Fresh Garden-Veggie Pico de Gallo in Minutes!

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!  

Fresh pico de gallo in minutes using fresh garden vegetables. Ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. ENJOY your veggies! #TexasHomesteader

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What Is Pico de Gallo?

RancherMan & I love pico de gallo. (pronounced peek-o-day-GUY-o) It’s a zesty mix of tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapenos. And it’s one of our favorite ways to enjoy garden veggies. 

Garden vegetables - onion, garlic, jalapenos. #TexasHomesteader

Growing A Salsa Garden

This year RancherMan even 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!)  

Cilantro with white flowers going to seed coriander. #TexasHomesteader

What Goes With Pico de Gallo?

I like to use pico de gallo as a flavor punch for Tex-Mex Dishes. But it’s a great snack too. 

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? 

Preparing Pico De Gallo Ingredients

We’ve found removing most of the seeds from the tomatoes makes the pico de gallo less watery. 

And roma tomatoes offer a thicker result than slicing tomatoes too. 

Roma tomato fresh from our NE Texas vegetable garden. #TexasHomesteader

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 pico-de-gallo-weapon: our *pico de gallo chopper.  

Fresh pico de gallo in minutes using fresh garden vegetables. Ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. ENJOY your veggies! #TexasHomesteader

He roughly quarters the peeled onion and tosses it into the chopper. Then we toss the de-seeded tomato quarters 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. 

Taking seeds out of a fresh jalapeno to reduce the spiciness. #TexasHomesteader

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

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. 

Fresh pico de gallo in minutes using fresh garden vegetables. Ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. ENJOY your veggies! #TexasHomesteader

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 also 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. 

Fresh pico de gallo in minutes using fresh garden vegetables. Ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. ENJOY your veggies! #TexasHomesteader

These curved blades work 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!

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.

Of course you don’t need a pico de gallo chopper to enjoy it – just get out a sharp knife and cutting board & get busy. 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!

Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo uses fresh chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. #TexasHomesteader
5 from 1 vote
Print

Fresh Vegetable Pico de Gallo Recipe

A quick & easy, DELICIOUS way to enjoy your veggies!  Homemade pico de gallo made in just minutes using garden vegetables such as tomato, onion, garlic & jalapeno.  Bon Apetit! #TexasHomesteader

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican, TexMex
Keyword appetizer, Cilantro, garlic, onions, tomatoes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

  • 4 medium tomatoes , quartered (remove most seeds)
  • 1 small white onion , peeled & quartered
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 jalapeno (deseeded if less heat desired)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro , coarsely chopped
  • squeezed juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions

  1. Quarter fresh tomatoes and remove seed section. Quarter onion. Peel garlic clove & de-seed jalapeno (if desired). Loosely chop cilantro.

  2. Add all ingredients to pico chopper. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over ingredients & place lid on chopper. Turn handle until ingredients are thoroughly chopped & mixed. (Optional - chop all ingredients with sharp knife instead)

  3. Pour ingredients into serving dish, garnish with cilantro and enjoy cold!

~TxH~

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Tagged in A list of our simple homemade condiment recipes. #TexasHomesteader  A list of our posts about cooking with the garden's harvest. #TexasHomesteader  All our posts about healthy vegetables. #TexasHomesteader  Our best snacks recipes. #TexasHomesteader  

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7 thoughts on “Fresh Garden-Veggie Pico de Gallo in Minutes!

  1. Rosie (@greenrosielife)

    Mmmm – that looks good …. I Just need a few more tomatoes to ripen and I’ll be giving this a go. #Wastelesswednesday

    Reply
  2. Kate Hollingsworth

    Hi Tammy, I’ve never heard of Pico de Gallo but this looks delish! Do I eat it by itself like a salad or do I use it as a garnish like salsa? xx

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Pronounced pi.ko.deˈɡa.yo – this delightful mixture is like a mexican-food salsa or condiment. (or delicious as a dip when you have tortilla chips) We use it on our tacos, burritos and always stir it into mexican rice or refried beans. And, I’ve started using it mixed into the yolks when I make deviled eggs. Delish! ~TxH~

      Reply
  3. Sue @ Frugal Gifts 2 give

    5 stars
    This looks very fresh! I pinned it to try out this recipe! Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  4. Debra

    Sounds very light and delicious! My husband loves his garden and makes his wonderful version of Pico de Gallo. I will definitely look into the chopper!

    Reply
  5. Margy

    I make something similar, except I have to do it the old fashioned way with a knife here at the cabin. This year I planted a jalapeno pepper plant in addition to my Anaheim chili for a little extra jest, and some cilantro so I don’t have to buy a bunch and let the rest go to waste. I was too late to get my garlic in this year, but have high hopes for my Roma tomato plants growing in large pots. – Margy

    Reply
    1. Sondra Langle

      Tammy
      Your chopper would work wonders for berry salsa. I don’t measure ingredients and only use what I need for amount of servings. If for a crowd, probably the whole container of each berry. Strawberry
      Blackberry blueberry raspberry any other berry you can find. Put them in the chopper. Couple turns will do it. May need a little sugar. It’s great

      Reply

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