We love this versatile tomatillo sauce made from fresh, roasted ingredients. And, it is so easy! Use this tomatillo sauce as a stand alone dip or to change things up on everyday tacos or in chicken enchiladas.
The Tomatillo Sauce Ingredients
I am always inspired to make this tomatillo sauce when I see the produce section has plentiful, fresh tomatillos. For this sauce, you will need 10-12 medium sized tomatillos. I try to buy tomatillos that are around the same size so that they roast evenly and in the same amount of time. This recipe also calls for one half of a yellow onion, a full head of garlic, one half of a jalapeño, fresh cilantro, juice from a fresh lime, salt, and cumin. You will also need a bit of olive oil for roasting the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.
Making this Tomatillo Sauce
The Roasting Phase
First, preheat your oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with foil.
Then you can prepare the tomatillos for roasting by first taking them out of the paper husks. It is normal that the skin is slightly sticky, so rinse them in a colander. After they are clean, cut each tomatillo crosswise and place on the baking sheet, flat, cut side down.
Peel and quarter half of a yellow onion and place it on the baking sheet among the tomatillos. Wash and halve a jalapeño pepper, lengthwise. Remove the seeds, and place one half of the pepper on the baking sheet with cut side down.
If you like spicier sauces, use both halves of the jalapeño. And a note about jalapeños, the spongy white part inside the pepper is what gives most of the spiciness. Leave more or less of this attached depending on how spicy you like it!
For the garlic, you will roast the entire head in its own foil pouch. To prepare it, take the entire head of garlic and peel the loose outer layers of paper skin, leaving the head intact. Cut the top of the garlic head off, exposing each clove. Place in its own foil pouch on the baking sheet.
Now you can brush olive oil on tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and on garlic head. Then, close the foil pouch with the garlic clove enclosed. Put the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. The tomatillos roast more quickly than the other ingredients, so you can remove tomatillos from the pan, and place in a bowl to cool.
Then put the pan back in the oven to continue roasting the remaining veggies for 5-10 more minutes, until they are tender.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow these veggies to cool for about 30 minutes.
Blending the Sauce
While the roasted items are cooling, wash and remove cilantro leaves from stems, measuring leaves to about 3/4 cup.
Then, put tomatillos, onions, jalapeño as is, in a blender. Squeeze each garlic clove out of its remaining paper skin and put only cloves into the blender. Add the fresh cilantro, dried cumin, juice from one lime and salt to the blender. Now, blend these ingredients together on medium until it reaches a smooth texture.
Serving Suggestions and Modifications
- We enjoy this sauce like a green salsa type of dip. Try adding a ripe avocado to the blender for a creamier texture. This makes a delicious dip as well.
- You can also make this sauce and use in place of canned green enchilada sauce for making chicken enchiladas.
- We love to add it to regular ground beef or shredded chicken tacos! Try it as a garnish with these Beef Taco Bowls or on a Chicken Fajita Bowl.
- You can store it in the refrigerator for about a week or freeze it for later.
- We like it served cold as a dip, but you can also leave it out to reach room temp if using on tacos.
Tomatillo Sauce
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: about 3 cups sauce 1x
Description
We love this versatile tomatillo sauce made from fresh, roasted ingredients. And, it is so easy! Use this tomatillo sauce as a stand alone dip or to change things up on everyday tacos or in chicken enchiladas.
Ingredients
- 10–12 medium sized tomatillos
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 medium sized head of garlic cloves
- 1/2 jalapeño
- olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
- juice of one lime
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- To prepare the tomatillos for roasting, you will take them out of the paper husks. Rinse them in a colander. Cut them crosswise and place on the baking sheet, flat, cut side down.
- Peel and quarter the 1/2 yellow onion. Put the onion on the baking sheet.
- Wash and half a jalepeño pepper, lengthwise. Take seeds out. Place one half on the baking sheet with cut side down.
- Take the entire head of garlic and peel the loose outer layers of paper skin, leaving the head in tact. Cut the top of the garlic head off, exposing each clove. Place in its own foil pouch on the baking sheet.
- Brush olive oil on tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, and on garlic head. Close the foil pouch with the garlic clove enclosed.
- Roast for 15 minutes.
- Remove tomatillos from the pan, and place in a bowl to cool.
- Roast the remaining veggies for 5-10 more minutes, until they are tender.
- Allow these veggies to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Wash and remove cilantro leaves from stems, measuring leaves to 3/4 cup.
- Put tomatillos, onions, jalapeño in a blender. Squeeze each garlic clove out of its remaining paper skin and put only cloves into the blender.
- Add cilantro, cumin, lime juice and salt to the blender; blend on medium until a smooth texture.
Notes
- Try adding a ripe avocado to the blender when mixing this up, for a creamier version of this sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
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