Tomatillo Sauce Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Delicious green Tomatillo Sauce made simple and in under 20 minutes. Pour it over any of your favorite tacos, in your bean and cheese, sauce to green chilaquiles and chicken enchiladas, or with your favorite guisados (stews). Its tangy taste is a delightful favorite in Mexican cuisine.

Prep Time5

Cook Time13

Total Time18

Course: Appetizer, Salsa

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Salt, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Chile Verde Salsa, Green Sauce, Salsa, Salsa Verde, tomatillo, tomatillo sauce, Tomatillos

Servings: servings

Calories: 21kcal

Author: Erika Garibay - LQC Recipes

Equipment

Blender
Small boiling pot
Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

1 lb green tomatillos about 10
1 1/2 cup water, divided. 1 cup for boiling tomatillos and peppers and 1/2 cup fresh for blending. See notes for all details around water in recipe.
2 jalapeños or serrano
1/4 piece white onion
2 cloves garlic or 3 for extra garlic
1 tsp kosher salt or 3/4 sea salt

Optional:

1/4 tsp ground cumin

Instructions

To make the Tomatillo Sauce on the stove

Remove husk from green tomatillos and rinse thoroughly to remove any debris from tomatillos.
Place tomatillos, peppers of choice and 1-cup water in a small boiling pot. Turn stove to medium heat, set timer and let cook for about 10-12 minutes.
Once tomatillos are tender and cooked (you should be able to pierce right through them with a fork), turn stove off and let pot cool for 5 minutes before transferring into a blender.
Carefully transfer tomatillos only (it's optional to use remaining juices from boiling pot into blender, but I don't, I use the fresh 1/2 cup water). See notes below for more details below in the notes for Water in recipe.
Add 1/2 cup water, onion, [additional fresh pepper, if you want more spice as we did] garlic clove, salt, and blend for 10-15 seconds. The longer you blender the more liquefied and smoother your green salsa will be.
Pour salsa into a glass or ceramic bowl large enough to yield 2 cups.

Notes

Recipe yield: about 2 cups Tomatillo Sauce.

Storage: Properly stored and covered salsa will last 1 week in the refrigerator.

Freezer: Since this salsa is a smooth green sauce it can be stored in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 6-8 weeks (Flip tip: future tomatillo sauce enchiladas).

Spice level: For more spice, use serrano. It is spicier and gives a nice punch to the green sauce recipe.

In the steps the pictured blender shows the cooked tomatillos, pepper, AND also includes a fresh pepper to increase the spice level. Spice level increments are your choice.

Water in the recipe: Salsas require a different amount of water and each salsa will be a little different in terms of technique to prepare. Lot's of information provided to help you get the best tomatillo salsa in your home.

Here are some helpful tips for the water contenidos in this recipe.

The water from the boiling pot of cooking tomatillos and peppers can be used instead of the additional 1/2 cup of fresh water. details below.
I'm not a fan of waste but I do not use the boiling water from the tomatillos/pepper boiling pot because the room temp water helps drop the temperature of the tomatillos when blending, and it keeps things a little safer when transferring.
However, if you'd like to use the water from the pot, it's entirely optional. If doing that, please be careful and omit the 1/2 cup of additional water since you have already added a half cup of the water from the pot. **If you try it, you'll get an idea of which technique is right for you and your preferred flavor!
Once blended, you will get a better idea of how the texture of the salsa turned out. You then can decide if you'd like to add more water gradually to thin the salsa to your desired preference.

This recipe can also be made with Tomatillo Milpero. Which is a small tomatillo that is usually a bit less tart. I love this tomatillo when it's harvested. It comes in green and purple hues. If you spot it, try it!

Ways to flip: Made a large batch, and froze some too? I'll name a few ways to use up your green sauce. Tomatillo sauce enchiladas, over eggs for huevos rancheros, green chilaquiles, migas, chile verde guisado, warm green sauce over chicken taquitos, doused over avocado toast, and more!

This versatile tomatillo salsa is used all year long in cuisine.

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

Avocado: Medium chopped chunks of avocado in this salsa take it to the next level and add a creaminess to every bite.

For the full post with all my tips and tricks visit the LatinasQueComen Website and search Easy Tomatillo Sauce.

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