Casa Mamita Small Batch Restaurant Style Salsa

My family likes salsa, but it can be difficult to find store-bought salsa that’s as good as what we get at Mexican restaurants.

One of our favorite store-bought salsas is On the Border mild salsa, available at many regular grocery stores (but not at Aldi). The only problem is that On the Border’s jars are incredibly hard to open when you’re initially breaking the vacuum seal. After years of fighting to open jars and making my hand sore in the process, I finally emailed the company to tell them how much I like their salsa, but the jars are killing my hands. They responded by mailing me a coupon for a free jar of salsa. (Great customer service!) The salsa was tasty, but of course the jar was still crazy hard to open.

So, my husband and I have started looking at other salsa options that won’t give us arthritis.

Casa Mamita Small Batch Salsa

Aldi came through. During the last few years, we’ve seen Aldi branch out from generic jarred salsas to offer some unique and tasty options. The Casa Mamita Small Batch Salsa is one such offering.

Casa Mamita Small Batch Salsa cost $1.79 for a 16-oz. jar at the time of publication. It’s a Regular Buy, which means it’s available all year, and it comes in three varieties: Restaurant Style, Black Bean and Corn, or Pineapple. I purchased the Restaurant Style flavor.

Ingredients for the Restaurant Style salsa are: tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice), crushed tomatoes (water, concentrated crushed tomatoes), jalapeno peppers, onion, cilantro, and less than 2% of salt, sugar, distilled vinegar, spice, garlic, and natural flavor.

Casa Mamita Small Batch Salsa

Casa Mamita Small Batch Restaurant Style Salsa nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

I wish they would say what spices they use instead of simply giving the mysterious term “spice” in the ingredients list, but this is not the only salsa I’ve seen that uses “spice.” On the Border salsa is guilty of using “spices” as well. I’m also not a huge fan of the natural flavor in this Aldi salsa.

One 2-tablespoon serving has 10 calories, no fat and no cholesterol, 210 mg of sodium (9% of your daily value), 2 grams of total carbs (1% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, and 0 grams of added sugars.

As far as taste goes, this salsa is good. It has more kick than other mild salsas I’ve had, and my salsa-devouring daughter complained that it was spicy but still ate it. My husband doesn’t think it’s spicy enough to qualify as medium, but it has more zip to it for sure. The tomato and jalapeno flavors really come through, and the cilantro gives it a bit of zing.

This salsa holds its own among other store-bought salsas, and it’s one I might purchase again (and especially because I don’t have to wring my hand off just to get the jar open). Just be aware that if you’re serving kids or people who don’t like a lot of spice, this is not truly a mild salsa.

The Verdict:

Casa Mamita Small Batch Salsa comes in three flavors: Restaurant Style, Corn and Bean, and Pineapple. My family tried the Restaurant Style variety and enjoyed it, but it is on the spicier side for a mild salsa. If you like some kick — but not too much — this might be your salsa.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

11 Comments

  1. Thanks for posting about this salsa. We like salsa and agree that it’s difficult to find a good store-bought salsa. On The Border medium salsa has been the best we’ve found so far. I’ll have to look for this salsa the next time I’m at Aldi. I just bought another jar of On The Border this morning, but we can never have enough salsa at home.

  2. Where is product made

  3. Aldi Fan in Frederick

    I bought two jars of “Casa Mamita Restaurant Style Salsa” around November or December of 2020. I took them home, and tried to open a jar. I’m a weight lifter and in good shape. However, I could NOT open the jar, with any method of a gripper, etc. I had to literally squeeze the lid portion in a vice, and twist the jar with both hands (potentially dangerous, but it worked). I was then able to get it open. I thought it was a fluke, so I didn’t pay much mind.

    Then I tried to open the second jar a few weeks later. Same exact thing. My 19 year old son is stronger than I am and benches well over 250lbs and lifts almost daily. He could NOT budge the lid open. Again, we had to use a vice.

    I didn’t realize that the picture does not reveal any actual numbers, just the UPC lines (there are no numbers on the UPC, just lines). I did not look for an expiration date. However, I can not be the only person having this problem- this is at the manufacturer’s level. I submitted my concerns to Aldi and am waiting to hear back.

    • Buy a Pop Jar Opener Jarpop Jarkey Vacuum Breaker Key Rim Lid lifter

      You just pop the seal with it and the lid opens with no force.

      I use it all the time, bought on Amazon.

  4. For opening hard to open jars: Find a sturdy heavy metal knife and use the back side (not the sharp side) to tap on the lid (making a little dent) every inch or so around the lid. Then try turning the lid off and open the jar.

  5. It seems like they increased the sodium content of their salsa. The Casa Mamita chunky mild salsa I bought in June ’21 has a whooping 450mg in 2 Tbsp. That’s terrible high for salsa and no good reason to have that much. I’ve actually noticed other Aldi products with increasing sodium content…. breads and pasta.
    I am a big fan of Aldi but it seems like they are getting more like Walmart, well with more “designer” type products.

  6. For any jar that’s difficult to open,you can buy a cheap jar opener at most kitchen ware stores which is adjustable to open most jars.Easy to use and no effort required

  7. This salsa has changed recipe since this post. It was my very favorite salsa. Now it tastes very bland, has no heat to it at all, and tastes like tomato sauce.

  8. I just happened upon this review. I also have hand issues, and the trick to opening jars like this is to use a bottle opener and position it under one of the sections of the lid that goes up (these types of lids have them, when you look at it, you’ll understand–it’s sort of a little gap). Slowly/gently pull up under the edge of the lid. When you hear the seal break STOP. The lid will come right off, but you’ll be able to screw the lid back on when your through. : )

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