Salsa Verde

Homemade Salsa Verde is so much better than what you get in a bottle! This green salsa recipe is so easy to make, it’s deliciously flavorful, and it makes a delicious topping to your favorite Mexican food. Or simply serve it with chips for a perfect party appetizer or dinner side dish.

Salsa Verde Ingredients

• Tomatillos – these are a green skinned, slightly acidic fruit with an appearance similar to tomatoes (and the Spanish word “tomatillo” actually translates to “little tomato”) but they have a much different flavor from tomatoes. They are covered in a thin husk which you remove before roasting and eating.
• Jalapeno – this makes the salsa spicy, if you want it mild you can omit. If you like it extra spicy you can leave the jalapeno seeds or double up on this ingredient.
• Yellow onion and garlic – these add a lot of flavor to the salsa verde, don’t omit them.
• Fresh cilantro – I like to use 1/4 cup but you can adjust this to taste depending on how much you love it or don’t care for it.
• Salt – don’t forget this, it brings out the flavors in the salsa and keeps it from tasting one dimensional.
• Sugar – this just balances out the tart acidic flavors.
• Lime juice – this adds a light kick of fresh bright flavor.
• Water – sure this is not such a typical salsa ingredient but here it thins it out to a better, more dip-able consistency.

This is my favorite Salsa Verde recipe! The tomatillos and pepper are roasted for a flavorful light char, then the ingredients are quickly blitzed in a food processor for an easy finish. Such a bright refreshing chip dip or taco topping!Servings: 6Prep10 minutesCook10 minutesReady in: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs tomatillos*, husked
• 1 jalapeno**, stem removed (before or after roasting)
• 2/3 cup chopped yellow onion, rinsed under water to remove harsh bite
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/2 – 1 tsp sugar, to taste
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp water, then more as desired

Instructions

• Move oven rack about 4-inch below broiler element, preheat broiler to high heat.
• Place tomatillos and jalapeno on a baking sheet then place in oven and roast about 4 – 5 minutes until charred on top (keep a close on on things as they can char pretty quickly – especially the pepper).
• Rotate veggies to opposite side and roast until charred on opposite side, about 3 – 5 minutes longer. 
• Slice pepper then add to a food processor along with onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, sugar, lime juice, water and tomatillos (and any juices on pan). 
• Pulse several times to a coarse puree. Stir in more water to thin if desired. Chill through in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Notes

• *Try to use tomatillos of roughly the same size so they cook evenly in the oven. 
• **If you don’t like spicy food you can omit the jalapeno or to make it more mild remove the seeds before adding to the food processor. If you like it really spicy leave the seeds or double up on the jalapeno.
• Don’t over process the salsa verde. You want it to be slightly chunky and have good texture!