This chunky salsa combines colourful bell peppers, red onion and diced tomatoes, cooked down until the sauce clings to the vegetables. A little brown sugar rounds out the tomatoes, while garlic, herbes de Provence and a small pinch of Issou seasoning give it character. Keep the simmer steady and stir more often near the end so the thickening salsa does not catch on the bottom.

It is a cooked vegetable dip with a soft, spoonable texture, rather than a raw tomato salsa. Serve it warm with chips for an appetizer, or chill it for a make-ahead snack. This recipe is based on my YouTube video, with a few adjustments since publication to clarify the weights, heat level and signs of a properly reduced sauce.

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A pepper-forward salsa with a cooked finish

I make it this way because the peppers need time to soften and release their water. The tomatoes then bind everything together as the liquid evaporates. The pieces remain visible, but the sauce should sit on a chip instead of running straight off it.

Herbes de Provence give this version its own flavour. It is my cooked salsa for an appetizer table, not a claim to a traditional raw Mexican preparation. It also has more vegetable pieces than a smooth homemade tomato sauce, which serves a different purpose.

In the video, I serve it with multicoloured vegetable chips. You can pair it with homemade potato chips or waffle-cut vegetable chips. Keep the chips separate until serving so they stay crisp.

Ingredients that control the texture

Use five medium bell peppers in mixed colours, about 1 pound 10 ounces after removing stems, seeds and white ribs. More red, yellow and orange peppers give a sweeter result; green pepper adds a less sweet note. Cut them into roughly ¼-inch pieces so they fit comfortably on a chip.

Two medium red onions, about 10½ ounces peeled, provide the base. Dice them a little finer than the peppers. Mince four garlic cloves. Large garlic chunks would be distracting in a dip, even after the vegetables soften.

The tomato quantity is 2 pounds 3 ounces of canned diced tomatoes, including their juices. Do not drain them: their liquid is what starts the simmer. Use plain tomatoes so the garlic and herbs determine the flavour.

Have 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence ready. Start with ⅛ teaspoon Issou seasoning, 1 teaspoon fine salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. If the canned tomatoes are salted, start with half the salt and adjust after reduction. Issou strength can vary; do not turn the video’s two knife-tip additions into two full spoonfuls.

Cook the salsa in four stages

1. Dice the vegetables before heating the pot

Peel and dice the onions. Cut the seeded peppers into strips, turn the strips and cut across into small cubes. Mince the garlic. Put all the vegetables within reach before starting the stove. This keeps the garlic from cooking unattended while the remaining peppers are still being chopped.

The pieces need not be perfectly identical. What matters is avoiding large pepper strips among very fine onion pieces: the onions would soften long before the peppers lose their crunch.

2. Sweat the onions, peppers and garlic

Add the vegetables and olive oil to a wide, heavy pot. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Lower the heat if the garlic starts colouring. The vegetables should glisten, lose some volume and smell sweet rather than toasted.

I prefer a wide pot because this is a sizeable batch and water needs room to escape. A narrow saucepan traps more moisture and may need a longer reduction. The aim here is to soften the vegetables, not to brown them deeply.

3. Add tomatoes and measured seasoning

Stir in the diced tomatoes and all their juices. Add the salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, brown sugar and small pinch of Issou. Bring to a bubbling simmer, then reduce the heat enough to keep it steady without violent splashing.

Break up any unusually large tomato pieces with the spoon, but leave the peppers intact. This should remain a chunky dip. Unlike a blended cottage cheese taco dip, there is no creamy base here to hide the texture of the vegetables.

4. Reduce until the sauce holds together

Simmer uncovered for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as the liquid reduces. Scrape the bottom and corners with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula. Tomato brands, pot width and burner strength all affect the time.

What I look for is a thick mound on the spoon, with softened peppers and no watery ring appearing immediately around it. A spoon drawn through the pot should leave a brief track before the sauce closes over it. Think loose vegetable jam, not a dry paste.

Taste once reduced. Adjust salt and heat in small amounts. If it becomes too thick, stir in a tablespoon of water at a time. Serve warm, or transfer to shallow containers for prompt refrigeration. It will thicken a little more as it cools.

Balance sweetness without losing the recipe

The brown sugar is part of the video recipe, but the natural sweetness of the peppers and tomatoes varies. Use level, packed tablespoons for a repeatable amount. If you prefer a less sweet dip, start with one tablespoon and add the second only after tasting.

There is no lime juice or vinegar in the original method. The tomatoes supply acidity. A little lime juice can be added to an individual serving if you want a sharper finish, but it is a flavour variation, not a way to make the batch suitable for canning.

The salsa is mostly vegetables, with added oil and sugar spread across a large batch. Its nutritional contribution depends on the portion and the chips served alongside it. A fresh avocado guacamole gives a different, creamy option on the same appetizer table.

Substitutions and heat adjustments

Use any combination of bell pepper colours at the same prepared weight. Yellow onions can replace red onions. Keep the same dice size; swapping the colour does not require changing the cooking method.

If you do not have Issou seasoning, use a tiny pinch of cayenne as a simple heat alternative, or omit the hot seasoning for a mild dip. Cayenne is not an exact copy of the Issou blend. Add less than you think you need, then taste the cooked sauce.

Herbes de Provence should be a dried culinary herb blend. If yours is especially fragrant, begin with 2 teaspoons and add more if needed. For a different hot condiment, homemade pili-pili chili oil can be served separately so each person controls their heat.

Fresh peeled and chopped tomatoes can replace canned tomatoes by the same weight, including their juices. Juicy slicing tomatoes may take longer to reduce. Do not add a large amount of water at the start simply because the raw mixture looks thick.

Questions about this cooked salsa

Why is my salsa still watery after 35 minutes?

The tomatoes may contain more liquid, or the pot may be narrow. Continue simmering uncovered until the spoon test looks right. Raising the heat sharply at the end risks scorching the sugar and garlic underneath the liquid.

Should I blend it?

No blending is needed for the texture in the video. The softened pepper pieces are the point of this preparation. If you prefer a smoother dip, chop smaller before cooking rather than automatically pureeing the finished batch.

How long does it keep?

Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours and use within 2 to 3 days. Freeze portions for up to 2 months for convenient future servings. Thaw in the refrigerator and stir; a little separation after freezing is normal.

Can I preserve it in shelf-stable jars?

This recipe is for refrigerated or frozen storage. It has not been validated for home canning. Its thick consistency and tomato content do not establish safe acidity or a safe processing time.

Serve it beyond the chip bowl

Spoon a little beside crisp cheese quesadillas, or serve it with chicken quesadillas. For a meatier plate, ground beef quesadillas give the salsa something substantial to accompany.

It also works as a spooned topping for fish tacos with cabbage slaw or slow cooker chicken tacos. Keep the portions modest so the tortilla does not become wet. Serve extra salsa separately and let everyone add more.