easy blender salsa

prep: 5 MINUTES | total: 5 MINUTES | makes ABOUT 6 CUPS

When I say easy, I mean easy. All you need to do is throw all the ingredients in the blender and you’ll have salsa that’s every bit as good as at your favorite Mexican restaurant—and way better than anything you can buy at the store (which, let’s be honest, is never as fresh or tasty as you want it to be). Our tradition is to blend up a batch on Sundays after church so we can munch on chips while we watch football, and then we have leftovers for the week to spoon on quesadillas, tacos, and even eggs. Don’t worry about this recipe making a lot of salsa—it will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days—but you’ll be surprised at how quickly it goes!

2 (10-ounce) cans Ro*Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies with juices

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, slightly drained

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ cup packed fresh cilantro

½ cup chopped white onion

Juice of 1 large lime

1 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (see Note) or 1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine the Ro*Tel tomatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, onion, lime juice, chipotle in adobo sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Season with additional salt, if desired.

NOTE: We use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce a lot in our cooking because we love the mild spice and deep, smoky flavor of the sauce. Since this recipe only calls for one pepper, for mild salsa (or more, depending on how spicy you like your food), you can freeze any remaining peppers and sauce. Just remove them from the can and transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. For this recipe, you could also use a chopped jalapeño.

How to Tell If Your Avocados Are Ripe

One of the most important tips I have for making the best guacamole possible is using perfectly ripe (but not overripe!) avocados. Here’s a mini avocado ripeness guide:

image The skin of a ripe avocado will be dark green to purplish brown.

image Peel back the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado—if it comes off easily and is green underneath, the avocado is ripe and ready to eat. If the stem doesn’t come off, it isn’t ripe yet, and if it’s brown underneath, it’s overripe.

image Press down on the avocado with your thumb. A ripe one will have a little give instead of feeling rock solid. If your thumbprint stays indented, it’s overripe.

Other tips:

image You can ripen hard avocados at home: Place them in a brown paper bag with bananas and close the bag. Store at room temperature for about 2 days, when the avocados should be ripe.

image If your avocados are ripening too quickly, store them in the refrigerator.

image To keep avocados from browning once they’ve been sliced, sprinkle with lime or lemon juice. You could also press plastic wrap against a cut avocado (or against the surface of guacamole) to prevent oxygen exposure, which is what causes browning.