THE Tortilla Factory Salsa Recipe - Best Salsa Recipe. EVER.

The Tortilla Factory Salsa Recipe

The Tortilla Factory Salsa Recipe

I was going to do another Molly’s Money post today, but I’m sorry, this recipe just HAD to be shared. Especially with the Super Bowl being this weekend and all, I NEEDED to share it.

People from my hometown of Herndon, VA (and surrounding areas) will appreciate this post the most, however, once you make this salsa, you too, will be thankful.

Now, this is NOT (READ: this is NOT) my recipe. I’ve mentioned before that my favorite restaurant in the ENTIRE WORLD, like, the ENTIRE WORLD was called The Tortilla Factory. I grew up going to The Tortilla Factory MULTIPLE times a week. One summer, I ate there something like 65 days in a row. Yeah, I loved it that much. Well, sadly, I found out last year (WHILE we were on our honeymoon) that The Tortilla Factory was closing.

I didn’t even get to eat there one last time. 🙁 I cried. Pathetic, I’m aware.

One of the things they were MOST famous for was their SALSA. To say their salsa is good is an understatement. It just needs to be experienced. They made it in house and the recipe was always SUPER secret.

Well, since the restaurant closed last February, the recipe has gotten out there and I got a hold of it. Now, I don’t want The Tortilla Factory police coming after me, so that’s why this is titled the “Fortilla Tactory” salsa recipe. Hehehe 🙂 jk!

So anyway, I made it this week and my life has been changed forever.

Now, it’s going to take a LITTLE bit of tweaking as the first batch I made is not EXACTLY how the salsa tasted, but it was PRETTY dang close (trust me, I knew that salsa like the back of my hand) BUT, I can tell you what I’d do differently next time.

So, below is the recipe as I received it, and in grey parentheses I have told you what I would do differently to get it SPOT on next time.

But trust me, it is good. You’ll never want to eat another salsa again. Seriously.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 clove of minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper – (I used this amount and it has a great amount of spice, BUT you can use more or less depending on how dangerous you feel)
  • 2 tsp. Mexican oregano – (You can find Mexican oregano at Harris Teeter or any “nicer” grocery store like Whole Foods or whathaveyou)
  • 2 tsp. salt/to taste
  • 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
  • 1-3 oz. coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use avocado oil)

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender or food processor (I used a blender) blend all the ingredients until you achieve a smooth consistency.

DO NOT try to eat this salsa right away. It is 100,000,000 times better when it sits in the fridge over night. It’s even BETTER on day two. If you try and eat it right away all you are going to taste is vinegar. It also gets a little spicier the longer it sits. Remember to stir and mix the salsa up every time you take it out of the fridge to eat it as the oil and vinegar condense.

Enjoy! Trust me, you’ll thank me later.

Now, if I can only figure out the chicken chimichanga and fajita marinade recipes…

What about you? Are you a Tortilla Factory fan? Let me know if you try this recipe and if you make any tweaks to it!

59 Comments

  2. Any chance you could point someone in the direction of the non recipe for the TF salsa avocado? I moved to nashville years ago and was very sad when they closed and have watched for years for a leak of a recipe and have yet to find it or any inkling if something similar.

    Reply

  4. I have been making gallons of this over the last few years. Here is what I have learned. 1) 1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz, not 29). I use 1/2 a small white onion, 2 large cloves of garlic, I use 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. The rest of the ingredients are the same.
    Blend everything smooth EXCEPT the cilantro. Once it is smooth, add the cilantro and pulse a couple of times. You should be able to see flecks of green in the salsa.
    fully agree that letting it rest overnight is the best way to go.

    Reply

        1. I’ve also made this salsa, numerous times. I’m convinced the Mexican oregano is the key to success! Thank you for the recipe leak 😉

          Reply
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  7. Can I ask what brand of crushed tomatoes you use? Also, can I clarify that you actually use “crushed”, not diced or chopped or whole canned tomatoes? The kind I used seems to taste & has a thicker consistency of a tomato “sauce” like for spaghetti w/a hint of sweetness, but the can ingredient list is only “tomatoes”. When I made it the flavor is close but I seem to remember the Tortilla Factory salsa to be thinner consistency? I also grew up eating there since 1982ish & my mom waitressed there in the late 90’s until 2008. You & your family may have even been one of her regulars, she had a lot of them 😉 For the record, she doesn’t have the recipe either! We LOVED TF!!

