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The Best Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce | Kitchen Cents
Rachel Koller

Roasted Green Enchilada Sauce

4.41 from 5 votes
A spicy blend of blackened peppers, garlic, onions, and tomatillos. The perfect sauce to add to soups, burritos, or enchiladas. SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Process Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Calories: 74

Ingredients
  

  • 4 lbs tomatillos husked and quartered *See notes*
  • 1 bulb garlic cloves separated but skins left ON (about 10 cloves)
  • 1 ¼ lbs pasilla Anaheim or poblano peppers, halved and seeded (about 4-5 peppers)
  • 1 ¼ lbs green bell peppers halved and seeded (about 3 peppers)
  • 1/3 lb jalapeno peppers halved and seeded (for more heat do not seed) (about 3-4 peppers)
  • ¼ lb serrano peppers halved and seeded (for more heat do not seed) (about1-3 peppers)
  • ¾ lb onions quartered (about 2 small, 1 large or 1.5-2 cups)
  • 2-3 T. olive oil
  • 4-5 cups chicken stock (if a thicker sauce is desired only add 4 cups)
  • 2 T. cumin
  • 2 T. sugar add more if needed *See notes*
  • 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste start with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and add more if needed
  • 1-2 T. lime juice optional *See notes*

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Place halved and seeded peppers, garlic cloves (do not peel), tomatillos, and onion quarters onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until pepper skins are blackened. (See notes for alternative methods of roasting and blackening).
  3. Place in an airtight container to cool. Once cooled enough to handle, peel blackened skin from peppers. Squeeze garlic for the skin. They should slip right out after roasting.
  4. Put all peeled and roasted vegetables in a blender and puree. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, pulse blender until desired consistency is met.
  5. Pour blended mixture into a large pot. Add chicken stock, cumin, sugar, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 to 45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Turn heat off and add fresh
    chopped cilantro.
  6. If the sauce is too spicy for your liking, add the lime juice. This can help reduce spiciness but will change the flavor slightly.
  7. Use your preferred canning method to can. Or store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Keeps in the fridge for up to one week. *See notes or post for process time - water bath method).


Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 132mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g

Notes

  • When handling hot peppers, wear latex or food-handling plastic gloves to avoid skin irritation or burns.
  • Tomatillos are ripe and ready when they are green and filled or split their husks. If tomatillos have begun yellowing, they may be overripe. Using overripe tomatillos will alter the flavor (make it much sweeter). The amount of sugar added may need to be adjusted if using yellow tomatillos rather than green.
  • If you have access to an open fire or high heat grill, roast/blacken over fire or grill. For me, this speeds up the process and doesn’t require turning on the oven. Once blackened place in an airtight container or bag. This helps loosen the blackened skins so they will peel easily.·
  • If the sauce is too spicy when completed, add lime juice to counter spiciness. This will change the flavor slightly. Lime juice will help offset the spiciness level but will not take it away.
  • When making this recipe, I double or triple the batch to can for later. I use a water bath or pressure cooker method to sterilize and seal sauce in jars·
  • Process pints in a water bath for 35 minutes (for 3,000-6,000 feet elevation).

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