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Green Enchilada Sauce

January 5, 2021 by girlinspired Leave a Comment

Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce provides an explosion of fresh flavor to so many dishes! Thanks to the tomatillos, roasted chilis, garlic, cilantro, and cumin, it will elevate everything from cheesy enchiladas, casseroles, soups, and the spoon from which you are licking it off! This made from scratch green sauce is heads above anything storebought and is ready in less than 30 minutes!

green enchilada sauce in saucepan with tortillas, roasted chiles, cilantro, and cheese garnishes nearby

If you love all things Mexican inspired, whether a dish or a sauce, you must try salsa verde, cheese enchiladas with green sauce, and green chicken chili recipe. And then, you should invite me over!

green enchilada sauce in glass mason jar with cilantro sprinkled on top

What is Green Enchilada Sauce?

If you’ve ever tried green chili enchilada sauce at a restaurant you know that beautiful green sauce drizzled on top of your nachos, your enchiladas, and your quesadillas, activates all of your senses! The thought of it is exactly what is making your mouth water right now.

If you’ve never tried it before, well buckle up! You’re in for a game-changing experience. This green enchilada sauce recipe gives you Mexican style restaurant-quality flavors, right at home.

Enchilada sauce can be made either red or green, and each has its purpose. But the fresh, citrus, burst of flavor that comes from this version, is a bonus.

It’s a little bit spicy but can be made more mild or hot to your liking. Its freshness comes from the bold flavors of the tomatillos, garlic, red onion, and cilantro. The roasted chilis, which have been charred beautifully, gives you not only heat but also a little smokiness.

When this delicious sauce is combined with melty gooey cheese or crumbled Queso Blanco, it’s the thing that’s going to keep you coming back for more! Super addicting, you’ll want to keep a jar on hand at all times. Forget the storebought stuff, you’re about to prepare a homemade sauce that will blow your mind!

Appliance Info:

This easy green sauce requires very little effort and even fewer appliances. Besides the basic saute pan and baking sheet, all you really need is a blender or food processor.

Ingredients:

  • Sweet white onion – A sweeter, less pungent onion than yellow. When sauteed with the garlic, it brings out its natural sweetness.
  • Garlic cloves – Garlic and onion are a powerhouse duo. Sauteed together brings out the best in both of them and elevates the other ingredients in the sauce.
  • Anaheim or Hatch chiles – If you’re wondering why the different spelling (Chili, Chilli, or Chile), it’s because they are all used interchangeably, depending on where you live! The Anaheim or Hatch chilis are a bit milder and usually larger than the jalapeno pepper, but if that’s all you can find, go ahead and use that instead.
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh tomatillos, rinsed and roughly chopped – You can use canned as well. They look like smaller unripened tomatoes and can be found in most grocery stores. Usually with a husk around them. In fact, the drier and crispier the husk, the better the tomatillo.
  • Fresh cilantro – Whether you love it or hate it, add it anyway!
  • Cumin – A nice balance to the citrus and heat. Brings a bit of earthiness and a different layer of flavor.
  • Chicken or vegetable bouillon – Your choice!
Ingredients for green enchilada sauce laid out on counter - tomatillos, garlic, cumin, bouillon, onion, oil, and fresh cilantro

How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Set it aside. Saute the onions with a little bit of oil in a large saute pan. Once they’re soft, add the minced garlic and continue to saute until fragrant and beginning to brown. Then remove it from heat and set aside.

browned onions in a saute pan

Step 2: Grab your chiles and rub them with olive oil. Place them on the prepared baking sheet and broil on the top rack of the oven. Once one side is charred and blistered, rotate until all sides are blistered. Remove from the oven to cool and once you are able to handle them, remove the stem and most of the seeds. The more seeds you leave in, the hotter your sauce will be. So, you do you!

side by side photos of chiles on aluminum-lined baking sheet before and after being roasted

