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–+ servings
A round white bowl of tomatillo sauce surrounded by peppers and cilantrol.

Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce

Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce is tangy and tasty with caramelized vegetables, garlic, and cilantro. Use as a sauce in your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes or as a salsa verde.
5 from 3 votes
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Author Kori Butler
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Sauces
Cuisine American | Mexican
Servings 10
Calories 57 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
  • 3 tomatillos (peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes)
  • 1 poblano pepper (de-stemmed, de-seeded, and chopped)
  • 1 anaheim pepper (de-stemmed, de-seeded, and chopped)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper (de-stemmed, de-seeded, and chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
  • 1 small bunch cilantro (stems removed and finely chopped)
  • 16 ounces vegetable stock
  • 4 ounces canned diced green chiles
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a 4-quart stockpot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat and wait until oil begins to smoke slightly. Add onions, tomatillos, and peppers.
  • Saute until the vegetables caramelize and soften, about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Next, add all remaining ingredients, including minced garlic, cilantro, canned green chili, vegetable stock, cumin, salt, and ground black pepper.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors and reduce the liquid slightly.
  • Remove saucepan from the heat and blend until smooth, using a hand blender ( or transfer sauce to a stand-up blender).
  • Adjust seasoning if needed.

Kori's Tips

  • 1 recipe is the equivalent to 1 (28 ounce) can store-bought sauce
  • Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
  • SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Use in your favorite enchilada recipe or as a topping for steak, chicken, pork, and seafood. It can also be used as a base sauce for salsas, casseroles, and soups! 
  • TOP TIPS: Getting a good caramelization is key to adding flavor to this recipe. Keep the heat on medium-high or even high if needed, until you start getting good color golden browning around the edges and vegetables soft. Once you add the rest of the ingredients turn the heat down to simmer and blend the flavors - you don't want a rapid boil or you will lose your liquid too fast.
  • SUBSTITUTIONS:  For a milder sauce sub mild peppers (poblanos and anaheim) and hotter peppers (jalapeno and serrano) for a spicier sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 57kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 480mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 202IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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