Homemade Tomatoes and Green Chilies Canning Recipe – Ro-Tel Style

The tomatoes are in full production and that means another recipe to preserve the taste of the garden – Tomatoes and Green Chilies.

There are so many recipes that call for a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chiles so I figured, since we have tomatoes and peppers ripe in our garden, that is was time to make our own!

Every year we make canned diced tomatoes and fire roasted tomatoes. But we have never added green chilies to the mixture to make our own Ro-tel style tomatoes and green chilies from scratch.

This year our San Marzano and Roma tomatoes have had a stellar year of production. And in order to make sure that we use all that we can from the garden, a new recipe was needed.

That is when we knew that a little research was hot water bath canner.necessary to make sure that we could safely can this recipe using our 

Because tomatoes mixed with peppers causes the pH level to decrease, we knew that we needed to make sure the ratio of tomatoes to peppers was adequate for water bath canning.

The ratio of 12 cups of cut up tomatoes to 1 cup of chopped chili peppers allows the pH to stay in balance in this recipe so that it can be processed in a hot water bath.

The important thing to remember is that it is okay to substitute the type of green chili peppers in this recipe. Just be sure to keep the same quantity of peppers and not add more.

As for the tomatoes, I prefer to cut them larger chunks before processing. If you dice the tomatoes the size of what you see in a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilies, the texture will end up more like a sauce.

After peeling and removing the seeds, cut your paste tomatoes in 4-6 sections, depending on the size of your tomato. As they cook down, they will decrease in size.

Feel free to add additional seasonings if you prefer. The change in dried seasonings will not significantly change the pH level. And of course, you can omit the salt if you prefer.

Homemade Tomatoes and Green Chilies – Ro-Tel Style

INGREDIENTS:

12 cups peeled, deseeded and quartered paste tomatoes

1 cup finely chopped mild green chili peppers (ex. Poblano or Anaheim)

1-2 jalapeno peppers, optional

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

bottled lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Wash, core, peel and deseed tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in 4-6 sections, depending on the size of your tomato. Add the prepared tomatoes to a large stockpot.

2. 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.

3. Add salt, pepper, oregano, and coriander to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. To hot sterilized pint canning jars, add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

*Be sure to adjust processing time based on your altitude.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

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