Monday, November 30, 2015

Salsa Fresca - A La Casita Restaurant Copy-Cat Recipe

Try this addictive salsa recipe inspired from the restaurant called La Casita, in Springville Utah.

La Casita is famous for their Salsa Fresca. Customers take it home by the quart.

It is quite tomato-y and hot, with visible cubes of white onion in it. I have not tasted garlic in it and it isn't in their description, so I don't think La Casita uses it here.

I recreated their salsa at home, since I do not have access to the restaurant anymore. Tis is a simple reipe, yet a lot of people find this salsa addictive. Try it and see what you think!


See this post about La Casita and a recipe for their chicken salad: http://kitchencheetahs.blogspot.com/2015/05/copy-cat-la-casita-chicken-salad.html


La Casita Salsa Fresca Copy Cat Recipe:

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. minced white onion
1 t. sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 t. hot pepper flakes, to taste
1 tomato, diced
1 yellow chili, minced (or green)
1 t. fresh cilantro leaves, minced


Method:

Mince the onions and chili pepper in a food processor. Quarter the tomato and add to the food processor, pulse until chopped. Add the cilantro and pulse.

Add the seasonings and canned tomato. Pulse just to barely chop.

Check for seasoning. Eat immediately or chill before serving.

This is best the day that it is made.


Enjoy,

Leila.

8 comments:

  1. Our La Casita in MN has chose carrots in it too , omg , sooooo good ,can’t wait to try this recipe

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    Replies
    1. I wonder if the Utah restaurant has any ties to MN? I hope you enjoy this recipe.

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  2. I am in MN, too, and love their salsa. In Columbia Heights I have not noticed any carrots in their sals. I did a batch with a bit of diced carrots and it was a little too crunchy for me. I tried this with 4-5 variations to see what would happen. All diced tomatoes instead of canned? Excellent, but not as saucy as the original. Jalepeno in addition to the red pepper flakes? Tasty. This is a mild salsa and I did not find the pepper flake, OR the jalepeno to add too much heat. Use 1/2 the salt? Do it. I am salt sensitive. Someone at dinner said they wanted more salt. To each their own.

    The suggestion I think made the most difference? I used boxed diced tomatoes instead of canned. The canned carried over the slightest metallic taste. I may have noticed only because another copy-cat recipe page mentioned the taste, but using the boxed tomatoes seemed fancy and had no metallic taste at all.

    I will say, in the end, that this recipe nails the La Casita recipe. Adjust for salt or heat preferences, but this one is right on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, where I imitated the Utah LaCasita version. I agree about canned tomato tasting metallic, so good idea to use boxed.

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    2. I go to the Columbia Heights La Casita often. They now have a salsa bar where you pick your own free salsa and serve yourself chips. I suppose it cuts down on wait staff duties. I have not made this recipe since I grow my own tomatoes, cilantro and jalapenos and make pico de gallo regularly. I like the chunkier style, but if that ever changes I know where to go to find a salsa recipe. This page is way better than the 100's of recipe web sites out there. They are so full of ads that a recipe is impossible to follow on my iPhone! Thanks for posting!

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  3. The La Casita in Springville, Utah also uses Hunts stewed tomatoes and white pepper in their recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to know. And how did you learn this? I will try your suggestions, as I always work on improving my recipes. I really want the Springville Lacasita’s recipe for Machaca (shredded beef cooked with tomato, onion, and peppers). Ideas?

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    ReplyDelete