Every year, I preserve my own version of Rotel tomatoes. While a quick Google search will yield a plethora of recipes, I aimed to stay as true as possible to the original ingredients found in the can. Many recipes I came across included sugar and various peppers not present in the classic Rotel blend. Although there's nothing wrong with adding your own twist, this time I wanted to keep things simple and stick to the basics.
This recipes seems to be the closet & simplest recipe I have found.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 cups peeled and quartered tomatoes
- 1 cup finely chopped mild green chili peppers (or use canned)
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, optional
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
- bottled lemon juice or citric acid
DIRECTIONS
- Wash and peel tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in 4-6 sections, depending on the size of your tomato. Add the prepared tomatoes to a large stockpot.
- Wash and remove the stem and seeds of the chili peppers and jalapeno (if using). Finely chop the peppers and add them to the tomatoes.
- Add salt, pepper, and cilantro to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To hot sterilized pint canning jars, add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid.
- Pour the hot mixture into each jar, leaving ½” headspace. Run a plastic knife down the sides of each jar to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rim, apply a heated lid and ring.
- Add jars to a water bath canner and process for 40 minutes for pints. Be sure that the water is 2 inches above the tops of the jars and the processing time begins when the jars are at a soft and continuous boil.
- Remove jars from canner using a jar lifter and place on a thick towel. Let cool for at least 12 hours. Check to make sure each jar is sealed and label the jar. Place in a cool, dark area for storage.