Step 3: Remove the husk and stem from your tomatillos and rinse. Cut into quarters and pulse in a blender or food processor until broken down into small chunks. Add the chile flesh and cilantro and pulse once more. This is where you decide what consistency you want for your sauce.

photo collage of process of adding tomatillos, cilantro, onion, and chiles to blender and the blended green sauce

Step 4: Pour the contents of the blender/food processor back into the saute pan. Add water, cumin, and bouillon and bring to a simmer until the sauce thickens, flavors have married and your desired consistency has been reached.

blended green sauce in saute pan and seasoning added to the sauce

Pour it all over whatever dish you’ve got going on in the oven right now or save it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. If you want to freeze it, wait until it’s completely cooled and then keep it frozen for up to 6 months.

Finished green enchilada sauce in saute pan with cheese, tortillas, and roasted chile alongside the pan

What did I tell you about all your senses?! Was I right or was I right? Now that you know how to make this super simple crowd-pleasing sauce, keep this recipe handy because people will be asking you for it!

Variations and Substitutions

  • As mentioned above, if you can’t find chiles, feel free to use jalapenos or poblanos.
  • If you want more heat leave in more seeds, or add even more peppers. If you want less heat, make sure to remove all of the seeds.
  • I was only half kidding about adding the cilantro no matter what. It does add a nice finishing flavor and an added freshness, but it won’t make or break your recipe.
  • If you like the flavor of the roasted chiles, you might even enjoy roasting the tomatillos.
  • Freeze in ice cube trays for easy access to small portions at a time.
  • Stock up on ingredients when they are in season make a double batch and freeze for later.
close up photo of green sauce cheese enchilada scoop
What else can I use enchilada sauce for?

Use it on top of everything from tacos, quesadillas, tamales, enchiladas, fish, chicken, beef, shrimp, casseroles, or macaroni and cheese. You can even thin it out even more and use it as a salad dressing. The sky is the limit with this magic sauce!

Is this green enchilada sauce spicy?

The sauce is mildly spicy as the recipe is written. You can adjust the spice level by adding more chile seeds and/or adding roasted peppers with a spicier/hotter flavor. Hatch and Anaheim chiles are about 1/3 as spicy as your average jalapeno.

Can I use canned tomatillos?

You sure can. Fresh are always best, but canned tomatillos are easy to find at the grocery store and make a great substitute.

What if I can’t find Hatch chile peppers?

Hatch chile peppers are grown in one area of New Mexico and are available seasonally in the Southwestern U.S. Anaheim chiles make a great substitute, but if you do not have access to either of these chili peppers, look for a chile pepper with an earthy flavor and mild/medium heat.

Green Enchilada Sauce

An easy-to-make rich, smooth green enchilada sauce that packs a punch of flavor from fresh roasted chilis, garden tomatillos, and cilantro.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 81kcal
Author: girlinspired
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1/2 sweet white onion diced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 2 large Anaheim or Hatch chiles
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4-5 cups fresh tomatillos rinsed and roughly chopped (or canned)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon

Instructions

  • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saute pan and heat over medium. Saute diced onions until soft. Add minced garlic and continue sauteeing until the garlic is fragrant and mixture is just beginning to brown. Remove from heat.
  • Meanwhile, rub chiles with olive oil. Place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil on the top rack of the oven, rotating the chiles until they are blistered on all sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove stem and most seeds from the chiles and scoop the flesh away from the peel, if desired.
  • Prepare fresh tomatillos by removing the outer paper-like skin and trimming the stem. Rinse any sticky residue from the tomatillos and cut into quarters. Place tomatillos in a blender or food processor and pulse until the tomatillos are broken down into small chunks.
  • Add chile flesh and cilantro to the blender and pulse a few more times until desired consistency is achieved.
  • Pour sauce back into saute pan. Add water, cumin, and bouillon and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer over medium-low heat until sauce thickens to desired consistency and flavors have meddled.
  • Cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or freezer for up to 6 months.
Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Filed Under: Food and Recipes, Sauces|Dips|Salad Dressings Tagged With: chiles, cilantro, tomatillo

