Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce with Roasted Tomatillos
Get your enchiladas ready with this homemade green enchilada sauce recipe made with fresh tomatillos, jalapenos, serranos and poblano peppers, from scratch in your own kitchen.
You know what I love about a good green enchilada sauce? It’s the combination of roasted tomatillos and roasted chili peppers. Tomatillos are staple Mexican ingredients and they’re easy to cook with.
While they look just like little green tomatoes, with a papery outer layer that you must peel away, they have a different taste and are quite different from the tomatoes you’re used to.
You can eat tomatillos raw, but they are so good when roasted and blended up, especially with other staple Mexican ingredients, like the chili pepper and all those outstanding seasonings.
Patty and I get a little excited about making homemade sauces from scratch because they taste so much more personal. You can customize a recipe to your personal preference that particular day.
In the mood for more garlic? Toss in a couple more cloves. I usually do!
Adjusting the Heat Factor
Want some extra heat? How about a couple more serrano peppers, or maybe even a habanero or two? Yes! Want to keep it milder? Omit the serranos and even the jalapenos if those are too hot for you, and focus on the poblano peppers, which are outstanding peppers in their own right, especially when roasted.
This green enchilada sauce recipe is an alternative to the more traditional red enchilada sauce.
I recently did a One-Pot Enchilada Casserole (called it a stew) that you can check out with a very simple red enchilada sauce recipe. Some people are hard core one way or the other, green or red, though we like them both. We’re not picky!
How to Make Green Enchilada Sauce – The Recipe / Method
First, let’s roast our tomatillos. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Chop them in half and set them skin sides up onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Next, slice all of the peppers in half lengthwise and set them onto the baking sheet. You might need more than one sheet. Also, remove the innards of the poblano before placing them.
Add the garlic to the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nice and charred. You can also broil them, but don’t set them too close to the heat source. Remove from heat and let everything cool a bit.
Peel the skins from the peppers and add the peppers to a food processor with the tomatillos. Squeeze the garlic from their skins and into the food processor they go.
Toss in the cilantro, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. Process everything to combine the mixture.
Next, pour in the chicken broth and process the whole thing until nice and smooth.
Finally, pour the enchilada verde sauce into a pan or a pot and simmer for 5 minutes or so to let the flavors fully develop.
Use as desired!
Recipe Variations and Tips
As a variation, squeeze in a bit of lime juice for a fresh citrus blast.
Use this with your next enchilada recipe, of course, but it has other uses, too. Think soups, stews, and casseroles. I like a good multi-purpose sauce.
Enjoy!
Try These Other Enchilada Sauce Recipes
- Chicken Enchiladas Verde with Cheese
- Quick and Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole Verde
- One-Pot Meatless Enchilada Stew
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! — Mike H.
Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce with Roasted Tomatillos - Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 2 poblano peppers
- 2 serrano peppers
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon spicy chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Chop them in half and set them skin sides up onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
- Slice all of the peppers in half lengthwise and set them onto the baking sheet. You might need more than one sheet. Also, remove the innards of the poblano before placing them.
- Add the garlic to the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nice and charred. You can also broil them, but don't set them too close to the heat source. Remove from heat and let everything cool a bit.
- Peel the skins from the peppers, if desired, and add to a food processor with tomatillos. Squeeze the garlic from their skins and into the food processor they go.
- Add cilantro, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper.
- Process to combine.
- Add chicken broth and lime juice and process until smooth.
- Pour the green enchilada sauce into a pan or a pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes or so to let the flavors fully develop.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was updated on 6/26/18 to include new images and a video because it is such a great recipe! Originally published on 4/23/15.
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