Pappasito’s Salsa Easy Copycat Recipe

Transform your kitchen into a Tex-Mex paradise with this incredible Pappasito’s salsa that captures the restaurant’s signature roasted flavor in every bite. Unlike typical fresh salsas, this recipe uses a unique pan-roasting technique that caramelizes vegetables to create deeper, more complex flavors with just the right balance of heat and flavor.

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Why This Recipe Works

The magic of this salsa lies in the pan-roasting technique, which caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables, creating a deeper, more complex flavor profile than raw salsas. The combination of poblano and jalapeño peppers provides layered heat, while the unusual addition of celery salt and oregano gives this salsa its distinctive restaurant taste. Roasting concentrates flavors and reduces water content, resulting in a salsa that won’t make your chips soggy.

The Origins of This Salsa

The recipe below is inspired by the salsa served at Pappasitos Cantina restaurants. Pappasitos Cantina has multiple locations throughout Texas and Georgia, serving freshly made food since 1976. The chain is well-loved by many locals.

It is a favorite stop for visitors seeking quality and authentic Mexican and Southwest dishes. But not everyone is lucky enough to live near a Pappasitos Cantina. Now, no matter where you live, you can experience the one-of-a-kind taste of the famous Pappasitos salsa any time you want when you make this homemade salsa version of the original.

Ingredients

For the Roasted Vegetables:

• Fresh jalapeño pepper – Provides bright heat and fresh pepper flavor
• Fresh poblano pepper – Adds mild, earthy heat with rich pepper taste
• Roma tomatoes – Dense flesh holds up well during roasting and won’t water down the salsa
• White onion – Becomes sweet and mellow when roasted, balancing the heat

For the Seasoning Blend:

• Celery salt – Unique ingredient that adds savory depth and subtle celery flavor
• Garlic salt – Provides garlic flavor and additional seasoning
• Ground black pepper – Adds warmth and complements the other seasonings
• Sugar – Balances acidity and enhances natural vegetable sweetness
• Dried oregano – Brings earthy, slightly floral notes that enhance the Mexican flavors
• Fresh cilantro – Adds bright, fresh herbaceous flavor that lightens the roasted vegetables
• Water – Controls consistency and helps blend ingredients smoothly

How to Make Pappasito’s Salsa

1. Place chopped poblano and jalapeno peppers in a moderately hot skillet that has been sprayed with cooking oil or cooking spray.
2. Cook and stir the peppers until the skins have turned dark on many sides.
3. Add tomatoes and brown them on several sides until the skins have turned dark brown.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat.
5. Put the onion in the hot skillet and stir.
6. In a food processor, add celery salt, oregano, cilantro, sugar, garlic salt, and black pepper.
7. Pour peppers, onions, and tomatoes into the food processor.

8. Pulse, adding water a little at a time, just enough to chop to a medium consistency but not to a smooth paste.
9. Transfer salsa from the processor to a skillet over medium-high heat.
10. Cook and stir for 3 minutes.
11. Serve hot.

Tips For Making Pappasito’s Salsa

• Always use the freshest ingredients available. Canned tomatoes may be acceptable for other salsa recipes, but not in this one. Ripe tomatoes have a dense flesh that won’t water down your salsa and hold up well during the roasting process.
• Be careful when cutting the jalapeno pepper. If you are particularly sensitive to peppers, wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after handling. Remove the seeds and any white bits with your fingers. With a sharp knife, trim the top layer of the inside of the pepper to tame its spiciness.
• Use a vegetable cutter. Not everyone has a food processor or prefers a smoother salsa. Instead of chopping everything by hand, use a vegetable chopper with the smallest dice attachment. It only takes a few minutes, and you won’t have to worry about turning your salsa into a puree.
• Perhaps the best way to enjoy the unique taste of this cooked salsa recipe is to serve it slightly warm alongside a bowl of freshly made tortilla chips. But this salsa is so good that you will want to add it to everything from hamburgers to scrambled eggs.

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