Easy Homemade Salsa Verde

June 10, 2020 by girlinspired Leave a Comment

Mexican food is a staple in our house and salsa verde tops the list of our favorites. Making your own fresh salsa takes just minutes and is so dang good, you’ll want to keep a supply on your kitchen counter around the clock. Blend up fresh or roasted tomatillos and a few key ingredients for this flavor-packed dip.

salsa verde in white chip'n'dip serving bowl with tortilla chips, wooden spoon, cilantro and jalapeño slices and wooden cutting board with tomatillos

This easy salsa verde is made from tomatillos instead of tomatoes and is frequently served alongside red salsas. It has a distinctly different, bright flavor. It can be mild or spicy, depending on the type and spice of the hot peppers added. We like to eat this salsa with tortilla chips and on top of carnitas tacos. It makes a delicious compliment to our favorite fresh mango salsa.

chip scooping salsa from white chip'n'dip bowl, tortilla chips, and a tomatillo and cilantro in background

Salsa Verde Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (approximately 1 cup
  • 1-2 limes
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

How to Make Salsa Verde

Tomatillos can be found in most grocery stores. They are a small, round fruit that grows in a thin, paper-like husk. If you would like to grow tomatillos at home, they grow well in environments where tomatoes grow well. The trick with successfully growing tomatillos, though, is that you have to plant two plants so that they can fertilize one another. If you only have one plant, you won’t get any fruit.

Tomatillos grow in the husk which can easily be pulled apart. Check for a bright green and shiny fruit. Summer is when tomatillos are naturally ripe and will have the most flavor. When you remove the husk, the tomatillos will be slightly sticky. Rinse them with cold water before cutting them into chunks. It is not necessary to cut out the stem. The whole fruit is edible and blends up easily in this recipe.

When you are using fresh, ripe fruit, this salsa verde recipe is delicious with the tomatillos just the way they are. If your tomatillos are not completely ripe or if you’d like a little more of a smokey flavor, you can roast them in the oven until they blister just a bit and then blend them in.

Once your tomatillos are prepared, pop them into a food processor or blender. Add the red onions, garlic, cilantro, lime, jalapeño, and salt. Pulse the ingredients until an even salsa is formed. I like it just a bit chunky. If you blend it for too long, you’ll have a very thin salsa, so go easy. Give the salsa a taste and add more lime juice or jalapeño to taste.

photo collage of steps to make recipe: tomatillos in a bowl, tomatillos with husks peeled back, cut tomatillos, adding lime to food processor with ingredients, salt on a spoon being added to food processor, and blended salsa

That’s all there is to it. This recipe will make about 2 cups of salsa verde. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, but I doubt you’ll have any left that long.

salsa verde in white chip'n'dip serving bowl with tortilla chips, wooden spoon, cilantro and jalapeño slices and wooden cutting board

You might also like:

Crockpot Carnitas

Classic Rum Mojito Recipe

Mango Avocado Salsa

The Best Creamy Dill Dip Recipe

chip scooping salsa from white chip'n'dip bowl, tortilla chips, and a tomatillo and cilantro in background

Salsa Verde

An easy and flavor packed recipe for salsa verde. Ready in minutes! Serving size is 1/4 cup.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiments, Side Dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 21kcal
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 2-3 c. tomatillos husks removed, washed, and roughly chopped
  • 2 T. minced red onion
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno
  • juice of 1-2 limes
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Roughly chop all ingredients and place in food processor or blender.
  • Pulse until the mixture is a thick puree. Do not liquify.
  • Salsa verde will keep in refrigerator for several days.
Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 142IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

Filed Under: Food and Recipes, Sauces|Dips|Salad Dressings Tagged With: cilantro, jalapeno, salsa, tomatillo

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