3 Ways to Eat Salsa Without a Chip

Imagine this: You’re craving salsa, but you’re sick of eating it with tortilla chips. Stay with us here; it happens (we’ve heard it can happen anyway…). Or maybe you’d like nothing more than to tuck into a bowl of chips and salsa for dinner but you know you should probably eat real food or you have loved ones to cook for that can’t get down with your “chips and salsa is totally a meal” style of philosophy. Whatever your reason for seeking another way to eat salsa, this article is for you! These are some of our favorite ways to eat salsa without a chip.

1. Get Rid of the Chips: Use Salsa as an Ingredient

We’ve already published our definitive guide to breakfast burritos, and we’re sure you know how to add salsa to traditional Tex-Mex cuisine like enchiladas and tacos, but there are so many other ways to eat salsa!

Meatloaf

Substitute salsa for the ketchup or tomato pastes in your usual recipe. This adds a little kick to your mom’s traditional meatloaf and seems to be a crowd favorite around a lot of dinner tables.

Tomato Soup

Mix the salsa into heated soup, then add shredded cheese and/or sour cream. Pair your tomato soup with a yummy grilled cheese and settle in to enjoy a comfort food that you will turn to time and time again.

Rice

Substitute salsa for half the water, serve as a side or use this rice as a foundation for a burrito bowl. (You can also mix salsa into cooked riced cauliflower and serve it the same way as rice). This is a budget-friendly way to add some flavor to chicken and rice without having to spend a fortune on herbs and spices.

Slow Cooker Chicken

This one’s fast, easy and delicious—all things we love! Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs, brown them and throw into a slow cooker with salsa and black or pinto beans, cook until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice or with tortillas, add avocado and lime for bonus points. If you like a little heat, we suggest you try our Spicy Habanero Salsa!

2. Salsa As a Topping

This section is the shortest because it’s also more vast than the others. Pretty much anything savory, salty, meaty, fresh, or slightly sweet is even better with salsa on top: chicken, steak, baked potato (red, yellow, sweet, seriously all of them are good). You can even put salsa on a salad and call it a winning meal, especially in the heat of summer.

3. Salsa As a Dip

Maybe you’re just looking for a convenient delivery vehicle to get the salsa from the jar to your mouth. We know the tortilla chip is the most popular way to eat salsa, but if you are looking to shake things up and still dip something into your salsa, we’ve got you covered!

Veggie Chips

If you want a way to eat salsa that’s tortilla-chip-like without being an actual tortilla chip, you can make chips from sweet potatoes, beets, pretty much any root vegetable, or zucchini. Start by slicing your veg of choice into very thin slices, then spraying them with any kind of oil, lightly salting and then baking in the oven at 400⁰ until crisp. Let them cool, then devour with your favorite Sweet Kickin Salsa. This is a healthy way to enjoy salsa without a chip; it is also a great way to use extra veggies from previous meals.

Crudité

Whether you pronounce it correctly (krü-di-ˈtā) or you insist on calling it cru-dite to annoy the people who tried to raise you right, raw veggies and dip are a classic. Serve chopped celery, carrot sticks and cucumber slices with salsa and sour cream on the side—separately or mixed together, salsa and sour cream are a good combo.

Carnivore Crudité

Yes, you read that right (and yes, we just made it up). Crisp fried bacon, steak, salami slices and cheese sticks can also be lined up on a platter with salsas for dipping on the side. As an experiment, try putting one of these plates out next to your veggie platter and see which one disappears faster, just for fun.

We hope you’re inspired by these different ways to eat salsa, and we recommend that everyone also try out the first recipe posted by Sweet Kickin Salsa, our recipe for an evening on the deck. You won’t regret it—and there’s a good chance you’ve made this one before!

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