5 Easy Steps to Make the Best Smoky Salsa

This recipe for smoky salsa is SUPER EASY and is literally the best ever. Quickly throw all the ingredients into your food processor, press on, and serve!

Restaurant style flavor to serve a crowd in under 10 minutes.

What’s so special about smoky salsa? With each bite, you first taste the tomato salsa and then a hint of smoky flavor and spice. Save yourself a trip to the store and impress everyone at the table! I’m always looking for quick cupboard staples I can pull out at a moments notice and this salsa hits the mark every time.

This post is all about smoky salsa!

Healthy Micro Superheroes featured in smoky salsa

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Gut Healthy Ingredients in Smoky Salsa

This salsa combines tomatoes, jalepeno, garlic, cilantro, lime, and apple cider vinegar to bring your gut a host of benefits! The tomatoes are rich in micro superhero bacteria that support your gut health including lactobacillus rhamnosus, bifidobacterium bifidum, and L. reuteri.

Want to know all the details on these micro superheroes? Check out their posts, linked above. Or, click on the Gut Health page to learn more about how the food you eat relates to your physical and mental health!

Salsa Starts with Diced Tomatoes

This salsa starts with two cans of diced tomatoes. Diced tomatoes are a must have staple ingredient and can be added to so many meals including this Mediterranean pasta dish and Instant Pot white bean soup.

Other Recipes with Diced Tomatoes

Where to Find Diced Tomatoes

You can buy organic diced tomatoes at Whole Foods through Amazon for $1.89. Pick up in store, or deliver it right to your door!

You can also find diced tomatoes at basically any other grocery store (including Aldi). Or, buy them in bulk at Costco.

A Salsa Recipe that Benefits Your Gut Health

Your gut health is intertwined into every facet of your body. Doctors have found that how you feel including how much energy you have and your mood is related to your gut health (Gundry, 2021)!

Smoky Tomato Salsa Micro Superheroes

Store bought salsas often have additives and added sugar. Why not make a quick, easy, homemade salsa that is delicious AND leaves you feeling good? Let’s get into some of the science behind the whole ingredients in smoky salsa.

Lactobacillus Rhamnosus a Probiotic

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is part of the genus Lactobacillus, a bacteria that produces lactase (Healthline). You might be thinking, “lactase, that’s got something to do with milk, right?” Well, yes, but it’s also in a lot of other foods including tomatoes.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus is considered a probiotic because when you consume it, it brings positive effects to your health.

Dr. Kait

Walking through any vitamin aisle, you’ll see a gamut of probiotic supplements available for purchase. And, there is mixed evidence on their effectiveness on your gut (Bulsiewicz, 2020; Yan & Polk, 2012). Every probiotic is different in its benefits and how it will interact with the rest of your microbiota. Probiotics’ effects are short lasting, meaning their benefits only last about as long as you are consuming them (Healthline; Bulsiewicz, 2020). 

Moral of the story? Eat foods with probiotics regularly to continue to get their benefits!

Dr. Kait

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L. Reuteri is a Defining Component of a Healthy Gut

L. Reuteri is SUPER IMPORTANT to our overall health. Especially for infants! In fact, it is one of the first micro bacteria to present in our bodies and is found throughout our bodies, from our skin, to our urinary tract, to a mother’s breastmilk (Mu et al., 2018).

Unfortunately, we are increasingly losing L. reuteri strains as we: 

1. consume highly processed foods over whole foods
2. occupy overly sanitized spaces over exposure to natural germs and the outdoor environment
3. take antibiotics regularly rather than very rarely

This is a problem because L. reuteri literally kills the bad guys. After the last two years of pandemic, sanitizing our groceries, isolating our kids and ourselves, it is abundantly clear why killing bad germs is a good idea. Wouldn’t it be great if something could do that inside of our guts? 

Smoky Salsa Recipe with Jalapeño Peppers

Jalapeño peppers have a ton of antioxidants and vitamin C supporting your gut health and helping it fight off free radicals that can create inflammation and disease. High in water, similar to cucumbers, poblano peppers are a nutrient dense vegetable. With a low calorie burden, they pack a good deal of nutritional benefit with little cost. They are an excellent source of healthy carbs, protein, fat, and fiber. Similar to kale and carrots, the antioxidants in bell peppers support healthy eyes. And, as a rich source of vitamin C, they may prevent anemia or low iron levels.

Smoky Salsa Roja

This smoky salsa roja is so easy to put together and can be made in less than 10 minutes. It is basically fool proof!