/avocado salsa for canning
No. Avocados are not safe for canning.
I LOVE the short half pint jars. I have several dozen, Ball and Kerr. The Ball Corp. needs to bring these back. Nostalgia is what keeps people buying their products. In this time of inflation, more people are looking for ways to spread their food dollars, not just young people, but many others. Making it look more appealing for them is important. I no longer give away my “short” jars, as I consider them a treasure.
Many people are starting to have a renewed interest in “putting up” food. Use that to your benefit.
Thank you for listening.
Those wide mouth half pint jars are still available. They are only sold under the Kerr brand label.
Is there any reason to de-seed the peppers? We like things hot.
There’s no safety reason to remove the seeds. Some people just find them to be bitter.