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Friday, July 27, 2012

Canning Homemade Rotel


I buy and use cans of Rotel by the dozen... so when blog reader, Kerry, shared a recipe for canning homemade Rotel, I had to do it... This delicious mixture of tomatoes, onions and peppers is so versatile, it'll be great to have on hand for adding to soups, mixing with cheese for dip, casseroles, tacos, and more...

Here's what I did...

I cored, peeled and chopped...

One gallon of tomatoes...


2 large bell peppers (I had some orange and yellow in my freezer, any color will work)

1 onion, diced

8 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (if you desire a hotter mixture, leave the seeds and ribs in the jalapenos, or you can use a hotter pepper, if you want it milder, add fewer, or leave them out entirely)


I mixed all the chopped veggies in a large stainless steel saucepan and added...

3/4 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar... white vinegar would work too)


1/4 cup sugar


And 1-1/2 Tablespoons canning salt


I brought the colorful mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduced the heat and simmered it for 45 minutes.

(Meanwhile, I washed, sterilized, and heated my pint canning jars and put my lids on to simmer)


To each hot pint jar, I added a teaspoon of lemon juice.


And filled the jars with the mixture, leaving a half-inch headspace.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth and tightened the hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

Then I processed the pint jars in a boiling water bath (ensuring the jars were completely covered with water and bringing the water to a boil) for 15 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter, and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool...

And to listen for the musical sound of the PING of each successfully sealed jar!


This recipe makes 8-10 pints of Rotel.

For a printable copy of the recipe, click here.

54 comments:

  1. Ro-Tel is not a common ingredient in my area. In fact, when I started seeing recipes on line, I had to google it to find out what it was! Since we can't buy it in the stores in my town, I'm very glad to have this recipe. It will be nice to give some of those recipes I see on Pinterest a try. :) I'll be sharing a link to this post on my FB page today. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks B! Ro-Tel is a brand name... but it's such a long title to call it Canning Tomato, Onion, Pepper Combo! LOL! Thanks for sharing!

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    2. I can this and call it TOPS, lol. Love it.

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    3. I was always told when you add onions or peppers or other veggies to tomatoes , it is not safe to water bath can them only pressure canning these

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    4. Deborah, the reason I believe you can 'water bath' this product is because it's considered 'low acidic'. We successfully have water bathed MANY tomato products.

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    6. and you are adding salt, ACV and lemon which are all preservatives!

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  2. I am SO GLAD you posted this! Two days ago I was frustrated that I couldn't find the chiles they put in Rotel and refused to buy the canned stuff from the shelf. I was so disappointed not to be able to make what I wanted...and now I can! (pun intended =)) Thank you!

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  3. How many pounds of tomatoes would you say you used? Sorry, can't wrap my head around how much a gallon would be! :) Thanks so much, you're blog has been so helpful to me.

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    1. I would say about 12-13 pounds... I used about half a 25 pound box. ~~Granny

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    2. 4 qts to a gallon, 4 Cups to a quart. 16 C

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    3. Gallon is a liquid measurement, tomatoes in a box are a dry measurement... different. A liquid cup is -8oz, a dry cup is 16oz. So, 12-13 dry lbs are 12-13 dry cups... in this case or 192-208 oz in weight. I'd stick to weighing them instead of putting it in cups... it'll be a lot more accurate.

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  4. Hi Pamela! Thanks for sharing your wealth of experience and information with us! Can't wait to try this recipe! Blessings from Bama!

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  5. Original Ro-Tel has no onions in it. I know, I couldn't believe it either, so I read the label. It's just tomatoes and chopped green chilis, plus a little salt & vinegar.
    Sandi

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    1. Sandi, Who knew, right?!? If you want to make it completely "authentic" I'm sure it would be fine to leave out the onions. ~~Granny

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  6. First off, I just found your blog a few days ago and I am SO happy I did! I've been wanting to learn to can for a few years, but reading your blog makes me feel a lot more confidant :) The full extent of my canning experience is making a very large batch of choke cherry jam with my grandfather when I was about 12. It was so much fun, and I wish he was still around today to help me really learn how to do this.

    Second, I am a huge Ro-Tel fan! It almost never goes on sale anymore in my neck of the woods. Have you tried any of the seasoned varieties? I love the "Chili Fixin's" one and also the "Lime". Might be a fun variation to try!

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    1. Thanks for reading Lindsey... I've tried a few varieties of Ro-Tel... Hmmm... makes me wanna go can some more, hadn't thought about my own varieties... Yummy! ~~Granny

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  7. Do you measure tomatoes before or after chopping?

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  8. Do you absolutely NEED to add the sugar?