    Reply

  8. Was a long-time resident of Reston, Va. When they were still open, I was able to almost duplicate their salsa recipe. It’s really close to yours but I used regular oregano and didn’t process the red onion, used 1 tbsp. of everything but salt. Sure miss the TF!

    Reply

  10. We finally found mexican oregano (which is NOT related to Mediterranean oregano) but had some issues. The color came out brown which I think is from pver-blending up the oil, vinegar, cilantro and spices first. Its a bit more peppery than I remember, next time I will back off. Finally I put two Tbs of mex oregano, but I know I flubbed that.

    Thanks, this is so very much appreciated, I am a TF fan who moved away.

    Anyone have any leads on TF’s fajitas and chicken mole recipes?

    Reply

    1. I’m pretty sure the fajitas were just marinated in the salsa! I worked at TF for a couple of years in High School

      Reply
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  12. Thank you for sharing this! I love Tortilla Factory “TF” and truly miss it. I do want to ask you and anyone else who reads this…does anyone know (or have a good idea) of Tortilla Factory’s recipe for the chicken taco filling? I have struggled to duplicate it….seemingly lacking enough peppers (not sure which kind) and tomatoes (canned? or fresh?). I would appreciate ideas! Many thanks!

    Reply

  13. I’ve eaten at the Tortilla Factory since 1978, and I was sure I’d never taste that fantastic salsa again. Thanks to you, I am in salsa heaven again! I recently gave a pint of your salsa and a bag of chips to each of my college roommates, as we ate there many times throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and 2010’s. They all loved it and declared it a perfect replica. Thanks for bringing back the memories! I now make a batch at least once a week!
    Seriously, thank you!

    Reply

  14. OMG Molly, I love you. I started going there in 1978 when I worked a the USGS. I flew out of Dulles last January and took my son, his wife, and boyfriend there as a goodbye meal. Little did I know it was a Tortilla Factory goodby meal. I went back a month or so later only find they had closed. I searched everywhere to see if closely guarded salsa recipe had been posted by a disgruntled employee to no avail. I will make it this weekend. Now, if I could only make a beef taco salad like they did …

    Reply

  16. My favorite Mexican restaurant was Chi Chi’s and it closed ages ago. It had an amazing salsa. Sigh…..anyway, I have this sitting in my fridge melding, waiting, with high hopes……for tomorrow I shall hastily rip open the tortilla bag and ingest! Thanks!

    Reply

  19. Molly I’m so happy you found this recipe and posted it! I was distraught over tortilla factory closing. Now when I go home I never know where to go to eat haha. I can’t wait to make this and reminisce about all the good times I had there!

    Reply

  24. I love love love Mexican food–and I can’t wait to try this recipe out. It’s the WORST when your fav restaurants close, but at least you got something good (a recipe!) out of it!

    Reply

  26. You’re my hero. For real. I was seriously devastated when Tortilla Factory closed. I had heard that they were releasing the recipe but I never found it! I’m sharing this with everyone I know. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

    Reply

  27. Yummm….I love a good salsa. Heck I love a mediocre salsa. 😉 My hubby just made guacamole for the first time the other day and I’m HOOKED. SO, so good. There is some waiting in our fridge for me at lunch time. *drool*

    Reply

  28. I’ve never been to Tortilla Factory, but I’m always up for trying anything in the Mexican food genre! And salsa is the top of that list…can’t wait to try this one, Molly!

    Reply

  30. That sounds delicious. I love homemade salsalsa, and I bet your right it probably does taste better after a day or two when everything has marinated together, which means its perfect for a party because you can make it ahead of time!

    Reply

  31. I’m sad that your favorite restaurant is closing! I’m sorry to say I’ve never heard of it! However, I’m very intrigued by this awesome salsa recipe! I might have to try it!
    ~Jessica

    Reply

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