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    Home » Recipes » Dips, Sauces, Spreads, and Spices

    DIY Salsa Bar for Easy Summer Entertaining

    Published: Aug 8, 2018 · Modified: Jul 16, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. The following content is intended for readers who are 21 or older. #CelebratorySips #HAVEARITA #CollectiveBias

    An outdoor table spread of four different salsa, two bowls of tortilla chips, and an ice cooler stocked with RITAS

    I think we all have foods or drinks that we closely associate with certain locations or experiences in our lives. The kind of thing where one bite or sip quickly brings up those memories.

    For instance, the Lime-A-Rita I had at an outdoor concert years ago is forever paired in my mind with summer fun with friends. To this day, RITAS are my outdoor concert drink of choice and bring back so many good memories just with the first sip!

    While summer concerts are prime time for drinking RITAS, the new Party Pack makes it easy to keep the good times rolling right in your backyard, on the beach, or wherever your summer entertaining takes you.

    A man outside holding a twelve-pack of RITAs

    What's to love about RITAS

    What I *love* about the RITAS Party Pack is that there's a flavor for everyone. Fan favorites Lime-A-Rita, Straw-Ber-Rita, and Mang-O-Rita join brand new Pine-Apple-Rita in this delicious, fruity assortment.

    Having someone play bartender usually comes with the territory when hosting a party, but there's no need with RITAS! They're the perfect drink to accompany BBQs, parties, and summer get-togethers with friends and are as easy to serve as cracking open a bottle. Truly a hassle-free way to enjoy a juicy flavored drink in a cinch.

    You'll want to act fast to try out the Pine-Apple-Rita flavor because it's available just for the summer! And it's pretty amazing. 🙂

    A hand reaching for a RITA in an ice-filled chest surrounded by bowls of tortilla chips and salsas

    My summer entertaining style is to keep things simple, both with the drinks I serve and the food I make. Since chips and salsa make a wonderfully complementary pairing with RITAS, I set out a DIY salsa bar for my guests to munch on when they grab a RITA.

    All four varieties of these salsas are homemade for a truly customizable salsa experience. The good news is that they're all able to made ahead of time, so you can prep/refrigerate the salsas and clean up the kitchen well in advance of guests arriving.

    Because we all have better things to do in the hours before throwing a party than washing a ton of dishes, right?

    An outdoor table spread of four different salsa, two bowls of tortilla chips, and an ice cooler stocked with RITAS

    Easy summertime entertaining

    This salsa bar features four homemade salsas with varying levels of spiciness. See the notes and recipe card below for tips on how to adjust the spice level to fit your tastes.

    Two of the salsas (roasted poblano salsa verde and smoky adobo salsa) are blended, while the other two (pineapple mango black bean salsa and pico de gallo) are chunky, meaning just like with RITAS, there'll be something for everyone.

    Before guests arrive, just set them out next to a few bowls of chips near the RITAS and your guests have a one-stop-shop for their party eats and drinks.

    A four-image collage of the different types of salsas in white bowls

    Tips and tricks

    • Roast the poblano peppers a day or two in advance, as they'll keep well in the fridge. This is the easy method I use.
    • I used the same food processor for both blended salsas, simply giving the bowl and blade a rinse between batches. This cuts down on the number of dishes to wash.
    • The ingredient list below looks a bit lengthy, but many of the ingredients are repeats between the different salsas (tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper).
    • And of course, serve your chips and salsa bar alongside RITAS! The fruity flavors pair well with the spicy and bold notes in the salsa. This combo is sure to bring a fun and summery vibe to your backyard party.

    Four bowls of different salsas on a table next to a large ceramic serving bowl of tortilla chips

    Four bottles of RITAs (mango, lime, pineapple, and strawberry) in an ice cube-filled hammered metal cooler bucket

    This DIY salsa bar is sure to impress your guests! Featuring four make-ahead homemade salsas, this salsa bar can be customized just to your liking.

    DIY Salsa Bar for Easy Summer Entertaining

    This DIY salsa bar is sure to impress your guests! Featuring four make-ahead homemade salsas, this salsa bar can be customized just to your liking.
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    Course: Dips
    Cuisine: Southwestern
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 20 (estimate)
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    Pico de Gallo:

    • 5 roma tomatoes, diced
    • ½ onion, diced
    • ½ tablespoon diced jalapeño, seeds removed
    • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

    Roasted Poblano Salsa Verde:

    • 2 roasted poblano peppers, roughly chopped
    • 8 tomatillos from a can, drained
    • ½ jalapeño pepper, with seeds (see note)
    • ½ onion, roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

    Smoky Adobo Salsa:

    • 1 14.5-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
    • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
    • ½ onion, roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
    • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

    Pineapple Mango Black Bean Salsa:

    • 1 mango, peeled and diced
    • ½ cup pineapple tidbits, drained well
    • 1 roma tomato, diced
    • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
    • ¼ onion, diced
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • 2 tablespoon diced jalapeño pepper, with the seeds
    • ⅓ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper, or to taste
    • Salt, to taste
    • Ground black pepper, to taste
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    Instructions

    Pico de Gallo:

    • Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.

    Roasted Poblano Salsa Verde:

    • Roast the poblano pepper and let cool (roasting instructions linked in the ingredients list). **This step can be done a day or two ahead of time.**
    • Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Refrigerate until serving.

    Smoky Adobo Salsa:

    • Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Refrigerate until serving.

    Pineapple Mango Black Bean Salsa:

    • Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until serving.

    To serve:

    • Arrange DIY salsa bar next to several bowls of chips. Serve alongside the new RITAS Party Pack for a perfect summer entertaining pairing!

    Notes

    Pico de Gallo: This is pretty mild as written. Omit the jalapeño for no spice, or leave the seeds in (and/or add more jalapeños) if you like this spicy. 
     
    Roasted Poblano Salsa Verde: This is just a little bit spicy from including the jalapeño seeds. The poblanos bring more of a smoky flavor than spice as a jalapeño or serrano pepper would. Leave out the jalapeño seeds if you'd like less of a zip.
     
    Smoky Adobo Salsa: This is fairly spicy, with the spice coming from the chipotle peppers in adobo. Use one pepper instead of two to make this salsa less spicy.
     
    Pineapple Mango Black Bean Salsa: This is spicy. Leave out the jalapeño seeds if you don't want it as spicy, or add more if you like. If you're really into spice, try adding some of a serrano pepper as well.
     
    Recipes yield (approximately):
    18 oz roasted poblano salsa verde
    18 oz smoky adobo salsa
    15 oz spicy pineapple mango black bean salsa
    11 oz pico de gallo
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

    An overhead shot of four bowls of different salsas

     
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