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    1. No not absolutely. ~~Granny

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    2. But it cuts down on the acidity in tomatoes. My grandmother taught me to add a Tblsp. to any dish with tomatoes, but I find that Splenda works just as well.

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  9. Thanks! I just don't want my rotel coming out too sweet. Does it make a huge difference in the flavor? :)

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  10. Can I substitute green chilies and habaneros for the bell peppers and jalapenos? And if I omit the sugar and onions will it change the processing time?

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    1. You certainly may substitute the peppers and omit the onions and sugar, process time should be the same. ~~Granny

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  11. Have you eaten any of this yet? How close is it to the flavor of the Ro-Tel you can buy in the store? (Just thinking about the added onions and bell peppers... Looks healthier, but I'm wondering what impact it would make on my recipes.) Thanks!

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    1. I haven't eaten it after the canning process, but did taste while I was mixing it together... and it is so good! You could leave the onions and bells out if you think it might be a problem, or add other peppers in place of the bells. ~~Granny

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    2. Thanks, I'll try it as is. Can't hurt, I can't see how it would impact the recipes too much... I typically use it for soups or casseroles. This probably just has MORE nutrition. :)

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  12. Thank you so much for sharing your canning recipes and techniques! I am a beginning canner. So far, I have canned 11 pints of tomatoes and 12 pints of Rotel using your blog. Everything worked perfectly. 100% sealing of jars, too!
    I greatly appreciate your blog.

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  13. Thank you for sharing this recipe and your help! I wish you were one of my neighbors! Have a wonderful harvest and thank you again,bless you my new canning friend ;0) Kat

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  14. Hi, I found you via google, and am so glad I did. I have been researching canning for a while and am ready to dive in. May I pin this on my pinterest boards?

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  15. Hello ,I bought a 6lb sack of new mexico chiles ,I boil & blend what I need for salsa & cooking .I would like to can all my chile at once to get it on the shelf.I make a good receipe of straight chile salsa and use it for different dishes .My chile sauce is a smooth finished sauce/salsa -can I pour it in the Jars and pressure can it ?

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  16. Thank you so much for this recipe. I use this in my chili. Amazing!!!

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  17. Hi! I just found your blog! This recipe looks fantastic, but I'm a little paranoid. I just get really nervous about canning recipes I find online, because I'm not sure the acidity to veggie ratio is ok. Did you create this recipe yourself? Has it been tested?

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  18. Do yo have to use the lemon? I have everything else.

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    1. The lemon helps with the acidity... you could use a bit more vinegar instead if you like. ~~Granny

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  19. how do you peel the tomatoes ? cold or put them in boiling water?

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  20. Yay! We’re overflowing with tomatoes and a few peppers…what a genius idea!!

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  21. I cannot wait to try what I have just canned in some recipes! I tasted 1 teaspoon and it was divine! I still had quite a few tomatoes left, green bell peppers and jalapenos out in the garden so I whipped up a batch of this. I was a tad concerned about the sugar and the fact like others stated that this is not the same as rotel in the can. You know what I think it's better! Fresh vegetables from my garden preserved for use over the winter I'll take that any day over canned rotel!

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  22. This is very similar to salsa and you don't need to pressure can salsa.

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  23. Shouldn't you use lime juice since it's a Mexican-style product? Also, I think that since there's peppers in it you should pressure can it

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  24. Love your recipe, I have used this recipe for years and have never had a problem. You Do NOT need to pressure can this, it does have VINEGAR in it and also the tomatoes are acidity. I have never had a problem with the peppers in it. You can also add what you want....garlic, change the peppers to what you like. Thank you for your recipes, Granny!!!

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  25. I love this recipe. This is my first year canning. We have purchased a pressure canner. What would be the timing and pressure to do this that way?

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  26. I'm so confused. I've read you should pressure can because of the low acidic veggies (bell peppers and onions) but I've also read other recipes, like salsa, where you don't have to. Please tell me what is accurate.

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    1. If enough addition acidic ingredients are added, it's safe to water bath. Brings the acidity of the entire recipe up. ~~Granny

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  27. I've seen other rotel recipes that didn't sterilize the jars, is it important that they are hot when you put it in the jars? I did salsa and I did not need to have hot jars.

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    1. I'm old school, I realize the rules have changed about sterilizing jars... but I was taught to sterilize everything, so I do. You do whatever you feel comfortable with. ~~Granny

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  28. Is it ok to prefix your tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions and leave in the fridge until the next day?

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  29. That's what I've been doing but I'm new to canning..

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  30. Did anyone else think the boiling time prior to putting in jars was too long? I ended up with more of a juice than chunks. I would cut that in half at least.

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