Easy Tomatillo Sauce

This delicious Green Sauce recipe is made in under 20 minutes! The taste of tomatillo is a versatile staple in Mexican cuisine and a verde salsita favorite. Pour this smooth tomatillo salsa over classics like tacos, sopes, taco bowls, and even make green enchiladas. It’s a great simple salsa to have ready in advance for quick + easy weeknight meals for those busy days!

Why Make this green sauce

Everybody knows that green sauce is delicious when you find the right one! I’ve been loving and making this sauce for a couple of decades but its been around before me, about 2,000 years old. Here I share my go to recipe for making this staple sauce. Simple is it, salted for balanced flavor in a small weekday batch for the house or a large quart size for sharing with family and friends. This recipe shares the ingredients I use and tips for flavor variations I’ve picked up along the way.

When you make it fresh, you’ll love this nutrient rich salsas maximum flavor. Try it and don’t miss out! For more tasty salsa recipes peep our salsa macha, and salsa verde recipes.

Ingredients

Grocery Quick List: tomatillo, onion, garlic, jalapeño / serrano, salt (optional: ground cumin).

Ingredient notes

Tomatillos – When prepping to make salsa verde, I peel off their husk, giving them a light rinse in water or soak in a small bowl with some 1:1 water / vinegar to clean off any dirt and remnants. I use tomatillos on the day I make salsa or at most within a week since they are locally accessible.

Jalapeños – jalapeño is used often but if you want extra heat add serrano pepper (we love spicy) into the mix! I don’t always boil them, I wash a crudo (raw) pepper really well then put it in the blender with the other ingredients for an extra spicy kick to this salsa. Use half of the serrano pepper if you want to measure the level of spiciness.

Onion – Brown onion is ok as a substitute in this recipe. However, I prefer white for its stronger and spicier flavor in making this tomatillo sauce.

Garlic – Reduce the number of cloves used if you’re not a big fan of garlic but no less than two for this recipe. On the other hand, add more cloves if you’re into extra garlicky flavor. Nutrient Rich: The health benefits of garlic in raw form is why I don’t boil or grill the garlic in this green smooth salsa recipe.

Please feel free to roast or boil the garlic if that is how you prefer it but I definitely encourage you to try it this way. Here is additional information via a study on the potential health benefit of garlic.

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Remove husk from green tomatillos. Rinse thoroughly to remove any debris.
2. Place tomatillos, jalapeños / serranos, and water in a small boiling pot, turn stove to medium heat, set timer, and let cook for about 10-12 minutes.
3. Once tomatillos are tender and cooked (you should be able to pierce right through them with a fork). Turn stove off and let the pot cool for 5 minutes before transferring into a blender.
4. Carefully transfer tomatillos only (optional to use remaining juices from pot) into blender. Add 1/2 cup water, onion, garlic, salt, and optional cumin – blend for 10-15 seconds. The longer you blend, the more liquefied and smoother your green sauce will be.
5. Pour sauce into a glass or ceramic bowl large enough to yield 2 cups.

Foods to eat with Green Sauce

Wondering what to serve with tomatillo sauce? Here are a few ideas on what to pair it with…

Meals: Chicken bowls, salads, stews, soups, bean and cheese burritos, quesadillas, or served warm over chicken tostadas, nachos, and crispy flautas.

Apps and Snacks: Eat with ripe sliced avocado, cooked potato and chayote slices, pan tostado, totopos, kettle chips, and chicharrones. Make it an antojito (appetizer) spread of your dreams!

Storage

Proper storage in a container with a lid and your salsa will last up to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Freezer

Since this tomatillo salsa is liquified until smooth. You may also make it ahead and store it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 6-8 weeks.

(Pro Tip: freeze for quick and easy meal prep, think future green enchiladas). 

Ways to Flip [Tomatillo Green Sauce]

Learn ways to use leftover green salsa…

• Tomatillo Sauce Enchiladas
• Green Chilaquiles
• Migas or egg toast (like the picture below!)

Pro Tips / Receta Notes

Recipe yield: 2 cups

Find fresh tomatillos at your local farmers market or Mexican market in the produce section.

Lime: Squeeze lime into your serving for an extra tangy taste. A favorite on cold mariscos (cold seafood cocktails), fresh cucumber, and other sliced veggies.

Spice level: De-seed the jalapeño if you prefer less spice. For more spice, use serrano or both! Serrano is spicier and gives a nice punch to the green sauce recipe but use whatever pepper you frequent in your cooking! If it gets too spicy you can always reduce the heat with a squeeze of lime on your food bites.

Chile Verde: Suppose you’re using this recipe to add to a stewed meat like chile verde. I recommend holding off on adding the salt to the green sauce until after you’ve added it to the cooked meat and its stock; incase it’s already been salted. Once you try that, you can add salt as needed.

Avocado: A whole ripe avocado, medium diced pieces added to this salsa take it to the next level. It gives the tomatillo sauce a rich and creamy bite. Let salsa cool before adding diced avocado.

Cilantro (optional): Add as a fixing for an herb-acious [yea, I know, not a word but it still works here!] bite.

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Equipment

• Saute pan
• Slotted spoon / or tongs (to retrieve cooked tomatillos)
• Blender

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