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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde (Green Salsa)

Please enjoy our bright and tangy roasted tomatillo salsa verde. It is delicious, versatile, can easily be turned into chile verde sauce, and is freezer-friendly! Have fun grilling tomatillos outside on the BBQ, or roast them in the oven.
5 from 8 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Party Food, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack

Equipment

  • grill basket and outdoor BBQ, or roasting pan/baking dish and oven
  • Blender, or food processor

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds tomatillos (husked)
  • 1/2 large onion of choice (sweet yellow or white recommended)
  • 1 or 2 fresh chili peppers of choice (jalapeño, poblano, Anaheim, cayenne)
  • 4 or 5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, washed and stems removed
  • 1 tsp sea salt (approximately, adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • optional: 1 to 2 ripe avocados

Instructions
 

Prep

  • Peel/husk and wash the tomatillos
  • Peel and roughly chop onion
  • Peel garlic gloves
  • Wash chili peppers and remove stems. Remove seeds/inner membrane for a more mild salsa.

Grill or Roast

  • Combine tomatillos, onion, garlic and chili peppers either in a BBQ grill basket, OR in a glass baking dish or roasting pan.
  • On the BBQ: Grill over a medium-high flame with the grill lid closed for 20 to 30 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes) until everything gets a nice browned char.
  • In the oven: Roast on 450F for approximately 30 minutes. Roasted tomatillos turn from bright green to olive green in color while becoming more soft. Some may even pop and leak!
  • When they look done, allow the roasted tomatillos, onions, garlic and pepper to cool slightly (maybe 15-20 minutes) before continuing to the next step. 

Combine

  • Carefully transfer the roasted tomatillos, onion and chili pepper to a blender or food processor.
  • Add the called-for fresh cilantro, lime juice, salt, and cumin (scaling up or down based on personal flavor preferences)
  • Pulse or blend until everything is thoroughly combined and reaches the texture you desire.
  • If you’d like to incorporate avocado, you can either blend some in now to create an extra creamy salsa verde, or wait and add chunks or slices later upon serving.

Cool & Serve

  • allow the roasted salsa verde to cool in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. It becomes more thick and flavorful with time.
  • Store in the refrigerator and use within one week, or freeze in freezer-safe containers and use within 6 months.
Keyword chile verde, roasted salsa verde, roasted tomatillo salsa verde, salsa verde, tomatillo salse
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