Tomatillo Salsa Verde is one of my favorite food discoveries of the Southwest. It differs from red enchilada sauce as it is made with tomatillos instead of chiles. I love salsa verde on anything but particularly on enchiladas.
I had never heard of a tomatillo or salsa verde until we moved out west 6 years ago. If they were available on the East coast, I certainly didn’t pay any attention to them! My introduction to salsa verde was in Albuquerque, New Mexico when a waiter asked if I wanted my enchiladas “red or green.”. He was asking what kind of chili sauce I wanted and since I had no idea what I’d like, I told him to bring me both. I fell in love with salsa verde at that meal. This super easy and quick recipe means salsa verde can now be a staple in my kitchen. Finding a bag of tomatillos on manager’s special for $.22 makes this even better!
If you aren’t familiar with salsa verde, you can use it like taco sauce, salsa, or enchilada sauce.
Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 10 tomatillos, husked
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves (or more or less)
- 1 pepper, chopped (poblano or green; jalapeno if you want some heat)
- Juice from 1/2 lime (I didn't have this so I skipped it)
- A few sprigs of cilantro (optional)
- A dash or more of hot sauce
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in a large skillet. Cook all ingredients until the tomatillos are softening and brighten a bit in color, about 10 minutes. Put everything in to a blender or food processor and blend until liquid.