Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce

Some of Our Favorite Flavors of Late Summer Combine for a Versatile Southwestern Sauce 

We love a great sauce, especially a Mexican inspired sauce. Sauce adds an another element to any dish: a new texture, extra flavors, or fun color.

This tomatillo sauce is tangy and full of flavor; great for adding to chili, as part of an enchilada sauce, as a condiment on breakfast food, or a southwestern style hamburger. Mix it with diced or mashed avocado and you have a quick, tasty salsa dip.

This is a great recipe to make with family or friends, which helps speed up the process if more than one set of hands is involved. Plus taste testing the sauce at the end can be a fun moment to connect and explore how tangy you really want the sauce to be.

We loved this sauce so much we added it to our upcoming fall white bean chicken chili. Stay tuned for that post! It’s delicious.

Update: here’s the recipe for our White Chicken Chili with Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce.

Taste Test Kitchen

Depending on the amount of time you want to invest in this recipe there are two ways to make this sauce. One option is to make everything from scratch. The other option is to buy canned tomatillos and green chilies.

We chose the first route (homemade) and broiled the tomatillos and prepared the chilies. The reason we took the extra effort to roast the tomatillos was because it’s fresher and more flavorful than canned. Plus there's less salt, which is something we are always trying to be aware of.

If you want to learn more about tomatillos, here's a really informative article on how to select the best ones and prepare them - "Your Guide to Tomatillos."

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Tomatillo-Hatch Green Chile Sauce

by Burnt Toast Food Blog August-24-2018

The sauce is a tangy combination of tomatillos and mild or spicy Hatch green chiles. Use the sauce over enchiladas, eggs, or to make a Southwestern style hamburger. Mix it with diced or mashed avocado and you have a quick, tasty salsa dip. Follow the directions for completely homemade sauce, or see the Notes for shortcuts.

Ingredients

• about 2 pounds fresh tomatillos (about 16)
• about 4 large, whole roasted Hatch green chiles, mild or hot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse and dry. Cut each tomatillo in half crosswise and place cut side down on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Turn up the edges of the foil about 1 inch on each side to catch juices. 2. Broil tomatillos 5-7 minutes or until blackened. Let cool. 3. Meanwhile, remove the skins, stems, seeds and membranes from the green chiles. Chop and set aside. 4. Place the tomatillos and their juice in a food processor or blender. Add green chiles, garlic, salt, lime juice, and sugar. Pulse/process until smooth and well-blended. Adjust salt and sugar, as needed. 5. Refrigerate for up to 5 days until ready to use. Freezes well. Notes: - To roast fresh Hatch green chiles, arrange them with space between each on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until well-blackened on both sides (flip with tongs). Remove from the oven and place chiles in a plastic bag and seal for about 15 minutes. The chiles will steam some more, making the skin easier to remove. With a paring knife, scrape off most of the charred skin and remove the stem. Slice open and scrape out the seeds and white membranes, which give a bitter taste. Recipe Ideas: - Substitute 1 28 ounce can tomatillos and 2 cans chopped green chiles (mild or hot). Add directly to the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and blend. - Reserve 2 cups of this sauce to use in our White Chicken Chile with Tomatillos and Green Chiles recipe or 1 1/2 cups in our Green Enchilada Sauce. - Use 1 cup of the sauce mixed with 1 mashed avocado for a zesty salsa dip. - Heat some of the sauce and pour over egg dishes, burritos, or along with additional fresh green chiles and cheese to top a hamburger. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro and (lactose free) sour cream.

Details

Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 7 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 3 cups