Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Salsas
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Salsa, once an exotic item for many of us, has now become as common as catsup and mustard on our tables. I found close to 20 different brands of salsa at stores in my town, and that was not even counting the locally produced and locally distributed brands. Even within a single brand of salsa I found different flavors and textures, not to mention hot, medium, and mild versions.
Common salsa ingredients include tomatoes, peppers, onions, salt, vinegar, spices, and garlic. The tomatoes may be in the form of chopped fresh tomatoes, tomato purée, or dried tomatoes. Other ingredients may include tomatillos, corn, or black beans. La Mexicana salsas and some Old El Paso salsas contained preservatives. The other salsas I looked at did not have preservatives. A number of salsas had “natural flavoring” listed as an ingredient. Customer Service Depart-ments from Ortega, Chi-Chi's, Goya, Enrico's, and Fred Imus salsas confirmed that the natural flavors used in their products were not derived from animals. Old El Paso and Taco Bell were unable to guarantee that the natural flavor in their product was not animal-derived. A few brands of salsa contained sugar (sugar in salsa?); these were California Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa, Taco Bell Garden Salsa, and Taco Bell Thick 'n Chunky. Salsas tend to be respectable, nutritionally speaking. Most salsas had between 10 and 20 calories and less than 1 gram of fat in a 2 Tablespoon serving. Sodium content varied 10-fold and ranged from 35 to 390 milligrams per 2 Tablespoons. Salsas contain little protein or fiber. Most had between 0 and 10% of the recommended level of vitamin A and 0 to 20% of the recommended level of vitamin C.
A number of salsas were found to contain organically-produced ingredients. These include Seeds of Change, Hyannis Madness, Whole Foods Black Bean Salsa, Muir Glen Salsas, Enrico's Organics, and New Organics. What can you do with salsa? Besides serving as an accompaniment to tortilla chips, burritos, and tacos, salsa tastes great on baked potatoes, tossed salads, vegetables, and pizzas. Certainly your choice of salsa will be influenced by what tastes good to you — 18 more chunky or more smooth; cilantro or not. We also recommend choosing a variety made with organic ingredients which is fairly low in sodium. Pass the chips!
Products are listed from lowest to highest sodium in a 2 Tablespoon serving. Super salsas are italicized and have 150 milligrams or less of sodium in 2 Tablespoons and contain organically-produced ingredients.
| Salsa | Sodium (milligrams/2 Tbsp) | Organic ingredients |
| Uncle Mike's Northeast of the Border | 35 | no |
| Enrico's Chipotle Salsa | 50 | no |
| Enrico's No Salt Added Salsa | 60 | no |
| Whole Foods Fire Roasted Salsa | 70 | no |
| La Mexicana | 75* | no |
| Enrico's Organics | 80 | yes |
| Green Mountain Gringo | 85 | no |
| Enrico's Salsa | 90 | no |
| Frontera Salsas (except roasted tomato) | 90* | no |
| Hyannis Madness | 90 | yes |
| Timpone's Salsa Muy Rica | 100 | no |
| Newman's Own Salsa | 105 | no |
| New Organics | 118* | yes |
| Whole Foods Corn Salsa | 125 | no |
| Whole Foods Black Bean Salsa | 125 | yes |
| Old El Paso Picante** | 130 | no |
| Ortega Garden Style | 140 | no |
| Chi-Chi's Fiesta | 150 | no |
| Enrico's Roasted Garlic | 150 | no |
| Seeds of Change Sun Dried Tomato | 150 | yes |
| Whole Foods Salsa Verde | 150 | no |
| California Sun-Dried Tomato Salsa | 160 | no |
| Muir Glen Salsas | 165* | yes |
| Fred Imus Southwestern Salsa | 190 | no |
| Whole Foods Salsa | 200 | no |
| Ortega Thick & Chunky | 210 | no |
| Goya Salsa | 220 | no |
| Pace Picante Sauce | 220 | no |
| Pace Thick and Chunky | 220 | no |
| Frontera Roasted Tomato | 230 | no |
| Taco Bell Thick 'n Chunky** | 240 | no |
| Shotgun Willie's Picante | 260 | no |
| Old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky | 270 | no |
| Taco Bell Garden Salsa** | 290 | no |
| Shotgun Willie's Jalapeño | 390 | no |
*Average of several products
**Contains natural flavors which may be animal-derived
