Enjoy it spooned on pizza, served with grilled chicken, or with a bowl of salty chips. Fresh Basil Tomato Salsa is such a versatile condiment and it's ready in 30 minutes or less.
This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
This easy, homemade Basil Tomato Salsa came into being a few years back when my daughter and I spent most of the summer eating Margherita pizza: a simple, summery combination of fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and loads of garlic (along with mozzarella cheese on a pizza crust.)
We had a hankering for that fresh and irresistible combination all summer long—so much so that we decided to make a salsa out of those flavors.
This tomato basil salsa recipe bears an obvious resemblance to bruschetta topping, but as my daughter wisely pointed out, bruschetta topping is a salsa. True, it doesn't have the typical salsa combination of onions, peppers, and cilantro, but in the most literal of definitions, it fits.
Once we justified this thinking, we proceeded to consume it in a frenzied manner with tortilla chips. And it is so good!
Here's another veggie dish that's dang good: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts With Garlic.
Why you'll love this recipe
This tomato salsa with basil is the perfect way to showcase the freshest produce you can put your hands on, whether from your garden or from the farm stand. And with fresh, minced garlic it's one of the most refreshing salsas ever.
The recipe needs only six ingredients and comes together pretty fast. The flavor is delicious when served immediately, and even better if you have time to let it sit a short time for the flavors to meld.
My tomato salsa recipe with basil in it is really versatile, too: serve it with tortilla chips or crackers as an appetizer, or spoon it over a pizza crust with melted mozzarella cheese.
Serve the salsa with grilled veggies, fish dishes, or grilled chicken. Spoon it over toasted pieces of bread to make a quick bruschetta snack. It's also delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich.
🔪 How to make Fresh Basil Tomato Salsa
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes: Use Roma tomatoes: they have few seeds and pulp
- Basil: Only fresh will do! Get the freshest, most vibrant basil leaves you can find
- Garlic: Three cloves of fresh garlic, to be precise
- Olive Oil: Use good quality, extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper: The finishing touches
Step 1: Dice the tomatoes
Remove the seeds and pulp and slice the tomatoes into small pieces.
Step 2: Slice the basil
Stack the basil leaves and roll them up from the long edge. Run a knife through the leaves to make thin slivers.
Step 3: Mince the garlic
Do this by hand or in a food processor. Just be sure to use fresh garlic, not the bottled stuff.
Step 4: Mix it all together
Stir these three ingredients together with oil, salt, and pepper. Let it sit awhile or if you cannot resist, begin eating it right away!
What's the best tomato for this salsa?
Any fresh tomato will work for salsa, but my favorite type is the Roma tomato. This medium-sized, oblong variety has thick walls, so you get fewer seeds and messy pulp and more diced tomato.
Tips:
- For the best flavor use the freshest ingredients you can find: tomatoes and basil from your garden, the farmer's market, or the best-looking specimens in the produce section. Use fresh cloves of garlic, too.
In addition to tortilla chips, this salsa is also quite good with pita chips or spread over little slices of baguette.
Better still, sprinkle mozzarella over the salsa-topped baguette slices, slip them under the broiler for a minute, and you'll have little mini Margherita pizza bites!
The recipe for Fresh Basil Tomato Salsa is below, and here are more salsa recipes you might wanna try!
💬 How do you like this salsa? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Fresh Basil Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 Roma tomatoes (Regular Romas in the grocery are about 3.5 ounces each. Once seeded and chopped you will have about 4 cups.)
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, removed from the stems, washed and dried
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the seeds and pulp. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and place them in a large bowl.
- Stack 3-4 basil leaves on top of each other. Roll them up from one of the long sides, then slice through the roll horizontally with a knife. Run your knife once or twice through these ribbons of basil, then add them to the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the basil leaves.
- Finely mince the garlic cloves by hand or in a food processor, and add them to the bowl. Add in the oil, salt, and pepper. Gently toss the ingredients together.
- The salsa can be served immediately or allowed to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour for the flavors to meld.
- Serve the salsa with tortilla or pita chips. It can also be served on bite-sized pieces of artisan sourdough or white bread—if desired, sprinkle a little mozzarella or grated Parmesan cheese over the tops and place them under the broiler for about a minute, then serve them immediately.
- Makes about 4 cups of salsa
Notes
- For the best flavor use the freshest ingredients you can find: tomatoes and basil from your garden, the farmer's market, or the best looking specimens in the produce section. Use fresh garlic, too.
- Any fresh tomato will work for salsa, but my favorite type is the Roma tomato. This medium-sized, oblong variety has thick walls, so you get fewer seeds and messy pulp and more diced tomato.
Ruby Winkles
Can you can the salsa?
Nancy Mock
Hi Ruby, I do not recommend canning this salsa: there is no vinegar, lemon juice, or other acids in the recipe, and tomatoes need the addition of some kind of acid in order to be safely canned. Adding an acid, plus the hot water bath process, would also change the flavor of the salsa. Sorry about that, but I do hope you get to enjoy it as a fresh salsa whipped up on the spot!
Bonnie
Hello,
Would this recipe for be able to be preserved?
Nancy Mock
Hi Bonnie, I haven't tried canning this salsa and unfortunately, I don't do enough canning to know if it's a good candidate. (Like, if it's acidic enough, how the basil would hold up, etc.) For now, I hope you get to enjoy some fresh!