by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I make fresh pico de gallo in minutes using fresh garden vegetables such as ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. Go ahead, ENJOY eating your vegetables!  

(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)

What Is Pico de Gallo?

RancherMan & I love pico de gallo. (pronounced peek-o-de-GUY-o) It’s a zesty mix of fresh garden vegetables: tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapenos.

Truth be told it’s one of our favorite ways to enjoy garden veggies. 

Growing A Salsa Garden

This year RancherMan requested that I plant a pico de gallo garden to assure we can enjoy that culinary delight whenever we like. I was, of course, happy to oblige him!

• • • Onions

    • Garlic

    • Jalapenos 

    • Paste Tomatoes

    • Cilantro  (plus cilantro also Makes Coriander, so it’s a double-duty garden choice!)  

Recently we were invited to a family cookout so we told them we’d bring fresh homemade pico de gallo. 

You’re not gonna believe how quickly it all comes together! 

How To Make Homemade Pico de Gallo

RancherMan’s recipe for a batch of homemade pico de gallo is simple:

• • • 4 roma-styled tomatoes,

    • 1 small onion,

    • 1 clove of garlic,

    • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro,

    • 1/2 of a jalapeno

    • Juice from 1/2 lime 

Although the quantities above are for a single batch of pico de gallo, more times than not we make multiple batches at one time. Why not have some in the fridge to enjoy ourselves? 

What Kind of Tomatoes Are Best For Pico De Gallo?

Roma tomatoes offer a thicker less watery result than using slicing tomatoes. 

We’ve found removing most of the seeds & membranes from the tomatoes also makes the pico less watery. 

Deseeding Tomatoes

RancherMan quarters the tomatoes and I help him remove most of the seeds. I prefer to do this with clean hands instead of trying to use a knife to cut the seed section away.

So I hold the tomato & with my thumbs sweep the seed section into my compost bucket. (I’m pretty sure that’s where all my compost volunteer plants come from!  LOL)

While deseeding the tomatoes I’m not too worried about getting every last seed, so this step doesn’t take long.

Easier Vegetable Chopping Device

Ugh! All that chopping & mixing of fresh vegetables. Isn’t that gonna take lots of time? And more importantly, isn’t that gonna make a big, juicy mess?

Nope. Hang onto your seats, folks.

RancherMan makes a batch of pico de gallo in about 3 minutes.

No, really!

Then we bring out the secret weapon: our *pico de gallo chopper.  

He roughly quarters the peeled onion and tosses it into the chopper. Then we toss the de-seeded tomatoes in as well.

He follows that with coarsely chopped fresh cilantro & a jalapeno sliced in half.

If you like your food spicy, don’t remove the seeds. It’s the seeds and membranes that hold the most spiciness in a jalapeno.

But if you want a milder pico de gallo you can quickly remove the seeds and membranes of the jalapeno. 

Then RancherMan tosses in a peeled clove of garlic. Finally he gives the whole thing a hefty squeeze of lime juice.

Easiest. Pico de Gallo. EVER!

Now comes the magic part, y’all.  He snaps the lid onto our pico maker and with a couple of turns of the handle…  BOOM!  Everything is perfectly chopped & mixed. We just dump it into a serving bowl and we’re ready to go. 

Now I know I sound like an infomercial here but DANG we love this chopper! RancherMan just made fresh pico in about 3 minutes!

The Chopper Blade Makes The Difference

We’ve found there are many chopper imitations out there now. But most have differently shaped blades

We’ve tried others when we picked ’em up at garage sales for cheap. But we weren’t happy with the results.

Personally, I think the shape of the blade is the key. 

These curved blades work significantly better in our opinion than the squared serrated blades in many of the models out there today.

We have this *pico de gallo chopper and LOVE IT!

What Goes With Pico de Gallo?

I like to use pico de gallo as a flavor punch for Tex-Mex Dishes. You can see all our TexMex faves by tapping the button below:

So slather it onto your favorite savory dishes but it’s a great snack too. 

• • • Pico de gallo is a delicious snack scooped up with a Homemade Baked Pita Chip or tortilla chip.

    • Kick it up a notch with Spicy Pico de Gallo Deviled Eggs

    • Spoon some on top of Pulled Pork Enchiladas

    • Add to servings of Enchilada Casserole

    • Spoon a little onto Low-Carb Taco-Stuffed Peppers

Really, the flavor profile of a blend of tomato/onion/garlic goes with just about any savory dish. 

Enjoy Your Homemade Pico de Gallo

So if we’re gonna eat our veggies, why not enjoy them? This pico is a healthy way of enjoying that home-grown goodness. It’s delicious and a healthy way to actually ENJOY eating your vegetables!

Did you make this Pico de Gallo? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

~TxH~

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Snacks We Love

Crackers

• Homemade Honey-Graham Crackers
• Rosemary Crackers w/Olive Oil & Garlic
• MYO Pita Chips Using Flour Tortillas

Dips

• Fresh Pico de Gallo
• Homemade Hummus

Sweet Dessert Breads

• Pumpkin Bread (with Cake-Mix Shortcut)
• Cantaloupe Bread w/Pecan Praline Glaze

Cake

• Fresh Pear Cake
• Easy Blueberry Muffins

Cookies

• Easiest 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe
• Cake-Mix Cookies – Only 3 Ingredients!
• Double Chocolate Banana Chunk Cookies
• Sugar-Free Chocolate No-Bake Cookies
• Simple Meringue Cookies Using Aquafaba

Ice Cream

• Healthier ‘Ice Cream’ Using Bananas & Fruit
• Easy Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream Cake
• Rich & Creamy Fudgesicles
  

Other Snacks

• Crunchy Savory Roasted Chickpeas
• Rice Krispie Treats With A Chocolate Twist
• Triple Chocolate Truffles
• Getting Your Family To Snack On Healthy Veggies
• Watermelon Smoothie (or Daiquiri)

…And MANY MORE!

See All Recipe Posts

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